SCIENTIFIC UPDATES
Why hungry worms take risks
Associate Professor Sreekanth Chalasani and team are using worms to examine the molecular underpinnings that connect hunger and behavior. Their latest findings reveal that proteins in intestinal cells move dynamically to transmit signals about hunger, ultimately driving worms to take risks—crossing toxic barriers to reach food. Similar mechanisms may also occur in humans, and these could explain how we prioritize basic needs over comfort.
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IN THE NEWS
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Deep-learning tool tracks interacting animals in real time

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How the brain tells apart important and unimportant sensations

Cattails to help fight climate change

Fasting controversies – with Emily Manoogian

SPOTLIGHT
Professor Terrence Sejnowski awarded Gruber Prize
Sejnowski has been awarded the 2022 Gruber Neuroscience Prize by the Gruber Foundation for his “pioneering contributions to computational and theoretical neuroscience.” He shares the $500,000 award with three other scientists.
Credit: Robert Schwieger
Salk Institute welcomes biopharmaceutical executive Carol Gallagher as new trustee
The Board of Trustees welcomes its newest member, Carol Gallagher, who brings to Salk a wealth of experience in the business and investment side of the life sciences industry. Gallagher also serves as the chair of the Salk Women & Science Advisory Committee, and she helped establish the Swati Tyagi Memorial Fund at Salk.
Postdoctoral Fellow Katia Troha named 2022 Leading Edge Fellow
Leading Edge is an initiative to improve the gender diversity of life sciences faculty by providing women and non-binary postdocs with presentation, networking, mentorship and career development opportunities. Troha, who studies mechanisms of asymptomatic infection in the lab of Salk Professor Janelle Ayres, joins an elite group of 45 superstar postdocs in the 2022 class of fellows.
Salk Institute receives Charity Navigator’s highest rating for 11th consecutive time
For the 11th consecutive time, the Salk Institute has earned the highest ranking—4 out of 4 stars—from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity and nonprofit evaluator. The coveted ranking indicates that Salk has demonstrated strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, outperforming most other charities in the United States.
EVENTS
June 12: Salk Science & Music Series
The Salk Science & Music Series brings together virtuosos from the worlds of science and music. Each concert features stunning performances by some of the finest instrumentalists in the world of classical music in addition to riveting talks about the latest discoveries by the Institute’s world-renowned scientists. Join us for the last concert in this series, which will feature Sean Chen on piano and a science presentation by Professor Martyn Goulding. You will be amazed and inspired!
*Wearing masks is highly encouraged at the concert.
May 12: Salk Institute hosted Louis Vuitton fashion show
Institute founder Jonas Salk understood that art and science come from the same creative source, and it was his intention that the campus become a place where scientists and artists could both find inspiration. In keeping with this vision, the Salk Institute was proud to host French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton and guests on May 12 for a private fashion show presenting the brand’s Cruise 2023 collection. The show was the first event of its kind to be held at the Institute.
Reimagining the Salk campus

When Institute founder Jonas Salk designed the original buildings, he did so with the intention that the campus would evolve and grow to meet the ever-changing needs of science.
 
That time is now.
 
Launched in 2021, the Institute’s scientific and philanthropic Campaign for the Future: Building a More Resilient World seeks to raise $500 million to attract the people and acquire the technology and space necessary to expand and accelerate critical research. At the center of this effort is the plan to construct the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Science and Technology Center. The new building will assist Salk in adding to its world-renowned faculty from multiple disciplines and expanding interactions among biologists, bioengineers, information theorists and many others as they collaborate on challenging problems. These advancements will position Salk to continue making life-changing discoveries well into the future, as it has done for the past 60 years.
 
Your gift, no matter the amount, will make a difference. Until September 30, Joan and Irwin Jacobs will contribute $1 for every $2 donated, up to $100 million. Are you up for the challenge? Learn more at salk.edu/resilient.
SCIENCE QUIZ
Roughly estimated, how many neurons are there in the average human brain?
86 million
86 billion
11 billion
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Looking for a unique background image for your computer, Zoom meeting, iPad or phone?

This month's image comes from a recent press release from the lab of Sreekanth Chalasani. The image shows a colorful collage of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans used in the study.
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