Shafaq Zia is a science journalist and a graduate student in the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Previously, she was a reporting intern at STAT, covering the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest research in health technology.
Shafaq Zia
From this contributor
Spotted around the web: COVID-19 during pregnancy, sleep problems, eugenics
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 6 June.
Spotted around the web: COVID-19 during pregnancy, sleep problems, eugenics
By
Jill Adams, Angie Voyles Askham, Peter Hess, Shafaq Zia
10 June 2022 | 3 min read
New resource tracks genetic variations in Han Chinese populations
An online database called NyuWa catalogs genetic variations among nearly 3,000 individuals and provides a comprehensive reference genome for the Han people.
New resource tracks genetic variations in Han Chinese populations
By
Shafaq Zia
9 December 2021 | 3 min read
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Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
By
Jill Adams
14 October 2025 | 2 min read
Ant olfactory neurons reveal new ‘transcriptional shield’ mechanism of gene regulation
A protective screen of spurious transcriptional activity enables each olfactory neuron to express exactly one out of hundreds of olfactory receptors.
Ant olfactory neurons reveal new ‘transcriptional shield’ mechanism of gene regulation
A protective screen of spurious transcriptional activity enables each olfactory neuron to express exactly one out of hundreds of olfactory receptors.
By
Viviane Callier
14 October 2025 | 0 min watch
The visual system’s lingering mystery: Connecting neural activity and perception
Figuring out how the brain uses information from visual neurons may require new tools. I asked 10 neuroscientists what experimental and conceptual methods they think we’re missing.
The visual system’s lingering mystery: Connecting neural activity and perception
Figuring out how the brain uses information from visual neurons may require new tools. I asked 10 neuroscientists what experimental and conceptual methods they think we’re missing.
By
Grace Lindsay
13 October 2025 | 5 min read