Anne A. Madden, PhD (she/her)

Microbe Challenge Our Fourth annual Museum of Beadwork Challenge is open to submissions until May 1st, 2026.This challenge is once again being co-sponsored by Miyuki Co., Ltd. and Caravan Beads and being joined by The ...

We still have opportunities for sponsors to collaborate on this project, so please reach out if interested! Link to the project: www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/microb...

So excited about this project! My institute is teaming up with the only museum dedicated to the craft of beadwork to create a truly remarkable—AND GLITTERY— science-art & education experience in 2026. See how you can participate in one of the planned exhibits in this thread below #sicart #scicomm

Listening Deeply to Indigenous People: A Collaborative Perspective and Reflection Between a Mapuche Machi and Ecologists Two-eyed seeing offers a way to see with both Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western ecological sciences. In this collaborative perspective piece between ecologists and a Mapuche spi....

I love this visual abstract! What a fantastic paper. Check it out!

If i remember correctly, ever so slightly bitter-charcoaly :) but it was absolutely worth it!

Let these smallest of lifeforms stir your imagination to create something of your own that helps us all see the beauty of this unseen realm! There are chances to win money & the opportunity to have your art exhibited in the only museum dedicated to beadwork. Please share widely! #mushroomart #bioart

The Microbe Institute is teaming up w/the Museum of Beadwork to host an art competition. The theme: Microbes & Mushrooms: Nature's Artistry in Detail. We challenge you to create a piece that introduces audiences to the microbial realm. #sciart
www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/microbe-challenge

A common issue in media reports on wasps is that the image associated with the article is very often that of a fly mimic, not a wasp.
In light of that, I very much appreciate that birds are better at discriminating a fly from a wasp than we (historically) have been.

Harmful algal bloom species Microcystis aeruginosa releases thiamin antivitamins to suppress competitors journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs

If you, like me, are confused about the relationship of the "Big Beautiful Bill" to the 2025-2026 Federal budget and its relevance to science funding and other issues, here is a GREAT explainer from my friend Kevin Wilson 🧪@ascbiology.bsky.social

Hear me out... what if the orcas aren't exploring ways of sharing food with us (in an example of pro-social behavior) but instead testing which baits work for hunting humans??
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
#TeamWhale

Tree that kills its 'enemies' with lightning discovered Tonka bean trees survive lightning strikes — and use the powerful electric shocks to kill their competitors.

After hiding in an internet hole for a bit, I'm back, & here w/a bit of whimsy, some science, & the space in between. Today I learned that the Tonka bean tree (of candle aroma fame) evolved to kill its enemies w/lightening (as the media headline described.) METAL! www.livescience.com/planet-earth...

GODDAMIT. IT’S NOT A RESURRECTED DIRE WOLF. 20 edits in 19,000 genes.

IT’S NOT GOING TO AID CONSERVATION.

EVERY WRITE UP THAT SWALLOWS AND REGURGITATES THIS GUFFERY WOLFSHIT IS DOING PR FOR A FUNDING ROUND.

📣 Calling on individuals interested in:
✨ Reinforcing the potential of preprints and expanding their uptake
✨ Role of preprints in improving trust and integrity
✨ Preprints in the Global South
✨ Institutional recognition of preprints

If that's you, let us know!

Gave a webinar on careers in science communication at @harvardmed.bsky.social today. I managed to reference unicorns, whales, and gingerbread in an on-topic way (I swear). Wish I had access to this full career seminar series when I was in grad school! #scicomm

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled Federal scientists warn that Americans could feel the effects of the new administration's devastating cuts for decades to come

For decades, the US government has painstakingly kept American science #1 globally—and every facet of American life has improved because of it. The internet? Flu shot? Ozempic? All grew out of federally-funded research. Now all that's being dismantled. 1/ www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1...

Every scientist, long before they were a scientist, was a little kid who stood in front of a fish tank or stared up at the stars or turned over a rock to look at the bugs underneath and said “wow”. On the best days, working in science still feels like that.

If a NBA team worth about $5B fired all its players and went from a $150M to a $0 payroll does that mean the team was efficient and saved money? Or, does it mean there is no basketball team and there is no more revenue because then no one comes and the team is worthless?

#analogies

This is a brilliant resource!! Please share widely!

Photo made possible with the help of Mark Martin & Scott Chimileski... and a bunch of microbes that only light up when they sense a community (through quorum sensing pathways).

Even in the darkness, there is light. Even in isolating times, there are allies.
A photo of me wearing living jewelry containing a naturally bioluminescent microbe that sometimes partners with a fish species to help it avoid predators.

Be the light. Be the ally.
#scicomm #lessonsfrommicrobes

Simple drawing of a figure with a bun looking down a microscope with a bench and conical flask behind them. The whole scene is within a Petri dish.

Jumping back in to #FebruArty after being away for a bit - today’s prompt is glasses

Went looking for a self portrait to post & came across this instead

A response to the prompt ‘transparency’ in the #SciCommInk challenge a few years ago

I'm giving a seminar on careers in science communication to an audience of graduate students at a leading university next week. Any things you all want to make sure I share?
#SciComm

(Photo is a mirror selfie of me before I gave a commencement speech a few years back...yes, my hat is on backwards)

Devastated to hear what’s happening at #NSF. Dear colleagues, program managers, affected by this, there are no words to thank you for your service and dedication - always advocating for excellence in research & demonstrating committment to uplifting the nations scientific enterprise. #nowords

social wasps (Vespidae)! They carry yeast inside of them, acting as airplanes to help the yeast get from sugar source to sugar source. They also keep yeasts safe in their gut during hibernation. Wasps are therefore critical to wine, and they're also where we find new yeasts for new fermented bevs!

Teaching the next generations of young scientists a practical course about biofilms in building plumbing potable water... these are some fabulous images from their own shower hoses 🦠🧫

anyone who needs a face and a story to go along with these cuts. A big part of what I do as a science communicator--not just as a scientist--is to reveal all the amazing things that science provides us. So many of those things are made possible by the NSF.

We talked about how wasp yeast beer is a great example to help showcase the often unexpected but nearly universal benefits of NSF funding. We were going to showcase it together this year, as it's the NSF GRFP's 75th year anniversary. I'm sharing in case this is relevant to a reporter, or...

A TED talk where the other speakers that week included Serena Williams, Elon Musk, & the pope. A tiny amount of funding in fundamental research did more than could be imagined. Yet this is the story of the NSF=huge impact. When I talked with NSF staff in 2024, I thanked them for the program. ...

With that small amount of $, I discovered a new fungal species to science, we gained new insights into ecology of insects, microbes, and plants. We helped farmers and the craft brewing industry. We bolstered the economy, the IP of the USA, and it enabled me to give a TED talk w/>1.6M views...

My research in graduate school was funded by an NSF GRFP. They invested in me to study the microbes of paper wasps of all things- the most basic and fundamental of sciences. Ten years later, this research led to patented brewing technology commercialized across the world. ... #NSF