Mary Bates, National Geographic

Mary Bates

National Geographic

Boston, MA, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • National Geographic
  • Nautilus
  • WIRED

Past articles by Mary:

Can snakes recognize themselves? A controversial study says yes

An experiment that uses snakes' chemical senses "could change people’s opinions of reptiles away from that of slow, dumb, dull, instinct machines," scientist says. → Read More

Why do these monkeys nurse each other’s babies?

Lactating and nursing costs a lot of energy. There must be some benefit to spending it on someone else’s infant. → Read More

Meet the colorful people who devote their lives to parrots

A photographer goes inside the wild world of people who love parrots, rescuing birds that others have given up. → Read More

Prehistoric Puppy May Be Earliest Evidence of Pet-Human Bonding

A new analysis of 14,000-year-old canine reveals the earliest evidence for an emotional attachment with man’s best friend. → Read More

7 New Giant Bug Species Are Extremely Aggressive

The newfound katydids are also among the biggest, bulkiest insects on Earth, a new study says. → Read More

Durian, the World's Smelliest Fruit, Wouldn't Exist Without the Flying Fox Bat

Camera traps confirm flying foxes in Southeast Asia pollinate economically valuable durian fruit trees. → Read More

Frogs Hitch Ride on Water Buffalo—Never Before Seen

A scientist on a birdwatching trip stumbled across the unusual phenomenon in Turkey. → Read More

Why Slimy Fish Lips Are the Secret to Eating Stinging Coral

The tubelip wrasse has evolved a strategy for preying on an animal most reef creatures avoid. → Read More

Whistling Caterpillars And 5 More Surprisingly Musical Species

The shrill sound has many purposes in nature, from deterring predators to deepening bonds. → Read More

New Slime-Shooting Snail Found On Shipwreck

Discovered in Florida, the new species is likely an invader from the Pacific. → Read More

These Parrots Can Make Other Parrots 'Laugh'—a First

The kea of New Zealand is the first non-mammal species to demonstrate infectious laughter, a new study says. → Read More

Watch 'Pom-Pom' Crabs Fight with Anemone-Tipped Claws

Crabs can stimulate sea anemones to reproduce asexually—the first known example of such behavior, a new study says. → Read More

272-Year-Old Shark Is Longest-Lived Vertebrate on Earth

Greenland sharks also don't reproduce until they're around 150 years old, a new study says. → Read More

272-Year-Old Shark Is Longest-Lived Vertebrate on Earth

Greenland sharks also don't reproduce until they're around 150 years old, a new study says. → Read More

Bothered by Noise? Try Being a Bat

Human noise is a rising global pollutant. Urbanization, road networks, and energy extraction infrastructure are all widespread and… → Read More

Caterpillars Drum Their Anuses To Find New Friends

It’s the first evidence that the insects rely on vibrations to gain new buddies, new research suggests. → Read More

The Dark Side of Trendy Animal Photos

Think before you shoot video or snap selfies with creatures like these. → Read More

500 Kinds of Bugs May be Living in Your House

Spiders, flies, beetles, and book lice are among the surprisingly plentiful critters detected in a new survey of U.S homes. → Read More

Picky Pigs Take Washing Certain Foods Seriously

Some wild boar carefully wash their food before pigging out, new research finds. → Read More

Fish Can Recognize Faces, a Surprisingly Human Skill

A coral reef fish can discriminate between individual fish by their unique facial patterns—just like we do. → Read More