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. A photo of a ringtail possum sitting on a tree branch looking down at the camera.
    Life

    In Australia, mosquitoes and possums may spread a flesh-eating disease

    Field surveys show that genetically identical bacteria responsible for a skin disease called Buruli ulcer appear in mosquitos, possums and people.

  2. A close up photo of a mosquito resting on a person's finger.
    Health & Medicine

    Four things to know about malaria cases in the United States

    Five people have picked up malaria in the United States without traveling abroad. The risk of contracting the disease remains extremely low.

  3. A close up photo of several squash bug nymphs climbing over a green plant.
    Life

    Young squash bugs seek out adults’ poop for an essential microbe

    Squash bug nymphs don’t rely on their parents to pick up a bacterium they’d die without. They find it on their own.

  4. A photo of the pages of a book called the Dresden Codex.
    Astronomy

    50 years ago, a search for proof that the Maya tracked comets came up short

    The mystery of whether the ancient civilization tracked comets endures, but recent evidence hints the Maya tracked related meteor showers.

  5. A photo of four cats perched on a ledge.
    Life

    A gene therapy shot might keep cats from getting pregnant without being spayed

    Even after mating with fertile males, females given the cat contraceptive, which targets an ovulation-preventing hormone, did not get pregnant.

  6. A photo of a wooden walkway leading between several gray and white boxes in a large grassy field.
    Life

    Air pollution monitoring may accidentally help scientists track biodiversity

    Filters in air monitoring facilities inadvertently capture environmental DNA, which could give scientists a new tool to track local plants and animals.

  7. Two scuba divers investigating a coral reef
    Life

    Coral reefs host millions of bacteria, revealing Earth’s hidden biodiversity

    A new estimate of microbial life living in Pacific reefs is similar to global counts, suggesting many more microbes call Earth home than thought.

  8. A photo of Quinton Smith looking at the camera and smiling.
    Health & Medicine

    With tools from Silicon Valley, Quinton Smith builds lab-made organs

    Tissues made with 3-D printing and other techniques could offer insights into diseases such as fatty liver disease and preeclampsia.

  9. A photo of a wooded area with green plants in the foreground and a fallen tree in the middle ground.
    Plants

    Soil microbes that survived tough climates can help young trees do the same

    Trees grown in soil with microbes that have survived drought and high or low temperatures have a better shot at survival when facing the same conditions.

  10. A Lab-Q sign advertising free walk-up COVID-19 testing sits on a public sidewalk. People walk in the background.
    Health & Medicine

    The U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency is ending. What does that mean?

    The declaration, made early in the pandemic, made tests, vaccines and treatments free to all. On May 11, the proclamation ends.

  11. A photo of a brown bear walking through a field of green leaves and other plants with trees visible throughout.
    Animals

    Hibernating bears don’t get blood clots. Now scientists know why

    People who sit still for hours have an increased risk of blood clots, but hibernating bears and people with long-term immobility don’t. A key clotting protein appears to be the reason why.

  12. A photo of a painted lady butterfly resting on a lion paw print in the dirt.
    Animals

    The last leg of the longest butterfly migration has now been identified

    After a long journey across the Sahara, painted lady butterflies from Europe set up camp in central Africa to wait out winter and breed.