The Cnidaria, Past, Present and Future ― The World of Medusa and Her Sisters

This volume presents a broad panorama of the current status of research of invertebrate animals considered belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, such as hydra, jellyfish, sea anemone, and coral. In this book the Cnidarians are traced from the Earth’s primordial oceans, to their response to the warming and acidifying oceans. Due to the role of corals in the carbon and calcium cycles, various aspects of cnidarian calcification are discussed. The relation of the Cnidaria with Mankind is approached, in accordance with the Editors’ philosophy of bridging the artificial schism between science, arts and Humanities. Cnidarians' encounters with humans result in a broad spectrum of medical emergencies that are reviewed. The final section of the volume is devoted to the role of Hydra and Medusa in mythology and art. 

Dr. Stefano Goffredo is consolidating his career. His scientific initiative promises to lead marine biology towards integrative interdisciplinary syntheses. By extensive collaborations with leaders in different fields, such as physics, chemistry, computational science and photobiology SG developed multidisciplinary methodologies attacking the questions identified by his field studies with novel laboratory tools. In his research, SG has developed original aspects in the interpretation ofgrowth and population data, population dynamics, reproductive biology andconservation monitoring. Recently, he has expanded his interests to thebiomineralization in relation to environmental parameters.

Prof. Emeritus Zvy Dubinsky of the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences studies the response of the photosynthetic apparatus of microalgae to the intensity and spectral composition of underwater irradiance and nutrient concentration. Dubinsky and his team focus on three systems – Phytoplankton in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and Lake Kinneret; Zooxanthellae living as endosymbionts in reef building corals; and algal mass cultures for the production of biodiesel and fine chemicals.