About Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee is a viviparous, omnivorous, longitudinally symmetrical carbon-based male biped and staff member of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Since 1992, he has been the chief writer for Quest, the paper's award-winning weekly science section, where he covers all manner of scientific news and features, from the inner workings of the brain to the physical nature of "nothingness" -- the stuff between stuff.

LaFee has written two syndicated columns for Creators. Archives of Eureka! can be found here. Or read Wellnews  - new releases weekly.  

He is married with two young sons, whom he coaches in soccer and swimming when not explaining why dead spiders' legs curl up (failed hydraulics) or how 8 feet of DNA can be squeezed into every cell (very carefully).

LaFee lives in La Mesa, Calif., with his hominid family and their several nonhuman pets: two tortoises, three fire-bellied toads, a rat, a rabbit and a dog named Dave.

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Food for Naught Mar 11, 2026

Cochrane Reviews are high-standard, independent systematic reviews of health care research. The latest to be published looks at whether intermittent fasting — a practice of limiting eating to only a few hours each day — is an effective wa... Read More

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Craving Fast Food Mar 04, 2026

Researchers at the University of Michigan, Harvard and Duke argue in a new study that ultraprocessed foods, from packaged snacks to sugary beverages to ready-to-eat meals, aren't simply junk food or bad nutritional choices. They're industrially engin... Read More

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Driven to Distraction -- and Then Off the Road Feb 25, 2026

Once, when automobile dashboards were festooned with knobs and dials, it was relatively easy and safe to "feel" your way to the right control without taking your eyes off the road. Dashboard touch screens have changed that — and it's not a pret... Read More

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Carpal Versus Cubital Feb 18, 2026

When your hand starts to tingle or go numb, it's common to blame carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. CPS can be triggered by repetitive wrist tasks, pregnancy, obesity or underlying conditions l... Read More