Science/Research reporter

Lisa M. Krieger

Lisa M. Krieger is a Bay Area News Group science writer for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, covering research, scientific policy and environmental news from Stanford University, the University of California, NASA-Ames, U.S. Geological Survey and other Bay Area-based research facilities. She graduated from Duke University with a BA degree in biology. She splits her time between Palo Alto and Inverness, and in her spare time likes wildlife photography, swimming, skiing and backpacking.

A sunset view of the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Offices in the Ordway Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Halted research, disciplined doctors: internal audit finds Kaiser ignored patient protections in California study

January 29, 2025 at 3:15 p.m.

Two top clinicians have been disciplined amid growing concern that Kaiser's system for monitoring research safety and ethics is inadequate.

Farmer Amrik Singh Basra stands in his almond orchard in Madera County. Implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act has left farmers in some areas facing bankruptcy as they confront groundwater pumping restrictions that limit their ability to irrigate their crops.

California farms fail, land values plunge amid water crisis

January 29, 2025 at 4:32 a.m.

With aquifers nationwide in dangerous decline, an estimated 500,000 acres of farmland may be taken out of cultivation by 2040

A patient is given a flu vaccine Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to pay Moderna $176 million to develop a mRNA vaccine to treat bird flu in people, as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Why Finland is vaccinating farmers against bird flu — but California isn't

December 23, 2024 at 3:09 p.m.

What to know about the bird flu outbreak as concerns about cases grow.

A ground squirrel feeds on a vole in Briones Regional Park in July 2024.

This cute California squirrel hides a secret: It’s a vicious predator

December 19, 2024 at 11:23 a.m.

Presumed to be vegetarians, ground squirrels also eat little voles.

A LiDAR-equipped PistenBully snowcat works under moonlight managing the snow depth at Palisades Tahoe’s Mountain Run in Olympic Village, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Once cold and lonely, ‘snow management’ at Tahoe resorts goes high-tech with lasers

December 17, 2024 at 11:15 a.m.

Snow-measuring LiDAR Is turning a tedious task into a skill-driven profession.

FILE – President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Pool via AP, File)

Trump chooses controversial Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH

November 27, 2024 at 10:50 a.m.

A leading critic of the federal response to the COVID pandemic, Bhattacharya promises reforms.

A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024, in Petaluma, California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ordering dairy producers to test cows that produce milk for infections from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) before the animals are transported to a different state following the discovery of the virus in samples of pasteurized milk taken by the Food and Drug Administration. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/TNS)

Raw milk nearly killed her son. Now avian flu is bringing more attention to its risk.

November 26, 2024 at 11:07 a.m.

The dairy behind flu-contaminated milk is linked to 7 previous recalls and at least 35 illnesses.

Building the supercomputer El Capitan required the collaborative efforts of teams at Lawrence Livermore National Labs, the National Nuclear Security Administration, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and AMD. Technicians are shown working on the final compute blades, which were installed in summer 2024. (Garry McLeod/LLNL)

Lawrence Livermore supercomputer is crowned world’s speediest

November 19, 2024 at 11:06 a.m.

"El Capitan" takes top spot in global supercomputer race, helping tackle daunting challenges in national security and science.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a lactating dairy cow stands in a pen after inoculation against bird flu at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on Monday, July 29, 2024. (USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP)

Asymptomatic people may carry avian flu

November 8, 2024 at 10:51 a.m.

As avian flu spreads in California dairies, new CDC study finds evidence of prior infection in people who felt healthy.

A drawing of a senior citizen fending off a deluge of cartoony viruses with a shield. (Jeff Durham/Bay Area News Group)

Do I need a second dose of the new COVID-19 vaccine?

October 29, 2024 at 12:27 p.m.

The CDC has just announced a second shot for elders and the immunocompromised people - but when's the best time?