Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali

Rendiconti is the interdisciplinary scientifi c journal of the Accademia dei Lincei, the Italian National Academy, situated in Rome, which publishes original articles in the fi elds of geosciences, envi ronmental sciences, and biological and biomedi cal sciences. Particular interest is accorded to papers dealing with modern trends in the natural sciences, with interdisciplinary relationships and with the roots and historical development of these disciplines.

The Academy was founded in 1603 and as such was the fi rst worldwide example of a scientifi c body dedicated to "acquiring science and transferring it to others in the form of oral and written texts". This activity played an important role in early developments of astronomy, physics and the natural sciences. Galileo was among its fi rst members, together with one of the earliest groups of researchers in the fi elds of botany, geology and zoology.