Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
All Content > Individual Profile > Northeast

Title of entry: 
Maiken Nedergaard’s power of disruption

Issue or Publication date:
2/26/24

Publication name: 
The Transmitter

View Website home page:
https://www.thetransmitter.org

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
Please enter a URL that will direct judges to the entry: 
https://www.thetransmitter.org/glymphatic-system/maiken-nedergaards-power-of-disruption/

Entry Essay: 
The Transmitter is an essential resource for the neuroscience community, dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages stay current and build connections. The publication aims to deliver useful information, insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and advance research. As part of that mission, The Transmitter offers a steady stream of up-to-date news and analysis of the field, written by journalists and scientists. The Transmitter reaches approximately 200,000 average monthly unique visitors. Part of The Transmitter’s mission is to help advance neuroscience research. This is partially accomplished by reporting not only on the science itself but also on the people who shape it. And it is also accomplished by finding neuroscience’s theoretical arguments and putting them on the page for the community to digest.

Part of The Transmitter’s mission is to help advance neuroscience research. This is partially accomplished by reporting on not only the science itself, but also the people who shape it. And it is also accomplished by finding neuroscience’s theoretical arguments and putting them on the page for the community to digest. In “Maiken Nedergaard’s power of disruption,” science journalist Emily Sohn managed to do all three of those things. Nedergaard and her colleagues have been behind two notable discoveries, and their work has shaped the language and dialogue around sleep and brain health. But there are vehement critics of both her work and her style of presenting it. The end result is that the field is divided by her discoveries. In this 4,000-word investigation, Sohn dug out the historical hostilities between the two factions, reported on the scientific underpinnings that bolster each side’s position, and even asked outside observers what they think of the conflict. Given that the only way through scientific controversy is open dialogue (and more data), Sohn’s work provides an important base for this discussion.