portrait of writer Leah Shaffer

Leah Shaffer

Freelance writer

Leah Shaffer is a freelance science writer based in St. Louis, Missouri. Her stories have appeared in publications such as Wired, The Atlantic, Discover, NOVA Next and UnDark. She writes about biology, medicine and the weird critters inside and outside the human body.

From this contributor

Giant helminth flies over figure with glowing gut and microbiome
Spectrum

Supplements, worms and stool: How families are trying to game the gut to treat autism traits

By Leah Shaffer
26 June 2019 | 16 min read

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Research image of olfactory bulb activity.
Olfaction

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Research image of resting-state functional activity in a human brain.
Spectrum

Developmental delay patterns differ with diagnosis; and more

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Illustration of a treeline in front of a human brain.
Systems neuroscience

‘Natural Neuroscience: Toward a Systems Neuroscience of Natural Behaviors,’ an excerpt

In his new book, published today, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.

By Nachum Ulanovsky
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