Interview with Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti

Abstract

Born in Kyiv (Ukraine) on April 28, 1937, Professor Giacomo Rizzolatti is one of the most eminent Italian neuroscientists on the international stage. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Padua and subsequently embarked on a brilliant academic and research career in the field of neurophysiology. An Emeritus Professor of Human Physiology at the University of Parma, his name is universally recognized for the discovery, in the early 1990s, of the mirror neuron system—one of the most important neuroscientific breakthroughs of recent decades. This discovery, made together with his research team, revolutionized the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying action, imitation, empathy, and communication, opening new perspectives not only in neuroscience but also in psychology, linguistics, education, philosophy, and the humanities. Author of hundreds of scientific publications and a member of prestigious international academies—including the Accademia dei Lincei, Academia Europaea, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences—Prof. Rizzolatti has received numerous honors, including the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research and the Golgi Medal. In this exclusive interview, Professor Giacomo Rizzolatti reflects on the often-underestimated role of negative results in neuroscience research. Through a direct and experience-rich dialogue, Prof. Rizzolatti addresses crucial topics for today’s scientific community: from editorial bias toward positive results, to the epistemological value of methodological transparency, and the need for courage and intellectual honesty among young researchers. Amid personal anecdotes, historical references, and reflections on the future of scientific publishing, a vision of science emerges as an open, fallible, yet deeply human process—in which errors and failures, too, can become engines of knowledge and change. An interview that invites reflection on the true meaning of “doing science” today.