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My name is Stefano Piraino, I work at 
the University of Salento in southern Italy 


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and I've worked since 30 years or more 
on cnidarians. Why cnidarians, because 


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they are a key group, they are found in the
whole world's oceans, there is increasing 


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evidence that they are on the rise, and 
they are highly sensitive to anthropogenic


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impacts. Furthermore, they occupy a key
position in the phylogenetic tree and they


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 are at the base of the origins 
of many evolutionary novelties.


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 Finally they are an important group 
because of the rise of jellyfish biomass


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 in the water of oceans can be approached
 in a sustainable way for the harvesting 


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of this biomass, for the exploitation of 
this biomass for human purposes


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like using jellyfish biomass for food or 
for the extraction and finding of new drugs 


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and bioactive molecules. In this course
 the students will understand that


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research on cnidarians can be relevant to 
particularly using model and known model 


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organisms to address a number of
 important evolutionary questions, 


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ecological questions, that may help to
contribute to the management of coastal waters.


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You will gain knowledge on different 
aspects of cnidarian biology, particularly


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 working both with the traditional and
 non-traditional model organisms.


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We will talk about the deep evolutionary 
relationships within cnidarians and the


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traditional bilaterian groups, and
 the different levels: morphological, 


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developmental, molecular. Finally, 
you will receive information on 


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emerging biological phenomena related
 to cnidarian organisms and these will be


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in a wider perspective that lead to the
 demise of old dogmas and will present 


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a modern approach to the phylogenetic 
relationships along the different invertebrate groups.