Stories by Allison Parshall

Musicologists and neuroscientists have been trying to understand what turns speech into music.

Autism has at least four subtypes, an analysis of more than 5,000 children’s genes, traits and developmental trajectories has shown

The Supreme Court has decided to uphold a state ban on gender-affirming care for minors in U.S. v. Skrmetti

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories

Our skin’s epithelial cells send electrical signals like neurons to cry out for help

Gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in the U.S.—and states with loose gun control laws bear the heaviest burden, a new study found

Neuroscientists can now make precise genetic tweaks to the neurons that are most affected by brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories

What would it take to create a cyborg brain like the one in the new TV show Murderbot? The answer reveals what makes our own brain so unique

Kosmos-482 crash-lands, physicists turn lead to gold and animals show some clever behaviors.

A coalition of autism scientists has formed to counter RFK, Jr.’s misrepresentations of science and of autism spectrum disorder

Two leading theories of consciousness went head-to-head—and the results may change how neuroscientists study one of the oldest questions about existence

The Trump administration is freezing, delaying and revoking funding for dementia research, setting back discoveries of potential future treatments

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories

There are real, physiological reasons why the same temperature feels different in April and October

The bankruptcy of 23andMe highlights a lack of protections for genetic privacy in the U.S.

With limited access to mental health care, people looking for answers about ADHD are turning to TikTok, where information is frequently misleading or inaccurate

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories

Analyzing the metaphors we use to talk about ChatGPT can reveal how we’re thinking about the new tech

Ants’ tactics to avoid traffic jams could be applied to future self-driving cars

The overly sterile environment of the International Space Station is missing important microbes, a new detailed map shows. If we want to live off Earth, we may need to take more of our bacterial friends with us

Highway widening projects usually don’t solve congestion, but less expensive toll programs known as congestion pricing can. Here’s why

In this week’s news roundup, we cover activity from the black hole at our galaxy’s center and a troubling measles outbreak in Texas.

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories