Michael Marshall is a freelance science journalist based in the United Kingdom. He writes about life sciences and the environment. He has a B.A. and an M.Phil. in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge and an M.Sc. in science communication from Imperial College London. Marshall was a staff journalist at New Scientist and at BBC Earth before going freelance in 2017. His work has since appeared in Nature, BBC Future and The Telegraph, among others. His first book, on the origin of life on Earth, is slated to be published in 2020.
Michael Marshall
From this contributor
Autistic children’s sleep problems linked to behavioral regulation issues
Young autistic children with sleep troubles tend to have difficulty regulating their behavior later in childhood.
Autistic children’s sleep problems linked to behavioral regulation issues
By
Michael Marshall
5 July 2021 | 4 min read
Remote diagnosis, support could aid families during lockdown
Cut off from clients by the pandemic, clinicians are turning to video conferencing and other technologies to diagnose children with autism.
Remote diagnosis, support could aid families during lockdown
By
Michael Marshall
27 April 2020 | 4 min read
Autism’s relationship to head size, explained
Some people with autism have an unusually large head. What causes the enlargement? And does it have any bearing on outcome?
Autism’s relationship to head size, explained
By
Michael Marshall
9 April 2020 | 6 min read
U.K. government faces lawsuit over mistreatment of autistic people
Following a series of scandals in the United Kingdom over people with autism being held against their will and mistreated in hospitals, a watchdog group has issued a legal challenge to the government.
U.K. government faces lawsuit over mistreatment of autistic people
By
Michael Marshall
23 March 2020 | 4 min read
Preprints of autism research, explained
Over the past decade, biologists have increasingly been posting their research results on preprint servers, ahead of the results' publication in traditional scientific journals.
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What to do when traditional mechanistic approaches no longer work
Many complex behaviors have stubbornly resisted mechanistic explanations. Deciphering them will require new approaches—and perhaps a new concept of “understanding.”
What to do when traditional mechanistic approaches no longer work
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Bence Ölveczky
19 October 2026 | 8 min read
University probe leads to retraction of four neural tube studies
The University of Maryland conducted an internal investigation that identified image duplications and other data integrity issues in the studies, according to the retraction notices.
University probe leads to retraction of four neural tube studies
The University of Maryland conducted an internal investigation that identified image duplications and other data integrity issues in the studies, according to the retraction notices.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
16 October 2026 | 6 min read
Highly cited autism paper earns expression of concern over data duplications
The notice, published in Nature last week, also addressed an image duplication identified by a prominent research-integrity sleuth.
Highly cited autism paper earns expression of concern over data duplications
The notice, published in Nature last week, also addressed an image duplication identified by a prominent research-integrity sleuth.
By
Madeline Shaw
16 October 2026 | 4 min read