Rahul Rao is a freelance science writer, graduate of New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, and “Doctor Who” fan.
Rahul Rao
From this contributor
Web app tracks pupil size in people, mice
The app relies on artificial intelligence and could help researchers standardize studies of pupil differences in autistic people and in mouse models of autism.
New library catalogs the human gut microbiome
Researchers put hundreds of gut bacteria strains through their paces to chart the compounds each creates — and to help others explore the flora's potential contribution to autism.
New unified toolbox traces, analyzes neurons
‘SNT’ helps researchers sift through microscope images to reconstruct and analyze neurons and their connections.
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ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
By
Calli McMurray
11 July 2025 | 4 min read
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
By
Shaena Montanari
11 July 2025 | 7 min listen
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.
By
Daisy Yuhas
10 July 2025 | 3 min read