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.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
By
Diana Kwon
10 September 2026 | 5 min read
Neuromechanical models deepen our understanding of animal motor control
Thanks to recent progress in physics-based simulators and robotics, it has never been easier for neuroscientists to use neuromechanical modeling to test hypotheses about animal movement.
Neuromechanical models deepen our understanding of animal motor control
Thanks to recent progress in physics-based simulators and robotics, it has never been easier for neuroscientists to use neuromechanical modeling to test hypotheses about animal movement.
By
Auke Ijspeert
9 September 2026 | 0 min watch
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
By
Calli McMurray
8 September 2026 | 2 min watch