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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Charles Q. Choi

Contributing Writer, Spectrum

Charles Q. Choi is a science reporter who has written for Scientific American, The New York Times, Wired, Science, Nature, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Newsday, Popular Science and National Geographic News, among others. He writes news articles for Spectrum. 

For his work, he has hunted for mammoth DNA in Yukon, faced gunmen in Guatemala, entered the sarcophagus housing radioactive ruins in Chernobyl and looked for mammal fossils in Wyoming based on guidance from an artificial intelligence. In his spare time, Charles has traveled to all seven continents, including scaling the side of an iceberg in Antarctica, investigating mummies from Siberia, snorkeling in the Galapagos, excavating ancient Maya ruins in Belize, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, camping in the Outback and avoiding thieves near Shaolin Temple.

Contact Info

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January 2024
A child uses a tablet device

New tablet-based tools to spot autism draw excitement — and questions

by  /  4 January 2024

Handheld devices promise to bring autism detection home, but many researchers urge caution.

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September 2023
A young boy sits alone on a bench in a playground.

Mental health issues emerge with shifts in autism traits across childhood

by  /  27 September 2023

Anxiety and other challenges autistic children experience may stem from an increase in social-communication issues and a decrease in repetitive behaviors from ages 6 to 11.

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Research image of organoids in the forebrain.

Head size parts autism into two major subtypes

by  /  12 September 2023

An imbalance in the number of excitatory neurons in early brain development may account for the difference.

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Research images from an eye-tracking study.

Tablet-based tool to spot autism validated in two studies

by  /  5 September 2023

The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.

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August 2023
Photograph of a family of rhesus macaque monkeys.

Father’s genes may drive sociability in male monkeys

by  /  18 August 2023

The findings in rhesus macaque monkeys may provide clues to sex differences in the heredity of social behavior in people.

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Close up of blood vessels shows probe sticking to vessel wall.

Brain-surgery-free probes can record single-neuron activity

by  /  15 August 2023

The new devices, which monitor neural activity from within blood vessels, show long-term stability in rats and could one day deliver electrical stimulation.

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July 2023
Research images of a Fanzor protein.

Compact kin of CRISPR discovered across eukaryotes

by  /  31 July 2023

The newfound DNA-cutting enzyme, called Fanzor, can be programmed to edit the human genome and could prove easier to deliver to cells than current CRISPR tools.

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Still image from a video of nerves being visualized in the body of a transparent mouse.

‘wildDISCO’ cocktail yields whole-body maps of mouse neurons and more

by  /  20 July 2023

A new technique used to create see-through rodents can help scientists analyze how the nervous system interacts with other body systems.

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Blurry photograph of a crowd of people on a street.

Some who lack autism diagnosis carry variants tied to the condition

by  /  13 July 2023

The variants are associated with slight differences in measures of intelligence, income and employment, but the relationship may not be causal.

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A slice of a cerebellum

Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex

by  /  7 July 2023

The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.

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