Erin Garcia de Jesús

Staff Writer

Erin Garcia de Jesús is a staff writer at Science News. She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Washington, where she studied virus/host co-evolution. After deciding science as a whole was too fascinating to spend a career studying one topic, she went on to earn a master’s in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her writing has appeared in Nature News, Science, Eos, Smithsonian Voices and more, and she was the winter 2019 science writing intern at Science News.

All Stories by Erin Garcia de Jesús

  1. Animals

    Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

    Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide.

  2. Health & Medicine

    A bioengineered protein may someday treat carbon monoxide poisoning

    Mice treated with the protein, which is found in bacteria, quickly eliminated carbon monoxide from their body in their pee.

  3. Environment

    River turbulence can push toxic pollutants into the air

    Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas soared near a raging section of the Tijuana River in San Diego, exposing residents to potentially harmful air pollution.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Shifting vaccine guidelines inject uncertainty into getting fall COVID shots

    Respiratory viruses often surge in the fall. We asked an infectious diseases expert how best to protect ourselves given a shifting vaccine landscape.

  5. Animals

    Streaked shearwaters poop only while flying over the ocean

    In-flight defecation may help the birds stay away from feces that can contain pathogens such as bird flu while also fertilizing the ocean.

  6. Health & Medicine

    How flossing a mouse’s teeth could lead to a new kind of vaccine

    Flu viruses often enter the body through mucous tissue in the nose. Researchers are developing new ways to protect such areas.

  7. Life

    Squashing the spotted lanternfly problem may require enlisting other species

    The invasive spotted lanternfly has spread to 17 states and can threaten vineyards. But bats, fungi, dogs and even trees may help control them.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Climate change may be pushing fungal allergy season earlier

    Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns may be lengthening fungal allergy season, which starts 3 weeks earlier than it did two decades ago.

  9. Health & Medicine

    U.S. measles outbreaks may end a hard-won victory over the virus

    Dropping vaccination rates and changes in U.S. vaccine policy have public health experts concerned that annual measles outbreaks could become more frequent.

  10. Chemistry

    Gut microbes may flush ‘forever chemicals’ from the body

    Experiments in mice show that some gut bacteria can absorb toxic PFAS chemicals, allowing animals to expel them through feces.

  11. Life

    A 3-D printed, plastic beaker could help algae grow on Mars

    Algae grown under Mars-like conditions could make bioplastic building materials for structures to harbor life in space.

  12. Animals

    Killer whales may use kelp brushes to slough off rough skin

    The whales use quick body movements to tear pieces of bull kelp for use as tools, perhaps the first known toolmaking by a marine mammal.