Ingfei Chen is a writer and editor in Northern California who likes telling stories about medicine, science and the environment. Her articles have published in The New York Times, Science, KQED Mindshift, Scientific American and Smithsonian, among others.
Ingfei Chen
Freelance writer
From this contributor
What baby siblings can teach us about autism
Studies of infants at risk for autism have not yielded a test to predict who will eventually be diagnosed. But they have transformed our understanding of the condition.
The gene hunters
Criss-crossing the globe on a quest for unusual DNA, researchers have discovered a rare mutation that promises insights into both epilepsy and autism — and points to a treatment.
Wide awake: Why children with autism struggle with sleep
Half of children who have autism have trouble falling or staying asleep, which may make their symptoms worse. Scientists are just beginning to explore what goes wrong in the midnight hour.
Wide awake: Why children with autism struggle with sleep
By
Ingfei Chen
7 October 2015 | 15 min read
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“MacArthur genius” Kenneth Catania outlined the physiology behind the moles’ stellar foraging skills two decades ago. Next, he wants to better characterize their food-seeking behavior.
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Largest leucovorin-autism trial retracted
A reanalysis of the data revealed errors and failed to replicate the results.
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A reanalysis of the data revealed errors and failed to replicate the results.
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NIH scraps policy that classified basic research in people as clinical trials
The policy aimed to increase the transparency of research in humans but created “a bureaucratic nightmare” for basic neuroscientists.
NIH scraps policy that classified basic research in people as clinical trials
The policy aimed to increase the transparency of research in humans but created “a bureaucratic nightmare” for basic neuroscientists.
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Calli McMurray
3 February 2026 | 5 min read