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Weizmann Institute

Bacterial cells before phage infection (left) and after (right). The virus replicates itself inside them and leads to the explosion of the cells and the spilling of their contents (in red - the bacterial DNA spilled from the cell)

Survive with 0% battery: an immune system that drains the cell of energy has been discovered

The new system was discovered in bacteria - but is also used in corals, bees and others
Different types of stars. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Hotter than the sun: an extremely hot brown dwarf has been discovered about 1,400 light years away from us

The brown dwarf is part of a new pair system that may advance our understanding of the evolution of stars and planets under extreme radiation conditions
Lung macrophages infected with human cytomegalovirus. In bright green - the cells where there is an active infection

On dormant viruses and protective proteins

New discoveries about how the result of infection with a virus from the herpes family is determined and where dormant viruses may hide in the body
Human lung cancer cells with the L858R mutation in the EGFR gene. In blue - the cell nuclei. In red - a protein that appears in the cell fluid when EGFR receptors are active and push the cell into uncontrolled division. Courtesy of the Weizmann Institute

A new biomarker may improve the treatment of lung cancer patients

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A study of human cancer tissues grown in mice has suggested that a large group of lung cancer patients may be successfully treated with a drug currently approved for other cancers
The fat and the thin: at the age of one year, a mouse without the SARAF gene (left) weighed 20% more than a healthy mouse (right)

The soft belly of calcium

Why do we tend to gain weight as we get older?
An oligodendrocyte-type cell with many of its branches (in yellow) in a mouse brain section. Reacts to stress quite differently in males and females

Exposure to chronic stress activates different cells in the brains of females and males

From depression and anxiety to diabetes - health conditions resulting from chronic stress affect women and men differently. New study in mice maps at the single-cell level molecular differences in the stress response in the brains of females and males, and may pave the way for personalized treatments
From the right: Dr. Yara Oppenheimer-Shanan and Dr. Tamir Klein. The race to the top

The bacteria that climbed a tall tree

dust storm Illustration: depositphotos.com

read in the dust

Forecasting dust storms is a complicated matter. A new study was able to predict storms in our region with a high level of accuracy - and thereby outline how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to understand processes in the atmosphere
A segment of the lymph node. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New information about phagocytic cells of the immune system may lead to treatments for incurable autoimmune diseases

The origin of the mysterious macrophages, known in scientific language as Tingible Body Macrophages (TBM), is in progenitor cells of the blood system that emerge from the bone marrow and settle in the lymph nodes, where they quickly and efficiently digest the remains of antibody-producing cells of the immune system
A band of clouds in the equatorial region that is created due to the rise of air in the Hadley cell and is responsible for the strong precipitation in this region

Winds of climate change

For two decades, researchers have been trying to find a way to track a climate system that has a decisive influence on the location of rainforests and deserts on Earth. A new study solves the challenge and reveals the extent of the influence of humans
Inflammation of the colon - colitis. Illustration: depositphotos.com

There is no smoke without inflammation

The institute's scientists discovered a new type of inflammasome - a "smoke detector" of the immune system that ensures more precise control of the height of the flames of an inflammatory reaction. The findings may pave the way for treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases
The thinness of the cancer. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Why do cancer patients lose weight?

The institute's scientists reveal how cancer leads to fatal emaciation and point the way to treatment
The woolly umbrella blooms in the greenhouses of the Weizmann Institute of Science. A close relative of lettuce and Maccabian blood. Photo: Dr. Sagit Meir

The new green: the South African plant that blows in the back of cannabis

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists revealed that a botanical relative of lettuce produces no less than 40 cannabinoids - active substances with medical potential that characterize the cannabis plant
Clusters of microglial cells (in green) and T cells (in red) in the brain of a mouse with MS-like disease (left: general view, right: close-up)

Deaf people with sclerosis

The scientists of the institute have identified the cells in the brain that are responsible for the grace periods of the multiple sclerosis patients. The findings may pave the way for new treatments
red blood cells Illustration: depositphotos.com

After more than 100 years: the puzzle of red blood cell production has been solved

The scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science and their research partners identified for the first time the cells that are responsible for one of the most basic actions of life - the production of a hormone that gives an order to produce red blood cells; The findings are expected to break new ground for innovative medical treatments in various anemia conditions
Prof. Binghai Yan. Unexpected enlightenment. Courtesy of the Weizmann Institute

And let there be light, more light

It started with very strange experimental results, continued in a new physical theory about the behavior of photons, and in the future may improve our smartphone screens and allow faster data communication. faster data
The members of the space mission from the Weizmann Institute of Science (right to left): Dr. Eli Galanti, Prof. Yohai Caspi and Maria Smirnova

By 2031 you will reach justice: Israeli technology on the way to deep space

A blue-and-white device that was created especially for an experiment by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists was launched to the planet Jupiter, as part of an international research mission of the European Space Agency
Particles filtered using a cyclonic air sampler for 120 minutes on a dusty day in the streets

About dust storms and windy bacteria

Bacteria that are carried in the air for great distances on particles land in part on the ground while they are alive - and ready to multiply
Heart Attack. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Treat a heart attack before it happens

A preventive procedure performed on mice protected them from the damage of a future heart attack. The surprising findings redraw the boundaries of knowledge about the regenerative abilities of the heart
The study was selected to appear on the cover of the March 2023 issue of the scientific journal Science Immunology

Put a leg to cancer

Indoor storage. Furniture and scientific equipment that are not needed at the institute are offered to the Rehovot municipality or donated to associations and social bodies

First hand researcher!

There is lab2 – a new sustainability initiative putting used scientific equipment back into the market
The mass of mammals in the world. Only 6% are animals in Remy weighs more? The biomass of humans, of farm and pet animals, and of wild mammals (Illustration: Itay Reva)

Life at stake: the weight of wild mammals dwarfs that of farm animals

The biomass of cows, pigs, sheep and other farm animals is currently 30 times greater than that of all elephants, elk and other wild land mammals combined
Illustration of the rotating quantum microscope. Electrons pass from the needle (the inverted pyramid) to the sample in several places at the same time (vertical green lines) without losing their quantum wave character (purple)

New eyes on the quantum world

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists present the rotating quantum microscope
The Israeli space telescope Ultrasat. Screenshot from a video by Prof. Eli Waxman, Weizmann Institute

NASA will launch the first Israeli space telescope ULTRASAT

The space telescope, a flagship project of the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Space Agency, will be launched in 2026 and is expected to revolutionize space exploration
The setup the researchers use: a thin membrane made of diamond 30 microns thick with an average of one sensor at the top end of each column. The top image - magnification 2,640 times, the bottom - 32,650 times

Molecular close-up

Weizmann Institute scientists present a new method for imaging a single electron
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