Mark Belan

Visual Scientific Communications Specialist

Mark is a scientific graphics journalist and visual communicator, working at the intersection of art and science to translate scientific concepts into impactful visuals. With two Master of Science degrees (one in Geochemistry/Astrobiology, another in Biomedical Communications), his work and past experience as a researcher has led him to champion the values of visual storytelling when communicating complex and sophisticated ideas, especially in science. Mark is based in Toronto, Canada and yearns to make science more accessible to everyone with all forms of visual media. Learn more about Mark at www.artscistudios.com

Science1 year ago

Visualized: What Lives in Your Gut Microbiome?

The human gut microbiome contains a world of microbes. We look at the the bacteria that deeply affect our health and well-being.
Science1 year ago

Visualized: Subatomic Particles and Fundamental Forces of Nature

These tiny particles are the building blocks of the entire universe. Explore subatomic particles and how they generate the forces of nature.
Technology2 years ago

AI vs. Humans: Which Performs Certain Skills Better?

Progress in computation ability, data availability, and algorithm efficiency has led to rapid gains in performance for AI vs humans.
Green2 years ago

Tracking Antarctica Sea Ice Loss in 2023

Antarctica's ice extent has reached record lows. This visual details and maps Antarctica sea ice loss over the last two years.
Green2 years ago

The Anthropocene: A New Epoch in the Earth’s History

We visualize Earth’s history through the geological timeline to reveal the planet’s many epochs, including the Anthropocene.
Misc2 years ago

12 Different Ways to Organize the Periodic Table of Elements

The periodic table of elements is widely recognized, but there are hundreds of beautiful and different periodic table reinterpretations.
Misc2 years ago

Visualized: The 4 Billion Year Path of Human Evolution

From single cells to bipedalism, humans have come a long way. Explore the fascinating journey of human evolution in this infographic.
Misc2 years ago

Visualizing the Biomass of All the World’s Mammals

When the world's biomass—the stuff we're made of—is tallied up, humans and cattle outweigh wild mammals by a massive margin.
Misc2 years ago

Ranked: Biotoxins in Nature, by Lethal Dose

The world can be a poisonous place. We look at a number of different biotoxins found in the natural world and rank their toxicity.
Politics2 years ago

How the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Impacts Science and Academia

What is the impact of war on science and academia? We examine how nations and the scientific community have responded to the conflict
Green2 years ago

Explainer: What to Know About the Ohio Train Derailment

A train transporting a number of potentially dangerous chemicals derailed near the Ohio–Pennsylvania border. This infographic explains what happened
Technology2 years ago

Infographic: Generative AI Explained by AI

What exactly is generative AI and how does it work? This infographic, created using generative AI tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT, explains it all.
Technology2 years ago

Infographic: 11 Tech Trends to Watch in 2023

This infographic highlights eleven exciting areas within the world of technology worth keeping an eye on in 2023.
Technology2 years ago

Timeline: The Most Important Science Headlines of 2022

Join us as we look back at some of the most exciting, inspiring, and biggest science stories that made headlines in 2022.
Misc2 years ago

Visualized: How Snowflakes are Formed

Snowflakes are ice crystals that are beautifully diverse and mysteriously symmetrical. We show what controls their intricate designs.
Energy2 years ago

Explainer: The Science of Nuclear Fusion

How recent achievements in nuclear fusion may pave the future for a new form of clean and sustainable energy.
Misc2 years ago

Visualized: The Many Shapes of Bacteria

We introduce the visual diversity of bacteria and illustrate how they are categorized by appearance—from a single cell to an entire colony.
Money2 years ago

Visualized: The Security Features of American Money

How can you tell a fake $100 bill from a real one? In this visual we break down the anatomy and security features of American money.
Misc3 years ago

Visualizing the Evolution of Vision and the Eye

The eye is one of the most complex organs in biology. We illustrate its evolution from a simple photoreceptor cell to a complex structure.
Science3 years ago

Visualizing the Composition of Blood

Despite its simple appearance, blood is made up of many microscopic elements. This infographic visualizes the composition of blood.
Science3 years ago

Animated Map: Where to Find Water on Mars

This new planet-wide animated map, based on a decade of space agency research, shows where water can be found on Mars.
Misc3 years ago

All the Contents of the Universe, in One Graphic

We explore the ultimate frontier: the composition of the entire known universe, some of which are still being investigated today.
Green3 years ago

Explained: The Relationship Between Climate Change and Wildfires

More carbon in the atmosphere is creating a hotter world—and gradually fueling both climate change and instances of wildfires.
Science3 years ago

Visualizing the Relationship Between Cancer and Lifespan

New research links mutation rates and lifespan. We visualize the data supporting this new framework for understanding cancer.
Misc3 years ago

Is it Possible to Bring Back Extinct Animal Species?

This graphic provides an introduction to de-extinction, a field of biology focused on reviving extinct animal species.
Science3 years ago

The Elemental Composition of the Human Body

Of the 118 chemical elements found on Earth, only 21 make up the human body. Here we break down the elemental composition of the average human.
Misc3 years ago

Explainer: What to Know About Monkeypox

What is monkeypox, and what risk does it pose to the public? This infographic breaks down the symptoms, transmission, and more.
Misc3 years ago

The Top 10 Largest Nuclear Explosions, Visualized

Just how powerful are nuclear bombs? Here's a look at the top 10 largest nuclear explosions.
Technology3 years ago

Synthetic Biology: The $3.6 Trillion Science Changing Life as We Know It

The field of synthetic biology could solve problems in a wide range of industries, from medicine to agriculture—here’s how.
Politics3 years ago

The Science of Nuclear Weapons, Visualized

Nuclear weapons have devastating effects, but the science of how they work is atomically small. So, how do nuclear weapons work?
Healthcare3 years ago

Visualizing How COVID-19 Antiviral Pills and Vaccines Work at the Cellular Level

Despite tackling the same disease, vaccines and antiviral pills work differently to combat COVID-19. We visualize how they work in the body.
Green3 years ago

Visualizing the Accumulation of Human-Made Mass on Earth

The amount of human-made (or anthropogenic) mass, has now exceeded the weight of all life on Earth, including humans, animals, and plants.
Misc4 years ago

A Visual Introduction to the Dwarf Planets in our Solar System

Since dwarf planets started being classified in 2005, nine have been recognized. Here we visually introduce the dwarf planets in our solar system.
Misc4 years ago

All the Biomass of Earth, in One Graphic

Our planet supports nearly 8.7 million species. We break down the total composition of the living world in terms of its biomass.
Technology4 years ago

Explainer: How Synthetic Biology is Redesigning Life

Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a field of science that involves engineering life for human benefit. Here’s an in-depth look at how it works.

Visual Capitalist

Visual Capitalist

Mark Belan

Visual Scientific Communications Specialist

Contributions By Mark Belan

Visualized: What Lives in Your Gut Microbiome?

Visualized: Subatomic Particles and Fundamental Forces of Nature

AI vs. Humans: Which Performs Certain Skills Better?

Tracking Antarctica Sea Ice Loss in 2023

The Anthropocene: A New Epoch in the Earth’s History

12 Different Ways to Organize the Periodic Table of Elements

Visualized: The 4 Billion Year Path of Human Evolution

Visualizing the Biomass of All the World’s Mammals

Ranked: Biotoxins in Nature, by Lethal Dose

How the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Impacts Science and Academia

Explainer: What to Know About the Ohio Train Derailment

Infographic: Generative AI Explained by AI

Infographic: 11 Tech Trends to Watch in 2023

Timeline: The Most Important Science Headlines of 2022

Visualized: How Snowflakes are Formed

Explainer: The Science of Nuclear Fusion

Visualized: The Many Shapes of Bacteria

Visualized: The Security Features of American Money

Visualizing the Evolution of Vision and the Eye

Visualizing the Composition of Blood

Animated Map: Where to Find Water on Mars

All the Contents of the Universe, in One Graphic

Explained: The Relationship Between Climate Change and Wildfires

Visualizing the Relationship Between Cancer and Lifespan

Is it Possible to Bring Back Extinct Animal Species?

The Elemental Composition of the Human Body

Explainer: What to Know About Monkeypox

The Top 10 Largest Nuclear Explosions, Visualized

Synthetic Biology: The $3.6 Trillion Science Changing Life as We Know It

The Science of Nuclear Weapons, Visualized

Visualizing How COVID-19 Antiviral Pills and Vaccines Work at the Cellular Level

Visualizing the Accumulation of Human-Made Mass on Earth

A Visual Introduction to the Dwarf Planets in our Solar System

All the Biomass of Earth, in One Graphic

Explainer: How Synthetic Biology is Redesigning Life

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Exclusive: Visualizing the Shifting Global Financial Landscape (VC+)

Suicide in America: A Closer Look at the Statistics

Ranked: The 50 Best Places to Work in America

Visualizing China’s Battery Recycling Dominance

Mapped: The World’s Most Expensive Real Estate Markets

Mapped: Average Salary by State in 2025

The Most Reliable Used-Car Brands in 2025

Ranked: Per Capita Beer Consumption by Country

The World’s Largest Combat Tank Fleets in 2025

Mapped: The Income Needed to Buy a Home in Every U.S. State