Mary Bates is a freelance science writer interested in humans, animals, and the environment. She earned her PhD from Brown University in 2011 for research on bat echolocation. Previously, she worked as a research assistant in a geriatric neuropsychology lab, a necropsy and rescue and rehab intern at the New England Aquarium, a veterinary assistant, a lab instructor, and a middle school summer science course teacher. Mary lives in Boston, Massachusetts but enjoys traveling to more exotic places.