Stories by Sarah Fecht

Jane Jacobs: Is There Good Science behind Urban Planning?

Traffic Jams Make Cities Splinter into Subcenters

A rule of urban expansion could guide smarter growth

Concussed Fruit Flies May Provide Insights into Human Brain Injuries

The humble fruit fly may help unravel the neural underpinnings of brain injuries

How Traffic Jams Decentralize Cities

A new mathematical model describes why cities have become less centralized over time, and could help urban planners guide the growth of urban areas in smarter ways

Singapore Bus Study Reveals Hidden Social Networks

Understanding how "familiar strangers" interact could help scientists stem the spread of disease and learn how a sense of community evolves in a neighborhood

Beak Heat: Evolutionary Theory of Bird Bills May Need Revision

New research on song sparrows offers a new take on bird-beak evolution that is more nuanced than earlier ideas based on finch studies

From Living Room to Lily Pad: Is the Fatal Amphibian Chytrid Fungus Spread via Pet Frogs?

Is your store-bought frog carrying a deadly secret?

Lady Liaisons: Does Cheating Give Females an Evolutionary Advantage?

A 17-year-long study upends the most common evolutionary explanation of female infidelity

Rewarding Research: Top Scientists Share $3-Million in Kavli Prizes

Prestigious award recognizes seven researchers for their pioneering contributions to nanoscience, neuroscience and astrophysics

Baby Boom: Did Retained Juvenile Traits Help Birds Outlive Dinosaurs?

Differences in developmental timing may have given birds their big eyes, big brains and smaller size

Off the Clock: Disrupted Daily Rhythms Hinder Fertility in Mice

Mice whose sleep patterns were altered had more difficulties conceiving and carrying pregnancies to term. The findings may have implications for women trying to conceive

Track Record: Do Major Urban Subway Networks Evolve along Similar Patterns?

New research digs up the underlying rules governing the shape of subway systems across the world

Vaccination Campaign Addresses Need for Life-Saving Inoculations in Developing World

 NEW YORK—At a small gathering in Times Square today, actor Amanda Peet teamed up with the United Nations Foundation* to launch a vaccination public service announcement.

Hive and Seek: Domestic Honeybees Keep Disappearing, but Are Their Wild Cousins in Trouble, Too? [Slide Show]

Is colony collapse disorder just the visible part of a "global pollinator crisis"? The answer is surprisingly murky. To help answer the question, scientists have created an inexpensive, nationwide wild bee monitoring program...

Accident-Zone: Poorer Neighborhoods Have Less-Safe Road Designs

Traffic injuries are four to six times higher in low-income areas of Montreal, compared with wealthy neighborhoods. Researchers find that better road designs could reduce those disparities...

Grid Unlocked: How Street Networks Evolve as Cities Grow

Before urban planning, street patterns emerged organically. Understanding the fundamental and man-made forces behind the growth of streetscapes could help guide the development of today's cities...

Gigantic Feathered Dinosaur Fossils Found in China

Something to Chew On: Healthier Hot Dogs Substitute Cellulose for Saturated Fats

The structural integrity of the foods we eat is often based on unhealthy saturated fats. New research may allow food scientists to remove the bad fats without destroying texture

1 Year Later: A Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Timeline

A look back at Japan's nuclear crisis, initiated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011

Combination of "Deaf and Mute" May Have Neural Underpinnings

Listening is an important component of speech. When we speak, we use data collected by our ears to help us modulate our spoken tone, pitch and rhythm.