 He directed the "Italian Journal of Zoology", organ of the Italian Zoological association (Unione Zoologica italiana).Besides his researches and teachings, he was most popular in Italy as a regular and appreciated guest at various scientific TV programs, such as "Dalla parte degli animali" (On the animals' side), and the scientific series "Quark", the first show of the kind in Italy aimed at a general public, created in 1981 by Italian journalist Piero Angela.Since the beginnings, Mainardi was a regular contributor to "Quark", cooperating with Piero Angela to spread the interest for the scientific matters, making a point in using the simplest possible language even for complex subjects, to reach every spectator.