Danilo Mainardi

Danilo Mainardi
Born (1933-11-25) November 25, 1933
Milano, Italy
Nationality Italian
Occupation Ethologist, scholar and writer

Danilo Mainardi (born November 25, 1933, in Milano, Italy) is an Italian ethologist, scholar, and writer.

Biography

The son of Enzo Mainardi, he graduated in 1956 in biology in Parma, Italy. From 1967 to 1992 he has taught Zoology, and then Biology and Ethology at the University of Parma, in the Science and Medicine faculties. Since 1973 he has directed the School of Ethology of the Scientific cultural center Ettore Majorana in Erice.

He teaches Ethology of Behaviour at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

He has been national president of LIPU (Lega italiana protezione uccelli, Italian League for the defence of birds, founded in 1965 and Italian partner of Birdlife International), and he is now its honor president.

Mainardi has studied the social and sexual behaviour of animals, and its evolution, starting from the relationships between parents and offspring (particularly the importance of the "imprinting"). His studies demonstrate that also the animals can transmit - to a certain extent - the capacity to transfer solution to problems from one individual to another: the process of innovation according to Mainardi's results is not exclusive of mankind.

He has directed the Italian Journal of Zoology, organ of the Italian Zoological association (Unione Zoologica italiana). Besides his researches and teachings, he is 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 1991 by Italian journalist Piero Angela. Since the beginnings, Mainardi has been a regular contributor to "Quark", still 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.

He is an atheist.

Mainardi also contributes to several Italian major newspaper, such as the Corriere della Sera, and has written more than 200 publications and books.

Bibliography

Among his publications in English:

References

    External links

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