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
Explore more from The Transmitter
Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
5 August 2026 | 1 min read
Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
By
Brianna Abbott
5 August 2026 | 5 min read
Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
By
Alissa de Chassey
4 August 2026 | 5 min read