Rachel Nuwer’s love for nature and science began at the bayous and beaches of southern Mississippi. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Loyola University New Orleans. During her time at Loyola she researched Mekong River fishes in Laos, sparking a passion for travel and exploration. This wunderlust has since taken her to 43 countries. In 2010 Rachel returned to Southeast Asia to investigate illegal wildlife trade and natural resource use in Vietnam for her ecology master’s thesis at the University of East Anglia, England. She also earned a second master’s degree at New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Writing Program (SHERP). She writes for the New York Times, Audubon Magazine, Popular Mechanics, ScienceNOW, Edible Magazine and other venues.