Hannah Furfaro was a news writer at Spectrum from 2017 to 2019. Before that, Hannah was an investigative reporting fellow at Columbia University. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Fresno Bee and the Associated Press. Her work has also appeared in The Guardian and Audubon Magazine.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Spectrum-June-20-2017_007a.jpg)
Hannah Furfaro
From this contributor
Sleep problems in autism, explained
Many people with autism have difficulty falling and staying asleep, but there may be ways to help them.
Autistic girls’ brains show distinct anatomical features
Nerve fiber tracts in the brains of autistic girls appear more fragmented than those of typical girls’. Autistic boys’ brains, meanwhile, look like those of typical boys.
![Woman inside MRI machine with clinicians or doctors looking on with clipboards](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/20190918-DTI844.jpg)
Autistic girls’ brains show distinct anatomical features
Beyond the bench: A conversation with Annie Ciernia
Annie Ciernia describes the greenhouse origins of her scientific career and why a unicorn makes a good lab mascot.
![Scientist Annie Ciernia runs in the forest, wearing lab coat and carrying a stack of papers that are also flying along behind her](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/201909-CiernaForest844.jpg)
Beyond the bench: A conversation with Annie Ciernia
Small sponge may sop up maternal antibody tied to autism
Researchers have created a microscopic particle that traps immune molecules found in a woman that are linked to autism in her child.
![fetus surrounded by genes and nanoparticles and clusters](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/20190909-Nanoparticle844.jpg)
Small sponge may sop up maternal antibody tied to autism
Brain organoids show realistic neuronal firing rhythms
Brain organoids made from typical human stem cells begin to show synchronized neuronal firing patterns after growing in a dish for at least four months.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/20181104-Organoid-844.jpg)
Brain organoids show realistic neuronal firing rhythms
Explore more from The Transmitter
Cell population in brainstem coordinates cough, new study shows
The work also adds to a growing body of evidence showing that mice, and their genetic toolbox, can be used to study cough.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1200_coughingmice-1024x720.webp)
Cell population in brainstem coordinates cough, new study shows
The work also adds to a growing body of evidence showing that mice, and their genetic toolbox, can be used to study cough.
In updated U.S. autism bill, Congress calls for funding boost, expanded scope
The current Autism CARES Act sunsets in late September.
![Capitol building](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/capitolhill-1200-1024x692.webp)
In updated U.S. autism bill, Congress calls for funding boost, expanded scope
The current Autism CARES Act sunsets in late September.
Ketamine targets lateral habenula, setting off cascade of antidepressant effects
The drug’s affinity for overactive cells in the “anti-reward” region may help explain its rapid and long-lasting results.
![Illustration of ketamine blocking open ion channels in active NMDA receptors, quieting the cells and disrupting downstream signaling involved in depression.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1200-ketamine-receptor-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.webp)
Ketamine targets lateral habenula, setting off cascade of antidepressant effects
The drug’s affinity for overactive cells in the “anti-reward” region may help explain its rapid and long-lasting results.