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. Life

    Here’s how poison dart frogs safely hoard toxins in their skin

    A protein found in frog bodies may help the amphibians collect and transport toxins from their food to their skin for chemical defense.

  2. Anthropology

    Ancient primates’ unchipped teeth hint that they ate mostly fruit

    Of more than 400 teeth collected, just 21 were chipped, suggesting that early primate diets were soft on their choppers.

  3. Health & Medicine

    The first CRISPR therapy approved in the U.S. will treat sickle cell disease

    In the world’s first CRISPR-based treatment, genetic tweaks to red blood cells aim to help people with the often debilitating disease.

  4. Health & Medicine

    A brain-monitoring device may one day take the guesswork out of anesthesia

    The automated device pairing brain activity and dosing kept two macaques sedated for 125 minutes, raising hopes of precision anesthesia for people.

  5. Animals

    How hummingbirds fly through spaces too narrow for their wings

    Using high-speed cameras, a new study reveals Anna’s hummingbirds turn sideways to shimmy through gaps half as wide as their wingspan.

  6. Life

    See the wonders of two newfound deep-sea coral reefs off the Galápagos

    Coral reefs around the world are in trouble. But these reefs in the Galápagos Island Marine Reserve have yet to be damaged by humans.

  7. Climate

    50 years ago, scientists warned of the ‘neglected dangers’ of heat islands

    In 1973, scientists knew temperatures in cities were higher than in rural areas. Now, some cities are attempting to cool down with engineering.

  8. Life

    The inside of a rat’s eye won the 2023 Nikon Small World photo contest

    The annual competition puts the spotlight on science and nature in all its smallest glory.

  9. Animals

    Gene editing can make chickens resistant to bird flu

    Chickens genetically modified to be impervious to avian influenza may one day prevent the spread of the disease on farms, a study suggests.

  10. Plants

    The first citrus fruits may have come from southern China

    An in-depth look at the orange family tree shows the oldest Citrus ancestors arrived in Asia on the Indian tectonic plate over 25 million years ago.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Early mRNA research that led to COVID-19 vaccines wins 2023 medicine Nobel Prize

    Biochemists Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman devised mRNA modifications to make vaccines that trigger good immune responses instead of harmful ones.

  12. Health & Medicine

    What to know about the new RSV vaccine for pregnant people

    Data on the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine are promising. Questions about safety and how it might be used in conjunction with another new RSV shot remain.