Peter Hess was a reporter for Spectrum from 2019 to 2023, where he covered cannabinoids, autism prevalence, social hormones and other topics. Before joining Spectrum in 2019, he was associate science editor at Inverse, where he wrote and edited stories for a broad audience on a wide range of scientific topics, including drugs, evolution and environmental science. His work has also appeared in The Washington Post, New Scientist, Popular Science and Motherboard. Peter has an M.A. in science journalism from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. Find him on Twitter at @PeterNHess.
Peter Hess
Former news writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Capturing autism’s sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable
Next-generation trackers could realize a long-standing research dream: conducting sleep studies in large numbers of autistic people.
Capturing autism’s sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable
By
Angie Voyles Askham, Peter Hess
6 June 2023 | 5 min read
Going on Trial: Epidiolex for autism; arbaclofen tests; pain monitoring
This month’s issue of Going on Trial takes a sneak peek at some early null results from a small trial of a cannabidiol-based drug for autism, among other recent drug developments.
Going on Trial: Epidiolex for autism; arbaclofen tests; pain monitoring
By
Peter Hess
30 May 2023 | 7 min read
Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.
Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults
Few studies have tracked how brain structure and function change across adulthood in people with autism. Carper and her colleagues are collecting data to fill this gap.
Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults
By
Peter Hess
19 May 2023 | 7 min read
Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish
The findings add to the growing evidence that genes with disparate functions can play similar roles in brain development.
Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish
By
Peter Hess
12 May 2023 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Links between tuberous sclerosis complex and autism, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 August.
Links between tuberous sclerosis complex and autism, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 August.
By
Jill Adams
18 August 2026 | 1 min read
The fun and flexibility of data science
Taylor Bolt spent his Ph.D. and postdoc digging through brain imaging data for clues to cognition. In industry, the datasets are different but the joy of answering questions with data remains.
The fun and flexibility of data science
Taylor Bolt spent his Ph.D. and postdoc digging through brain imaging data for clues to cognition. In industry, the datasets are different but the joy of answering questions with data remains.
By
Katie Moisse
18 August 2026 | 7 min read
Mind over metrics: How can we tell if two brains (or AI models) are alike?
The ability to record from large populations of neurons has triggered the development of myriad methods for comparing them. But we’re still grappling with how to convert measures of likeness into a better mechanistic understanding.
Mind over metrics: How can we tell if two brains (or AI models) are alike?
The ability to record from large populations of neurons has triggered the development of myriad methods for comparing them. But we’re still grappling with how to convert measures of likeness into a better mechanistic understanding.
By
Alex Williams
17 August 2026 | 7 min read