Dear members of the ILCB community,

“Words in the Brain’s Language” — this was the title of one of the most influential papers in our field, published in April 1999. In it, Friedemann Pulvermüller introduced the groundbreaking idea that words are represented in cell assemblies that “wire” and “fire” together, an insight that helped explain both their cortical topographies and their dynamics. This work marked a decisive shift away from a purely mechanistic, bottom-up perspective, where each word was simply a switchable unit, toward a dynamic network view in which word meanings emerge from resonant cell assemblies distributed across cortical areas.

Last month, at the age of 65, Friedemann Pulvermüller passed away. We have lost not only a brilliant colleague, but also a friend and an active mentor of our Institute. He had planned to spend his retirement near Aix-en-Provence as an associated emeritus fellow of the ILCB. His death leaves us orphaned, but his ideas live on — continuing to inspire new generations of researchers striving to understand how words, concepts and their meanings are represented in the brain.

With deep sadness,

Johannes

“Individual scientists tend to approach science in the ways they have been trained and ways that have advanced their careers in the increasingly narrow domains in which they specialize. […] Should scientists reform the way they carry out their research, and if so, in what ways? Should we work to reform the institutions that currently serve as scientific gatekeepers? How do recent technological and cultural revolutions affect the practice of science? […] Observational data about the practice of science are available only in a limited sense to each scientist, who typically observes their own practices and those of their colleagues (usually in the same areas of research), leading to limited generalization. […]

The practice of science is undergoing significant transformations driven by technological advancements, cultural shifts, and a growing awareness of the limitations and challenges inherent in traditional institutions and methodologies.[…] A key takeaway from these perspectives is that science is not a static endeavor but a dynamic process that adapts to new challenges and opportunities.”

Shiffrin, R. M., Trueblood, J. S., Kellen, D., & Vandekerckhove, J. (2025).
Dialogues about the practice of science.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(5)

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