The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected Salk neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski, PhD, to receive a 2025 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. The NIH award will provide $3.5 million over the next five years to support his lab’s latest project, which will use advanced computational techniques to analyze and model the neural circuit dynamics of working memory. The findings will help neuroscientists better understand and treat memory issues in mental disorders such as schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The project will strengthen substance use prevention among more than 3,000 South Florida youth. “Rising Strong” will apply trauma-informed, evidence-based strategies to support vulnerable populations, including youth facing housing instability, aging out of foster care, living in rural areas, or recovering from human trafficking. As social, economic, and mental health stressors intensify, this effort aims to offer healthier coping alternatives. By prioritizing behavioral health and resilience, the program seeks to empower a new generation toward substance-free futures.

Satellite images have revealed the remains of an ancient system of elaborate, funnel-shaped mega traps that were likely built by hunters and pastoralists to catch prey in the high altitudes of northern Chile.