Relic neutralinos and dark matter

We discuss WIMP direct detection in the light of recent experimental and theoretical developments. We first discuss the sources of the main theoretical uncertainties in the analysis of event rates for direct searches. Then we analyze the annual-modulation effect, measured by the DAMA Collaboration, in the context of a possible interpretation in terms of relic neutralinos. We identify the set of supersymmetric configurations able to explain the annual-modulation data and we impose over this set the constraints derived from WIMP indirect measurements, showing that these constraints are only mildly affecting the selected susy configurations. The features of the ensuing relic neutralinos are discussed and it is shown that the supersymmetric models selected by the annual modulation effect are largely compatible with a neutralino as a dominant cold dark matter component.