How the brain encodes social rank and “winning mindset” |
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Professor Kay Tye and team have made inroads into understanding how the mammalian brain encodes social rank and uses this information to shape behaviors. Her team used mouse brain readouts to accurately predict which animal would win a food reward—the victor was not always the more socially dominant animal, but the one more engaged in a “winning mindset.” The findings have implications for depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
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Cellular rejuvenation therapy safely reverses signs of aging in mice |
A team of scientists led by Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte have shown that they can safely and effectively reverse the aging process in middle-aged and elderly mice by partially resetting their cells to more youthful states. The approach could provide the biomedical community with a new tool for improving cell function and resilience in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Tiny worms make complex decisions, too |
How does an animal make decisions? Scientists have spent decades trying to answer this question by focusing on the cells and connections of the brain that might be involved. Associate Professor Sreekanth Chalasani and team are taking a different approach—analyzing behavior, not neurons. They were surprised to find that worms can take multiple factors into account and choose between two different actions, despite having only 302 neurons compared to approximately 86 billion in humans. |
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New technology enables unprecedented glimpse inside single brain cells |
From left: Joseph Ecker and Chongyuan Luo
Professor Joseph Ecker and team have developed a new genomic technology to simultaneously analyze the DNA, RNA and chromatin—a combination of DNA and protein—from a single cell. The method, which took five years to develop, will help guide future cell-type classification and be used to better understand the role different cell types play in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
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Daylight saving time and our health
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Scientists study genetic makeup of wetland plants to fight climate change
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MyCircadianClock app helps track sleep
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Using genetic signatures to better classify spinal neurons
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Martyn Goulding wins Brain Prize |
Professor Martyn Goulding will receive the 2022 Brain Prize for pioneering research on the neuronal circuits that control movement, the Lundbeck Foundation announced. His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Denmark will bestow the award on May 24. |
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Salk scientists receive 2022 Mark Foundation Endeavor Award to study lung cancer |
From left: Alan Saghatelian, Susan Kaech, Christian Metallo and Reuben Shaw
Professors Reuben Shaw, Susan Kaech, Christian Metallo and Alan Saghatelian have received a $3 million Endeavor Award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research to support their research exploring the metabolic changes that help lung cancers develop.
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Tony Hunter receives 2022 AACR Lifetime Achievement Award in Cancer Research |
Professor Tony Hunter will receive the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research at the April annual meeting of AACR. This major award is a significant recognition of Hunter’s contributions to cancer research, which have led to the development of the highly effective leukemia drug Gleevec™. |
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2022 Innovation Grants announced |
From left: Eiman Azim, Joanne Chory, Sreekanth Chalasani and Carl Procko
Assistant Professor Eiman Azim will develop automated approaches for tracking movement to study how neurodegenerative disease and injury disrupt behavior. Professor Joanne Chory, Associate Professor Sreekanth Chalasani and Staff Scientist Carl Procko will investigate plant proteins to see if they are sensitive to high-frequency sound waves.
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Independent science for a daunting future |
Salk President Rusty Gage and Eric Isaacs, president of the Carnegie Institution for Science, penned an essay for Issues in Science and Technology, a quarterly journal published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. In it, they discuss how “nonprofit research institutions must find new ways to wield their historic strengths as they seek to expand their impact in a rapidly evolving scientific ecosystem.”
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Photo credit: Denise Applewhite/Princeton |
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Talmo Pereira receives Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award
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Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira was recognized with the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The award recognizes Pereira’s outstanding achievements in biological sciences using computational tools to solve biological problems. |
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Salk scientists and San Diego Botanic Garden collaborate to create national medicinal plants collection |
The San Diego Botanic Garden, in collaboration with Salk scientists, launched a national medicinal plants collection and research consortium made possible by a $384,000 grant from the Conrad Prebys Foundation. The consortium’s goal is to acquire and grow at least 500 new medicinal plants, develop comprehensive living pant collection protocols to optimize drug discovery, and establish a garden to teach botanic garden visitors about medicinal plants. |
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Salk Mourns the Loss of Former President and CEO Richard Murphy |
Richard “Rich” Murphy died March 24 in La Quinta, CA. He led the Institute from 2000 to 2007, during which time he oversaw the renovation of nearly a third of Salk’s research space and the hiring of 16 new investigators to strengthen the Institute’s cancer, plant biology and gene regulation research programs. |
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Francoise Gilot: With A View |
Join the Salk Institute, City of Del Mar’s Arts Advisory Committee and the Del Mar Foundation for the opportunity to view a complete edition of the posters Francoise Gilot, artist and wife of Jonas Salk, has created for the Symphony at Salk from 1996 to present. After the viewing, hear Salk Professor Greg Lemke speak on the important synergy between art and science, especially reflected in the history of the Institute and the relationship between Jonas Salk and Francoise Gilot.
When: April 14 – art viewing and reception at 5:30 p.m.; talk at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Del Mar Civic Center, 1050 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014
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Seating is limited. Proof of full COVID vaccination will be required. |
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The future of Salk science begins with building our new, state-of-the-art Joan and Irwin Jacobs Science and Technology Center. Consistent with Jonas Salk’s vision, the 100,000 square-foot facility will accommodate research, lab and administrative space
The Jacobs Center will house four Centers of Excellence: Cancer Center, Center for Healthy Aging, Crick-Jacobs Center for Theoretical and Computational Biology, and Center for Plant Biology. Research space in the Institute’s current facilities will be reallocated for the highest and best purposes, including expanding the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis and creating a Center of Excellence for Neuroscience.
With this challenge, the Jacobs will contribute $1 for every $2 donated—up to $100 million—for gifts or pledges made toward the capital construction.
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What year did the world learn that the polio vaccine was effective in large-scale field tests?
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Enjoy Salk architecture on your devices |
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Looking for a unique background image for your computer, Zoom meeting, iPad or phone?
This month's image features the spring equinox. Architect Louis Kahn designed the Salk Institute so that twice per year, on the spring and fall equinoxes, the setting sun lines up with the "River of Life" in the Salk courtyard. This photo was taken March 20, 2022.
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