Welcome by Professor Roberto Bertolani

Dear All, I wish also extend the greetings and best wishes for a successful meeting from Lorena Rebecchi and Roberto Guidetti, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, co-organizers of the Symposium. I am very glad to meet you in Catania, some of you again, some others for the first time. Thank you to all participants. A particular welcome to Diane, the only person who shares with me participation to all ten Symposia. I hope that this meeting may be an important occasion for an exchange of information, ideas, suggestions and debates among researchers who use tardigrades as a model, but are also interested in general and stimulating problems of animal biology.