Emily Singer

Former Senior Writer

Latest Articles

Inside a Brain Circuit, the Will to Press On

December 5, 2013

A rare brain stimulation study suggests that a brain circuit known as the “salience network” contributes to differences in our ability to overcome challenges and cope with stress.

Tracking the Evolution of Cancer, Cell by Cell

November 13, 2013

Analyzing individual cancer cells could reveal the answer to some of the disease’s most enduring mysteries.

In Brain’s ‘Rich Club,’ Meetings of the Mind

October 24, 2013

Neuroscientists have identified a network of highly linked brain regions that could prove essential in integrating information and facilitating higher-order cognitive tasks.

Our Bodies, Our Data

October 7, 2013

New technologies have launched the life sciences into the age of big data. Biologists must now make sense of their windfall.

Decoding Flu Viruses Before an Outbreak

August 29, 2013

Machine learning techniques are helping scientists pinpoint the mutations that allow bird and pig viruses to infect humans.

In Natural Networks, Strength in Loops

August 14, 2013

In the complex architecture that ferries fluids in plants and brains, scientists are finding a model of resilience.

On the Microbial Frontier, Cooperation Thrives

August 2, 2013

Population expansion may be a major driver in the evolution of cooperation, with implications for new antibiotics, cancer treatments and perhaps even human behavior.

Tiny Genomes May Offer Clues to First Plants and Animals

June 20, 2013

Symbiotic bacteria that dwell within insect cells are intricately intertwined with their hosts, prompting scientists to question when these bacteria stop being bona fide organisms and become part of the cell.

A New Approach to Building the Tree of Life

June 4, 2013

More genetic data is available than ever before to help build evolutionary trees, but scientists are finding that different genes even in the same organism can tell conflicting stories.

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