Spectrum: Autism Research News

Genetic testing for autism raises tough ethical questions, medical databases need a security upgrade, and mini-brains could bring big discoveries.

The fight over who holds the rights to CRISPR is heating up, we control our gut bacteria, and romance isn’t always easy when you have autism.

Hillary Clinton makes history with her autism plan, an Israeli army unit seeks soldiers on the spectrum, and there are more mustachioed medical department heads than female ones.

Here’s a rundown of five trending topics that are turning traditional assumptions about autism on their head.

Some of our favorite stories this year went beyond the news to lay bare critical controversies or highlight real-world implications of research.

Prenatal screening for some disorders crosses into dangerous territory, researchers spurn paperwork in favor of science, and a list of hilarious paper titles will make your day.

A new network of brain banks aims to collect and disburse tissue donations to U.S. autism researchers.

Some children who ‘outgrow’ autism may not have had it to begin with; researchers are wasting time and money studying the wrong cells; and talk about CRISPR’s future stirs up the past.

The ‘spectrum’ concept spawns skepticism, men’s and women’s brains are largely the same, and Ph.D.s still outnumber faculty jobs.

A U.S. medical association wants to ban drug companies from advertising to consumers, some autism tests can have dangerous consequences, and granting agencies need to promote reproducible science.