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

    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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Keeping weight off may be stymied by fat cells’ ‘memory’ of obesity

    Some genetic changes in fat cells don’t go away after weight loss, a study in mice and human cells suggests.

  5. Animals

    Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation

    Environmental DNA harvested from the ocean, land and air can help scientists monitor wildlife. The challenge is figuring out how to interpret this eDNA.

  6. Health & Medicine

    A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer

    The detailed structure of a misfolded protein from a diseased deer could help explain why the disease hasn’t made the leap to humans.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries

    Swine can act as so-called “mixing vessels” for human and bird flus, giving avian viruses an opportunity to adapt for spreading in people.

  8. Animals

    A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage

    Tweaking the chemical composition of a parrot-specific pigment can shift feathers from red to yellow or green.

  9. Life

    Here are some stellar picks from Nikon’s top microscopy images of 2024

    The annual Small World photomicrography competition, now in its 50th year, puts life’s smallest details under the microscope.

  10. Plants

    Carnivorous plants eat faster with a fungal friend

    Insects stuck in sundew plants’ sticky secretions suffocate and die before being subjected to a medley of digestive enzymes.

  11. Animals

    This fish has legs — and it uses them for more than just walking

    Some sea robins have taste buds on their six crablike legs that help the fish ferret out prey buried in sand as they walk.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Vaccines for mpox are finally reaching Africa. But questions about the virus remain

    With concerns that mpox may now spread more easily and be more severe, researchers warn that failing to curb the outbreak means “nobody is safe.”