{"id":556,"date":"2026-02-23T01:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?page_id=556"},"modified":"2026-04-22T17:24:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:24:05","slug":"science-of-manny","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/","title":{"rendered":"Science of Manny"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-873\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-1.23.06\u202fPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"651\" height=\"418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-1.23.06\u202fPM.png 1410w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-1.23.06\u202fPM-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-1.23.06\u202fPM-1024x658.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-1.23.06\u202fPM-768x493.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 15.0pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.5pt;font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">These sections are designed to help readers step into <strong><span style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">Manny the Mastodon\u2019s world<\/span><\/strong> and better understand the science and geology behind his story in <em><span style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">My Friend Manny<\/span><\/em>. By exploring the <span style=\"color: #cc0033\"><a style=\"color: #cc0033\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/the-time-of-the-pleistocene\/\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">Pleistocene Epoch<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>, readers can learn what Earth was like when Manny was alive, a time of ice sheets, changing climates, early humans, and incredible animals roaming the landscape. Topics such as ancient environments, plants and animals, and the geological time scale provide the background needed to imagine Manny\u2019s life and the world he once knew.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 15.0pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.5pt;font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">These sections also dive into how <strong><span style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #cc0033\"><a style=\"color: #cc0033\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/mastodons-and-their-families\/\">mastodons lived, evolved<\/a><\/span>, and<span style=\"color: #cc0033\"> <a style=\"color: #cc0033\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/geology-and-fossilization\/\">became fossils<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, connecting Manny\u2019s journey from a living animal to a museum exhibit. Sections on fossilization, stratigraphy, marl, and evolutionary relationships explain how Manny\u2019s bones were preserved and how scientists study them today. Along the way, <span style=\"color: #cc0033\"><a style=\"color: #cc0033\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/myth-vs-reality\/\"><b>myths and misconceptions<\/b><\/a> <\/span>about mastodon bones reveal how people once tried to make sense of these giant fossils before modern science. Together, these resources deepen the story told in <em><span style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif\">My Friend Manny<\/span><\/em>, helping readers understand not just who Manny was, but also how we know his story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/the-time-of-the-pleistocene\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-762\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.27.12\u202fPM-300x189.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.27.12\u202fPM-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.27.12\u202fPM-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.27.12\u202fPM.png 824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/mastodons-and-their-families\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-765\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.30.14\u202fPM-300x189.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.30.14\u202fPM-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.30.14\u202fPM-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.30.14\u202fPM.png 824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/geology-and-fossilization\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-770\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.35.57\u202fPM-300x189.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.35.57\u202fPM-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.35.57\u202fPM-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.35.57\u202fPM.png 824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/myth-vs-reality\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-778\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.45.03\u202fPM-300x189.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.45.03\u202fPM-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.45.03\u202fPM-768x483.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-17-at-1.45.03\u202fPM.png 824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These sections are designed to help readers step into Manny the Mastodon\u2019s world and better understand the science and geology behind his story in My Friend Manny. By exploring the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\" class=\"\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2208,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-556","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Science of Manny - Manny the Mastodon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Science of Manny - Manny the Mastodon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"These sections are designed to help readers step into Manny the Mastodon\u2019s world and better understand the science and geology behind his story in My Friend Manny. By exploring the &hellip; Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Manny the Mastodon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T17:24:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\",\"name\":\"Science of Manny - Manny the Mastodon\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T01:31:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-22T17:24:05+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Science of Manny\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/\",\"name\":\"Manny the Mastodon\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Science of Manny - Manny the Mastodon","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/science-of-manny\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Science of Manny - Manny the Mastodon","og_description":"These sections are designed to help readers step into Manny the Mastodon\u2019s world and better understand the science and geology behind his story in My Friend Manny. 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