Much of the media attention on autism focuses on the contribution of environmental causes, such as the debunked yet tenacious vaccine theory. This continues despite strong scientific evidence for autism’s genetic origin. One reason for this may be that autism genetics is staggeringly complex, involving hundreds — maybe even thousands — of genes that interact with each other as well as environmental factors. In these stories, I try to unravel this complexity — from the study finding the largest number of autism genes so far, to researchers’ attempt to find signal in the vast genetic noise. I also focus on the next steps after finding a genetic candidate — how to follow this lead to a better understanding of the disorder, and to potential treatments.
