Headshot of Maris Fessenden.

Maris Fessenden

Contributing writer
Freelance

Maris Fessenden is a freelance journalist and illustrator based in Bozeman, Montana. They report and write about scientific methods, genetics, health, wildlife and ecology, and the intersection of science and art.

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Ground squirrel.

How thirteen-lined ground squirrels illuminate retinal development

In most mammalian retinas, rods outnumber cones. But that ratio is flipped in ground squirrels, a quirk that helps Seth Blackshaw explore how retinal cells develop their identities.

By Sarah Thau
31 July 2026 | 5 min read
Research image of the association cortex.

Cortical territories compete in developmental space race

Sensory and association regions are established through a reciprocal process, according to a new model of cortical development.

By Holly Barker
30 July 2026 | 5 min read