Mark Mancini is a freelance writer currently based in New Jersey. Over the years, he’s covered every subject from classic horror movies to Abe Lincoln's favorite jokes. He is particularly fond of paleontology and has been reporting on new developments in this field since 2013. When Mark's not at his writing desk, you can usually find him on stage somewhere because he loves to get involved with community theater. And if you ever feel like trading puns for a few hours, he's your guy.
Recent Contributions
Contrary to popular belief, the leaders of a wolf pack aren't always hyper-aggressive social climbers. The truth is more nuanced, and more interesting.
Utah's Great Salt Lake has been in the news in 2021, but for all the wrong reasons. It's at its lowest level ever, and some say it could eventually dry up.
By Mark Mancini
Both dry and over-saturated soil can contribute to flash flooding. Can anything be done to prevent them from becoming catastrophic?
By Mark Mancini
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It can definitely be done — we saw Capt. Sully Sullenberger successfully land an Airbus A320 without any engines, in the Hudson River no less. But just how far a plane can fly without its engines depends on a few different factors.
By Mark Mancini
Spiders don't have wings, so technically can't fly. But some arachnids can soar through the air with the greatest of ease.
By Mark Mancini
We know that humans are largely responsible for fueling global warming with our carbon emissions. So what if we could seize all that carbon and squirrel it away in a safe place? Well, we can. It's just hard and really expensive.
By Debra Ronca & Mark Mancini
This envelope-pushing comedy stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple trying to survive a meeting with their future in-laws. If you love "The Birdcage" (and who doesn't?), give our quiz a whirl!
By Mark Mancini
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Yep, two small-bodied Russian tortoises made it to the moon and back before man did.
By Mark Mancini
Not all diamonds are found on dry land. Many turn up in sediments below the ocean's surface. You just have to know where to look.
By Mark Mancini
The practice of hiding secret messages has existed in many forms for centuries, but the advent of personal computing in the 1980s stepped it up and steganography now exists all around us, invisible right under our noses.
By Mark Mancini
Deep underneath Antarctica, there lies a hidden lake. Roughly the size of North America's Lake Ontario, the buried landmark has inspired curiosity and controversy for decades.
By Mark Mancini
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Legend says that jackalopes roam the plains of Wyoming. These horned jackrabbits are harmless and even like campfire cowboy songs. So how much truth is there to this mythical creature?
By Mark Mancini
You read that right. Fruit bats are instrumental in pollinating hundreds of plants, including the agave, a key ingredient in tequila.
By Mark Mancini
The Pacific's Ring of Fire is a 25,000 mile long "ring" that's home to 75 percent of all the world's volcanic activity and 90 percent of the planet's earthquakes. So what makes this area so active?
By Mark Mancini
Named the happiest country in the world for the past three years in a row, Finland is considered a Nordic country. But is it part of Scandinavia?
By Mark Mancini
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Scattered all over the globe in oceans, lakes and seas, are fascinating underwater ruins that once thrummed with the daily lives of the people who inhabited them. So how did they end up underwater?
By Mark Mancini
Iceland? The North Pole? Antarctica? There are a lot of super cold places on this planet, but which one can claim bragging rights as the coldest place on Earth?
By Mark Mancini
Scientists recently found 12 more moons revolving around Jupiter, bringing its total to 79. Why does Jupiter have so many darn moons? Is there any advantage to that?
By Mark Mancini
Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation helps put the laws of gravity into a mathematical formula. And the gravitational constant is the "G" in that formula.
By Mark Mancini
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The oceans' levels change daily across the globe. We know them as tidal changes. But what causes this constant shift in sea level and why is it more dramatic is some places than others?
By Mark Mancini
What does Boston have against the letter R? Why do Minnesotans sometimes drag out the 'O' sound? And what about the Noo Yawk accent?
By Mark Mancini
One of the three-man crew of Apollo 11, the mission that first set foot on the moon, Michael Collins was a true American hero.
By Mark Mancini
One of the largest caves on the planet, Hang Sơn Đoòng houses a forested space called "Watch Out for Dinosaurs" because of its primordial appearance.
By Mark Mancini
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A simple math problem may seem to some of us like an inscrutable pile of numbers and symbols, just waiting to trip us up. PEMDAS to the rescue!
By Mark Mancini
The heyday for Morse code is primarily over, but this communication method using dots and dashes still has its place in our digital world.
By Mark Mancini