Overview

• Boncinelli died in Milan on July 20 at age 84, triggering widespread tributes from colleagues, institutions and the scientific community.
• In 1985, alongside Antonio Simeone at CNR Naples, he identified homeotic ‘architect’ genes that orchestrate human developmental processes.
• He led major research bodies for decades, serving at CNR’s Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica in Naples, directing molecular biology at San Raffaele in Milan and later heading SISSA in Trieste.
• From 1998 onward he authored numerous popular science books and maintained a long-running collaboration with Corriere della Sera.
• Rooted in a physics background and enriched by humanistic inquiry, his work shaped Italian debates on evolution, bioethics and the role of science in society.