Prof. Dr. Dario Martinelli (1974) is Director of the International Semiotics Institute, Professor at Kaunas University of Technology, and Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Helsinki and of Lapland. He published 7 monographs and more than a hundred among edited collections, studies and scientific articles. His most recent monographs include: Authenticity, Performance and Other Double-Edged Words (Acta Semiotica Fennica, 2011), A Critical Companion to Zoosemiotics (Springer, 2010), Of Birds, Whales and Other Musicians (University of Scranton Press, 2009). In 2006, he was knighted by the Italian Republic for his contribution to Italian culture.