Robin Lloyd is a freelance writer, editor and educator, as well as a contributing editor for Scientific American and an adjunct professor at New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She has a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a B.A. from Smith College. She completed a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the 1998-1999 academic year.
Robin Lloyd
Locum News Editor
Spectrum
From this contributor
Sounding out ultrasounds; name game; geek gathering
A tie between first-trimester ultrasounds and autism severity is tenuous at best, misnamed genes litter the literature, and neuroscientists enjoy their version of summer camp.
Sounding out ultrasounds; name game; geek gathering
By
Robin Lloyd
9 September 2016 | 5 min read
Calming remedies; labor lessons; women wanted
New drugs target the brain’s calming chemical, inducing labor does not boost autism risk, and the start is imminent for a project to develop personalized treatments.
Fake facilitation; third strike; Pokémon passion
An autism researcher retracts her third paper in as many years, scientists write fraudulent reviews of their own papers, and Pokémon Go boosts social skills in children with autism.
Brexit break-ups; little impact; micro medicine
Scientists are excluding U.K. colleagues from studies; a life sciences publisher abandons the ‘impact factor;’ and a new open-access journal makes its debut.
CRISPR medicine; inclusive experiments; autism in Egypt
Scientists target human cancer with CRISPR, device trials may become more diverse, and autism awareness grows in Egypt.
CRISPR medicine; inclusive experiments; autism in Egypt
By
Robin Lloyd
24 June 2016 | 4 min read
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The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution
The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
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Sarah DeWeerdt
4 November 2026 | 7 min read
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
4 November 2026 | 1 min read
‘Brain Flows: How Network Dynamics Compose the Human Mind,’ an excerpt
In his new book, published today, Michael W. Cole examines how the movement of neuronal activity between neuronal populations shapes free will, intelligence and creativity. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, Cole explores why activity flows could unify efforts to map brain functions and connectivity.
‘Brain Flows: How Network Dynamics Compose the Human Mind,’ an excerpt
In his new book, published today, Michael W. Cole examines how the movement of neuronal activity between neuronal populations shapes free will, intelligence and creativity. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, Cole explores why activity flows could unify efforts to map brain functions and connectivity.
By
Michael W. Cole
3 November 2026 | 9 min read