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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Autism scientists push back on CDC’s inaccurate vaccine claims
The CDC website now falsely suggests that autism-vaccine research is still an open question, prompting distrust among researchers—some of whom anticipate “more unreliable statements coming from the junta that took over” the agency.
Autism scientists push back on CDC’s inaccurate vaccine claims
The CDC website now falsely suggests that autism-vaccine research is still an open question, prompting distrust among researchers—some of whom anticipate “more unreliable statements coming from the junta that took over” the agency.
By
The Transmitter
21 November 2025 | 6 min read
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
By
Charles Q. Choi
20 November 2025 | 5 min read
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
19 November 2025 | 1 min read