Geneticist Edoardo Boncinelli, famous for discovering the genes that regulate the proper development of the human organism, has died at the age of 84. Boncinelli was also well known for his intense activity as a popularizer. Born in Rhodes on May 18, 1941, to Florentine parents, he had graduated in Physics from the University of Florence. His scientific activity took place first at the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics of the National Research Council in Naples (IGB-CNR), and then in Milan, where he directed the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the San Raffaele Institute and the CNR Center for Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology. In 2011, Corriere della Sera had included his discoveries among the ten to remember in the history of Italian research.