Using a new genetic approach, researchers are finding shared risk factors for seemingly unrelated conditions, ranging from autism to obesity.

Children with autism are more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers, but it’s unclear why, or what doctors should do about it.

A chemical tag on DNA that has risen to prominence only in the past few years is altered in people with autism, suggest results from an autism mouse model.

An unusual mix of bacteria may be to blame for the frequent gut problems in people with autism. New findings suggest they may also alter the mind.

Scientists can rattle off lists of dozens of genes linked to autism, but there’s much less agreement about which elements of the environment contribute to the condition — and by how much.

Early disruption of the microbes that inhabit the gut can alter a mouse’s sociability long term.

The environment’s influence on gene expression can vary by sex and affect autism’s expression.

Pregnant mice exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine have pups with autism-like behavioral impairments.

An immune molecule that helps defend people from infection with viruses or bacteria may also keep brain activity in check, allowing people to be social.

Women who have lupus are roughly twice as likely as women without an immune disorder to have a child with autism.