Spotted around the web: Week of 8 April 2019

This article is more than five years old.

Neuroscience—and science in general—is constantly evolving, so older articles may contain information or theories that have been reevaluated since their original publication date.

Research roundup

Genetic tests that calculate a person’s odds of developing a medical condition may be less clinically relevant than experts thought. Annals of Human Genetics
New guidelines for including autistic adults in research stress the importance of addressing concerns about communication and trust up front. Autism
Autism traits such as honesty, hyperfocus and attention to detail may be either an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the context. Autism in Adulthood
Two years after receiving fecal transplants, 18 autistic children continue to show improvements in gastrointestinal problems and social behaviors. Scientific Reports
Children with autism show a stronger neural response to happy faces than to angry faces, which may help explain their difficulties in certain social interactions. Biological Psychiatry CNNI
Taking the time to familiarize children with a type of brain-scanning machine may help reduce their anxiety — and their head movements — while they are inside it. Journal of Visualized Experiments
Mice that have a genetic deletion associated with schizophrenia display both growth and behavioral deficits. Molecular Psychiatry

Science and society

“Sesame Street” has revealed new videos, games and other resources linked to their first autistic character, Julia, for national Autism Awareness Month. USA Today
People with autism do not experience ‘out-of-body’ illusions because they may process signals from their bodies differently than neurotypical individuals. Newsweek
A United States federal judge fined a large publisher of online scientific journals $50 million for deceptive practices. The New York Times
Nobel-prize-winning biologist Sydney Brenner, whose research on the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans led to insights into human disease, has died at the age of 92. The Guardian
Researchers who used CRISPR to unsilence the fragile X gene in a mouse are the top biomedicine innovators in the STAT Madness competition. STAT
An autism therapy known as the Early Start Denver Model may not provide bigger benefits than other behavioral treatments. Disability Scoop
Texas Tech University is launching a mobile autism clinic, which will provide training for schools and other organizations as well as support for parents and caregivers of autistic children in underserved communities in West Texas. TribTalk
New York City’s mayor has mandated measles vaccination for all unvaccinated people in one Brooklyn neighborhood who may have been exposed to the measles virus. STAT
When researchers inserted a human gene into eight rhesus monkeys, the monkeys performed better on memory tests and their brains took longer to fully develop. The Scientist

Autism and the arts

Duncan Clay, an autistic artist from Gatesville, Texas, is writing and illustrating a series of four books designed to help preschoolers learn letters, numbers, shapes and colors. KWTX
An art show organized by the Colours Centre for Learning in Bengaluru aims to raise awareness of autism in India. The Hindu