The first 3-year term of the present, peer-reviewed series of Rendiconti Lincei has now come to an end as has Professor Sandro Pignatti’s three-year term as first Editor-in-Chief of this series. During this period and even during the planning stage of the new series of the journal, Professor Pignatti has played a decisive role in promoting and organizing the first steps of this new series including singling out the publishing company and setting the ground for its current rigorous editorial and scientific standards. He spent many hours day after day in promoting submissions, reading and correcting papers and over these past years, has developed and maintained good relationships with all intervening parties. Rendiconti Lincei is grateful to him for his valuable contribution in building and managing the new series of the journal. A final word of gratitude is owed to Sandro Pignatti; after several years as Scientific Director (since 2003) of the previous series of Rendiconti, and after the demanding years devoted to the present peer-reviewed series, he has kindly accepted to continue supporting the journal as Section Editor for the Environmental Sciences. Thanks for all, Sandro.

Now at the start of the forth year and reflecting back over the first triennium, we can say that the concern expressed by members of the Accademia dei Lincei in 2007 to propose Rendiconti Lincei to an international audience and to render it accessible on-line, although well-grounded, was perhaps overemphasized. We can indeed look at the past 3-year period with satisfaction and can look ahead to a future of positive prospects.

On March 21, 2011 we received our one-hundredth submission and during these past years, the peer review system has assured the good scientific level of the published papers. The focus on special topics has also proven to be successful: single-topic groups of papers were published, either within a single standard issue (Darwin, Vol. 20, 4), or spread over more standard issues (Mendeleijev, Vol. 21,1, 2 and 3), and also as a separate thematic issue (Northern Adriatic Lithosphere, Suppl. Vol. 21).

These observations regard the past, whereas the group of papers on Astrochemistry regards the present and today we are pleased to announce the publication, in the near future, of a series of papers on “Land-Sea interaction and coastal changes in the Sele Plain (Campania, Italy)” and the Supplement 2011 devoted to papers derived from the 1st Bilateral Italo/Chinese Workshop on “Synchrotron radiation time resolved concurrent experiments: advantages and future applications”, held in Shanghai (November 11, 2010).

If we consider the content of the published papers and of those announced for publication, it is evident that the journal embraces the entire range of the “natural sciences” in the broadest meaning of the term. Papers on the roots and historical development of sciences were also published, as well as some papers with an interdisciplinary approach. We decided to encourage submissions of papers in these fields, thus establishing the new sections on “History and Epistemology of Sciences” and “Interplay between the two Cultures”. Furthermore, we are also promoting the submission of papers on Today’s topics in Sciences.

For this reason and to cover uncovered scientific fields, the Editorial Board has been strengthen with a Deputy Editor-in-Chief (A. Mottana), new Section Editors (E. Carafoli, S. Pignatti, S. Poli, P. Rossi) and new Editors (P. Galluzzi, Marino G., A. Peccerillo, I. Premoli Silva and A. Sgamellotti).We are confident that their expertise will reinforce the editorial activities. We also acknowledge the valuable support of those editors continuing in office. Rendiconti Lincei is grateful to all those who have contributed in assuring the continuity and the elevated scientific level of the glorious “Rendiconti Lincei-Scienze Fisiche e Naturali” which today is in our hands: its success depends on the rigorous peer review we all wish to guarantee.

The Editorial Board acknowledges support of the many scientists who contributed as reviewers of the manuscripts published in the past three years of “Rendiconti Lincei-Scienze Fisiche e Naturali” :

Alleva E.

Amori G.

Augusti-Tocco G.

Bargossi G.

Basset A.

Bassi R.

Battisti C.

Bertini I.

Boaga J.

Bocchio R.

Bonewald L.F.

Bonfante P.

Boniolo G.

Borghi A.

Boriani A.C.

Bruecke E.

Calcagnile G.

Califano S.

Capizzi D.

Carafoli E.

Caramaschi D.

Carere C.

Carpaneto G.

Carrà S.

Carraro A.

Casagrandi R.

Cassiani G.

Castellarin A.

Chiusoli G.P.

Cisternas A.

Coltorti M.

Compagnoni R.

Dal Piaz G.V.

De Biase L.

Della Bella V.

De Marco R.

Dimova S.

Doglioni C.

Fasolo A.

Forti G.

Frangi A.

Fusani L.

Gaetani M.

Galli D.

Galloway D.L.

Gatto M.

Gonzalez-Lezana T.

Guarino R.

Gunter M.E.

Hirose T.

Jennings R.C.

Kossobokov V.

Levshin A.

Longo G.

Luiselli L.

Lustrino M.

Macrì M.

Mancini L.

Manciocco M.

Marchetti M.

Maugeri M.

Merlino S.

Milli S.

Minelli A.

Mitchell T.M.

Mortelliti A.

Moscatelli M.

Mottana A.

Neubauer F.

Nicolich R.

Nunziata T.

Pacini E.

Panza G.F.

Peccerillo A.

Pétrequin P.

Picotti V.

Pietropaolo S.

Poinar G.

Poljah M.

Prigioni C.

Ravazzi C.

Raviola E.

Redi C.A.

Santochirico M.

Scardi M.

Seminara G.

Sorace A.

Srivastava S.K.

Surian N.

Taddia M.

Tambasco de Oliveira P.

Tessarotto M.

Theil E.C

Tosi L.

Vittuari L.

West Eberhard M.J.

Wilson M.T