Katharine Gammon is an award-winning independent science journalist based in Santa Monica, California. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, WIRED, The Guardian, Undark, Popular Science, MIT Technology Review, Nature, Hakai and beyond.
Katharine Gammon
From this contributor
Spotted around the web: Mapping histones; COVID-19 births; acetaminophen lawsuits
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 31 October.
Spotted around the web: Mapping histones; COVID-19 births; acetaminophen lawsuits
By
Jill Adams, Katharine Gammon, Peter Hess, Nicholette Zeliadt
4 November 2022 | 3 min read
A mix of common and rare variants shapes autism inheritance patterns
The study also reveals a link between language development and common variants.
A mix of common and rare variants shapes autism inheritance patterns
By
Katharine Gammon
4 November 2022 | 3 min read
Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism
The gene, YTHDF2, has not previously been linked to autism.
Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism
By
Katharine Gammon
1 November 2022 | 3 min read
Lags in genetic testing, variant reporting hinder autism research
Few autistic people undergo the recommended genetic testing for their condition, and test results often do not make their way into public databases, where researchers and clinicians can learn from them.
Lags in genetic testing, variant reporting hinder autism research
By
Katharine Gammon
28 October 2022 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Revisiting the neural correlates of consciousness
Life happens in real time, but experience may be composed in ragtime—like the music genre, full of offbeat notes and uneven rhythms. The assumption that waking life consists of a “stream” of conscious representations has inadvertently led consciousness science to its current impasse.
Revisiting the neural correlates of consciousness
Life happens in real time, but experience may be composed in ragtime—like the music genre, full of offbeat notes and uneven rhythms. The assumption that waking life consists of a “stream” of conscious representations has inadvertently led consciousness science to its current impasse.
By
Francis T. Fallon, Michael Pitts
28 September 2026 | 7 min read
Grant review needs reform. How about we add an element of chance?
A process that uses a lottery system saves time, reduces strategic resubmission and accepts that, above a quality threshold, luck has always played a part in science funding.
Grant review needs reform. How about we add an element of chance?
A process that uses a lottery system saves time, reduces strategic resubmission and accepts that, above a quality threshold, luck has always played a part in science funding.
By
Adrien Peyrache
25 September 2026 | 6 min read
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
By
Alissa de Chassey
25 September 2026 | 5 min read