Molly Edwards, PhD

Hi #chemsky! If you're navigating the NIH grant application process right now—or if you decided not to—I'd love to hear from you.

Email: LDattaro@proton.me
Signal: LDattaro.73

text says "hold me like marchantia holds water", the pic is a lecture slide show marchantia archegoniophore holding water

text says "my love for you is as abundant as rubisco", with a protein structure of rubisco

text says "my love for you is liek apical meristems.. it keeps on growing", pic shows shoot and root apical meristem

text says "call me a xylem cell, because i would die for you"

Asked my Intro Plant Bio students to make Valentine's day plant meme using what they learned in class so far, and dang, it gives me SO MUCH joy seeing all the submissions.
Some of my favs here: #valentinesday #ib103 #iamabotanist #plantjoy @botsocamerica.bsky.social l @plantteaching.bsky.social

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue

NSF GRFP applicants (and mentors): Was your application Returned Without Review and deemed ineligible despite fitting in the allowed topics?
1) Write NSF
2) Write your Congressperson
3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up

Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter

This!! Too many things in the us are dependent on a charity economy (feeding the poor, educating our youth, university research, etc!) and that feeds all these fucked up incentives.

🚨 Requesting help:

I am looking for an agent who can facilitate more speaking gigs, podcast appearances, and interviews with journalists

I want to more widely share my story and expertise as a trans geneticist who understands the reality and complexity of "biological sex" 🏳️‍⚧️🧬

Please signal boost?

part of this is like, conservatives projecting; part of this is conservatives unable to imagine politics without money; and part of this is dudes who are so out of touch with feminized labor that they think children's birthday parties exist as a spontaneous act of parthogenesis

DHS funding bill faces new Senate hurdles after another person killed in Minneapolis Some Democrats who voted for recent funding bills said they'll vote against any DHS bill without restrictions on enforcement operations. The deadline to avert a shutdown is Friday.

YOUR PHONE CALLS TO THE SENATE ARE WORKING. KEEP CALLING.

202–224-3121

Three Democrats who previously broke with the party and voted with the GOP are now saying they will not vote for the bill. That’s enough for the bill to be unpassable right now.

ICE is now responsible for 66% of the homicides in Minneapolis this year.

We are calling our senators right now and demanding that they vote no on the omnibus with DHS funding

We are explicitly mentioning ICE’s murder in cold blood of a man on the streets of Minneapolis this morning

YouTube video by Be Smart Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong

@pbs.org has had my whole heart since I was little little, so it is very surreal to be writing for a PBS Digital Studios show! Here is my first episode of Be Smart:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SBX...

Thank you @drjoehanson.bsky.social & team! My nose knowledge now knows no bounds 👃

YouTube video by Rocco Elliot Just Me & My Plants- Rocco Elliot

Anything by Rocco Elliott, dude has the best plant raps

youtu.be/mePj_vjS-j8?...

Hooray! Check out this special issue for some fantastic new work on flower color!

A lesson from tonight: I went to a community org’s meeting to announce a mural SaS is collab-ing on w/that org. I knew a handful of people there, but didn’t know 90% of the room.

When I intro’d myself, I said “if you’ve seen any squid around the neighborhood, that’s me” and people applauded.
(1/5)

Take a moment to lower your blood pressure with this one.

Abolish and prosecute ICE. They did a murder in broad daylight today. Imagine what they're doing in the closed facilities we're somehow not even allowed to see.

My columbine flower photos were published in @emergencemagazine.bsky.social to accompany a truly wonderful wildflower essay by @dghaskell.bsky.social 🌸 His writing on columbines made me misty-eyed at my PhD plants all over again 🥹 soso honored to be included!

#scicomm #sciart

Pint jar filled with blue dry beans.

A few years ago, through luck and vibes, I managed to produce this blue colored bean variety.

This was an early step in trying to answer the question, [paraphrased] "Why isn't blue as common as red in beans, even though they're both anthocyanins and the plant has the genes for both?"

a pine tree with bugs hanging all around it. at the very top is a dragonfly-like meganeura with open wings, circling the base is the giant millipede arthropleura. on the branches sit various insects and circular pine cones.

Have yourself a merry little Carboniferous.
#Art #SciArt #PaleoArt #Inverts

Season's greetings from all of us at New Phytologist and The New Phytologist Foundation!

ok what's the most rectangular animal you can think of

A green-toned flyer titled “Let’s Botanize Science Communication Internship Program Spring 2026.” At the top, a large stylized “Let’s Botanize” logo appears with a small leaf accent. Below, the internship is described as a program for undergraduate students interested in botany and science communication, running February 2–May 22, 2026 for about 12 hours a week. Sections include bullet lists for Key Responsibilities (media management, SciComm content creation, data and analytics), Qualifications (enrolled undergraduate in botany or related field, strong communication skills, familiarity with social media, teamwork, U.S. work authorization), and Benefits (experience in science communication, mentorship, nonprofit insight, flexible schedule, $1,500 stipend or course credit). The application process lists required materials such as proof of enrollment, resume, cover letter, and two references. At the bottom, candidates are instructed to email materials to letsbotanize@gmail.com with the subject line “Science Communication Internship Application [Your Last Name].” The background includes faint botanical illustrations in soft green.

Looking for SciComm experience? 👀🌿

Check out this Spring 2026 internship from Let’s Botanize — great opportunity for undergrad students in botany! $1,500 stipend or course credit.

Apply via: letsbotanize@gmail.com

Presented here is this year’s entire See Jurassic Right Back To School series where I chat with TWELVE scientists and science communicators about all the cool shit they do and all their freaky, fun, and fascinating hyperfixations you need to know about, right now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Aging with complex chronic illnesses and disabilities at home Hi! My name is Julia Métraux, and I am Mother Jones' disability reporter. I am working on a series (to be published before May 1) profiling three American aging adults (50+) about how you're aging ind...

👋 Call for sources: My name is Julia Métraux, and I am @motherjones.com disability reporter. I am working on a series (to be published before May 1) profiling three American aging adults (50+) about how you're aging independently while taking care of your health. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

It's not gonna be the same without youuu 😭👯‍♀️

Omg I love that 🥹🌱 keep us posted!!

I turned #plantsgiving into an extra credit opportunity for my Botany 110 students. Can’t wait to see what they come up with!! 🌿

#PlantsGiving: Bringing plant relatives back into view #PlantsGiving encourages us to appreciate the remarkable diversity behind holiday gatherings. Keep a tally of the plant families used in your holiday meal and share photos online with #PlantsGiving.

Im so excited I wrote an article about it! www.canr.msu.edu/news/plantsg...

Omg this is so lovely 🥹 (and extra special to read as a 4-H kid 🍀)

Is everyone ready for #Plantsgiving?!?!

Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱