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

    This snake rips a hole in living toads’ stomachs to feast on their organs

    A particularly gruesome way to kill may help small-banded kukri snakes avoid toxins secreted from the neck and backs of some toads.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Defects in early immune responses underlie some severe COVID-19 cases

    Scientists are finding that strong early immune responses to the coronavirus are crucial to protect some people from developing life-threatening symptoms.

  3. Animals

    A beaked whale’s nearly four-hour-long dive sets a new record

    The animals may rely on large stores of oxygen, a slow metabolism and the ability to tolerate lactic acid to go for hours without surfacing for air.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Early immune responses may be why younger people get less sick from COVID-19

    Age-related differences in coronavirus immune defenses hint that a boost in early immune responses from drugs or a vaccine could help protect people.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Antibodies made in the lab show some promise for treating COVID-19

    Preliminary results from two companies hint that the proteins can help COVID-19 patients from needing hospitalization or ventilation.

  6. Health & Medicine

    A sobering breakdown of severe COVID-19 cases shows young adults can’t dismiss it

    Of about 3,200 people ages 18 to 34 hospitalized with COVID-19, nearly a quarter entered intensive care, and 10 percent were placed on ventilators.

  7. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists were trying to develop a low-emission car

    Electric cars have surged in popularity, but the vehicles still contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

  8. Health & Medicine

    How four summer camps in Maine prevented COVID-19 outbreaks

    More than 1,000 kids and staff members from all over the country attended the camps, but only three people ended up testing positive for the virus.

  9. Health & Medicine

    A man in Hong Kong is the first confirmed case of coronavirus reinfection

    During a 33-year-old man’s first round with the virus, he had symptoms, but not the second time — a hint his immune system protected him from disease.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Dust can spread influenza among guinea pigs, raising coronavirus questions

    In three out of 12 guinea pig pairs, an animal coated in influenza virus, but immune to infection, spread the virus to another rodent through dust.

  11. Plants

    New Guinea has more known plant species than any island in the world

    In the first verified count of plants on New Guinea, a team of 99 botany experts identified more than 13,600 species.

  12. Health & Medicine

    How two coronavirus drugs for cats might help humans fight COVID-19

    Scientists are exploring if drugs for a disease caused by a coronavirus that infects only cats might help also people infected with the coronavirus.