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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. Animals

    This moth species may use the Milky Way as its guiding star

    Bogong moths migrate up to 1,000 kilometers from Australian plains to mountain caves to escape the summer heat. The stars may help them get there.

  9. Health & Medicine

    How one mom is navigating vaccines’ uncertain future

    With CDC upheaval, new limits on who can get some vaccines and an ongoing measles outbreak, parents like me face unfamiliar hurdles to protecting our kids.

  10. Health & Medicine

    These are the viruses that defined 2024

    Here’s the latest on mpox, bird flu, dengue and other viral outbreaks that flared up this year.

  11. Animals

    Ethiopian wolves are the first large carnivores found to slurp nectar

    Wolves from three different packs were seen licking red hot poker flowers. That sweet tooth could make them the first known large predator pollinators.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Vaccines, fluoride, raw milk: How RFK Jr.’s views may shape public health

    If confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy could influence U.S. policy on vaccines, drugs and food safety.