Jon Hamilton
Jon Hamilton is a correspondent for NPR's Science Desk. Currently he focuses on neuroscience and health risks.
In 2014, Hamilton went to Liberia as part of the NPR team that covered Ebola. The team received a Peabody Award for its coverage.
Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Hamilton was part of NPR's team of science reporters and editors who went to Japan to cover the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Hamilton contributed several pieces to the Science Desk series "The Human Edge," which looked at what makes people the most versatile and powerful species on Earth. His reporting explained how humans use stories, how the highly evolved human brain is made from primitive parts, and what autism reveals about humans' social brains.
In 2009, Hamilton received the Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award for his piece on the neuroscience behind treating autism.
Before joining NPR in 1998, Hamilton was a media fellow with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation studying health policy issues. He reported on states that have improved their Medicaid programs for the poor by enrolling beneficiaries in private HMOs.
From 1995-1997, Hamilton wrote on health and medical topics as a freelance writer, after having been a medical reporter for both The Commercial Appeal and Physician's Weekly.
Hamilton graduated with honors from Oberlin College in Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts in English. As a student, he was the editor of the Oberlin Review student newspaper. He earned his master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, where he graduated with honors. During his time at Columbia, Hamilton was awarded the Baker Prize for magazine writing and earned a Sherwood traveling fellowship.
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An analysis of brains at various stages of Alzheimer's found that neurons called inhibitory neurons are the first to be affected by the disease.
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A study of cells from 84 brains finds that Alzheimer's has two distinct phases, and that one type of neuron is especially vulnerable. -
An analysis of brains at various stages of Alzheimer's found that neurons called inhibitory neurons are the first to be affected by the disease.
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Green eggs and ham? Even toddlers know when an event appears to be impossible, not just improbable. -
The first full map of an adult fruit fly’s brain shows 50 million connections between neurons. Researchers are using the map to learn how all brains work. -
For 22 years, Jason Mazzola’s life was defined by a genetic condition that can cause autism and intellectual disability. Then he started taking an experimental drug. -
A virtual version of a fruit fly’s visual system could help scientists understand how brain networks process information. The model could also lead to more efficient AI systems. -
An experimental cancer drug that helps the brain turn glucose into energy was able to reverse memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. -
A drug that restores brain metabolism in mouse models of Alzheimer's also improved cognitive function. The discovery could help researchers find additional pathways to combating the symptoms of this brain disease, beyond the telltale amyloid plaques and tau tangles that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's.
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A new generation of blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. But many doctors don’t yet know how to use them.
