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
Explore more from The Transmitter
Coding error caused layoffs at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke this week, source says
Thirty employees—including 11 lab heads—at the institute should “immediately return to work,” according to an email the institute’s Office of Human Resources sent to top administration at the institute Wednesday evening.
Coding error caused layoffs at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke this week, source says
Thirty employees—including 11 lab heads—at the institute should “immediately return to work,” according to an email the institute’s Office of Human Resources sent to top administration at the institute Wednesday evening.
By
Sydney Wyatt
3 April 2025 | 3 min read
PTEN problems underscore autism connection to excess brain fluid
Damaging variants in the autism-linked gene cause congenital hydrocephalus—a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain—by turbocharging a downstream signaling pathway that promotes the growth of cells, according to a new study.
PTEN problems underscore autism connection to excess brain fluid
Damaging variants in the autism-linked gene cause congenital hydrocephalus—a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain—by turbocharging a downstream signaling pathway that promotes the growth of cells, according to a new study.
By
Holly Barker
3 April 2025 | 4 min read
U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The reasons for selecting these researchers—who have led work on neuronal migration, dopamine receptors in neuronal signaling and the structure of ion channels, among other areas—remain unclear.
U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The reasons for selecting these researchers—who have led work on neuronal migration, dopamine receptors in neuronal signaling and the structure of ion channels, among other areas—remain unclear.
By
Angie Voyles Askham, Sydney Wyatt
2 April 2025 | 5 min read