Lauren Gravitz is a freelance writer and editor in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who covers health, medicine, science and the environment. Her stories have appeared in Nature, Aeon, The Economist, Technology Review, O, The Oprah Magazine and Discover, among others.
Lauren Gravitz
Freelance Writer
From this contributor
A brief history of precision self-scanning
When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
A brief history of precision self-scanning
By
Lauren Gravitz
21 January 2026 | 13 min read
At the intersection of autism and trauma
Autism and post-traumatic stress disorder share many traits, but the connection between them was largely overlooked until now.
Autism’s drug problem
Many people on the spectrum take multiple medications — which can lead to serious side effects and may not even be effective.
Lack of DNA modification creates hotspots for mutations
The absence of a chemical alteration called methylation on some stretches of DNA makes them especially prone to mutations, according to a paper published in PLoS Genetics in May.
Lack of DNA modification creates hotspots for mutations
By
Lauren Gravitz
28 June 2012 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Prefrontal cortex has three transcriptomic acts across human lifespan, new atlas suggests
Various genes show distinct exits and entrances with age in the open-source dataset, the largest of its kind to date.
Prefrontal cortex has three transcriptomic acts across human lifespan, new atlas suggests
Various genes show distinct exits and entrances with age in the open-source dataset, the largest of its kind to date.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
23 September 2026 | 5 min read
Microglia scoop out garbage from inside neurons
Through a newly identified process called skoupocytosis, neurons recruit the immune cells to remove cellular waste they find hard to deal with themselves.
Microglia scoop out garbage from inside neurons
Through a newly identified process called skoupocytosis, neurons recruit the immune cells to remove cellular waste they find hard to deal with themselves.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
23 September 2026 | 0 min watch
How neuromorphic computing could improve AI
Mihai Petrovici explains what neuromorphic computing is and how it can speed up and reduce energy consumption in artificial intelligence and brain simulations.
How neuromorphic computing could improve AI
Mihai Petrovici explains what neuromorphic computing is and how it can speed up and reduce energy consumption in artificial intelligence and brain simulations.
By
Gaute Einevoll
23 September 2026 | 102 min listen