Maddie Bender Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

Maddie Bender

Maddie Bender is a Boston-based science and health writer. She studied evolutionary biology and Latin in college at Yale. In 2021, she earned a public health master’s degree in microbial disease epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health—because of the timing, she likes to tell people that she majored in coronavirus. Her writing has appeared in Scientific American, STAT, Motherboard, and other outlets. She also fact-checks for print and podcasts and produces audio. One of her articles was once used as the premise for an episode of Law & Order. Read more of her work at maddiebender.com.

Humsa Venkatesh Probes Cancer’s Grip on the Brain

Maddie Bender | Aug 15, 2022 | 3 min read

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the cancer biologist is combining research into the tumor microenvironment with the principles of neuroscience to tease apart how cancers grow—and how to stop them.

Image of not-to-scale renderings of the skulls of various primate species

Surface Area of Tooth Roots Predicts Primate Body Size

Maddie Bender | May 2, 2022 | 2 min read

Researchers determine that a primate’s tooth root, and not just its crown, can yield reliable information about body size, but the relationship between root surface area and diet isn’t as clear.

Photo of a North American caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Jasper National Park in Canada

Dozens of Genes Tied to Caribou’s Seasonal Migration

Maddie Bender | May 2, 2022 | 2 min read

Researchers tracked the movements of endangered caribou and sequenced a portion of their genomes to determine which genes may influence migratory behavior.