the senses

A digital twin could help researchers study the brain's internal systems. Credit: Emily Musk/Stanford Medicine

Why did researchers let mice watch action movies?

An accurate digital model of the visual cortex in a mouse brain offers a breakthrough in neurological experiments, enabling fast and efficient virtual tests to study brain activity.
Shaking hands may allow humans to communicate through the sense of smell. Illustration courtesy of the Weizmann Institute

Shaking hands may allow humans to communicate through the sense of smell

Research has shown that people sniff their hands often, and that they do so for a longer period of time after shaking someone else's hand.
From the right: Prof. Yuval Nir, Dr. Michal Teper, Omer Ben Barak-Dror, Prof. Israel Ganot. Photo credit: Tel Aviv University

A technological breakthrough will help identify clinical reactions of patients under anesthesia

For the first time: tracking through closed eyes could be used to detect arousal, awareness, and pain during sleep
Histological section of the nasal cavity and turbinates of a mouse that received a nasal vaccine

The immune cells discovered under the nose

The scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered antibody-producing cells in the bone tissue of the nasal concha and thereby plant hope for the development of more effective nasal vaccines and new treatments for allergies and neurological and autoimmune diseases
Prof. Jose-Alain Sahl from France, 2024 Wolff Medicine Prize winners. Photo courtesy of the Wolff Prize Foundation

Wolf Prize in Medicine 2024 for Ophthalmology Specialists for "Rehabilitation of Vision in the Blind Using Optogenetics"

The two, Jose-Alain Sahl from France, and Boutonde Roske from Switzerland promoted the field of genetic medicine for eye diseases, prevented blindness and restored sight to the blind
Apple Vision glasses model 2024. Photo: Zvi Shahar, Copterdale

Reading while walking with smart glasses is more difficult compared to reading from a mobile phone

Our research shows that when walking, the smart glasses reduce the ability to perform both walking and reading texts, and this can also have an impact on the safety of the users," said Dr. Tal Krasovsky from the University of Haifa,
Reading thoughts before they become words. The figure was prepared using DALEE software after reading the article.

mind reading? Researchers have developed a method that will allow us to know what we are going to say before we speak

Individual neurons could recognize, for example, when we are about to touch our tongue to our palate to say the letter D * This will enable the development of prostheses for those suffering from speech problems
On the right: the brain's response to speech that is listened to (above) and speech that is tried to be ignored. It can be seen that the brain's response is stronger to attentive speech and that this response involves more brain areas, with an emphasis on hearing and language areas.

The biology of listening

The human attention system can be dynamic, efficiently jumping between stimuli and taking in a lot of information, so it is not static as is commonly thought.
Immunofluorescence of the mouse inner ear. The spiral structure of the inner ear consists of hair cells and supporting cells, which together allow us to hear. Each cell type is shown in a different color. Image: Dr. Shahar Tiber

The long and winding route of sound

Researchers examined DNA samples of 1,200 deaf Israeli-Jews, in order to understand the damage caused to the structure of the proteins in the hearing system
Capsule secret. Illustration: depositphotos.com

What does our voice say?

On the way in which vocal expressions can convey emotional information, especially in powerful experiences, and on the importance of the visual context
On the right: sperm cell of a healthy mouse. On the left: the product (protein) of the SCAPER gene (colored in red). The photograph shows that SCAPER is located at the head of the sperm cell, including in the nucleus

Between the retina, brain and fertility

On the spectrum of disorders caused by a defect in one gene
Protein G. Courtesy of Dr. Moshe Ferns, Tel Aviv University

get used to the smell

A story about a protein that doesn't feel electric voltage
Young crabs from the laboratory of Prof. Amir Sagi at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The yellow-green eye shine characteristic of young crabs whose natural environment is yellow-green river water. Credit - Comet rainbow using a stereomicroscope:

The mechanism of light reflection in the eyes of young crabs was discovered

An international research group led by scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev discovered among a species of crabs a mechanism that produces a unique eye shine that reflects light in a color adapted to the color of the water in their natural environment and thus enables camouflage
Checking the fit of glasses for an elderly woman. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Researchers from Tel Aviv University mapped risk factors for the complex eye disease AMD in the genome

As part of the study, the Ashona researchers were able to identify proteins whose role is essential for the development and activity of the tissue affected by the disease, to precisely locate their location in genomic regions outside the genes and to identify the relationship between the changes in these regions and
A robot with a sense of smell. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Robot, do you smell it?

For the first time in the world of science, a robot was able to "smell" using a biological sensor

A one-time look

The institute's scientists created a simulation of the activity of nerve cells in the retina based on the eye movements of subjects while trying to identify a whole based on its parts. Identifying the whole or not identifying it was characterized by distinct patterns of activity
board and a chalk. Image: depositphotos.com

Things that people know: why do scratching and squeaking sounds hurt us?

A. Questioner: Why does it hurt us to hear a scratch on a board?
hunger. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Hunger Games

The ability to survive without food is one of the great achievements of our biology - but how does it work?
Fruit bat. Photo: depositphotos.com

The unique combination of senses that makes fruit bats excellent navigators even during the day

Researchers found for the first time that bats navigate during the day using a combination of excellent vision and locating the echoes in their environment
Interaction and contact with the outside world. Illustration: depositphotos.com 2011.

sense of touch

A powerful combination of engineering, artificial intelligence and brain research may lead to a new era in medicine
In the photo: from the right, Prof. Uri Folat, Dr. Eran Shankar, and Prof. Yossi Mendel. Photo courtesy of those photographed

Eitan Stiva completed the first Israeli biomedical research on the International Space Station

The experiment tested the changes that occur in the ability to see during space flight. The researchers are Dr. Eran Shanker, Prof. Uri Polat and Prof. Yossi Mendel.
tickling. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things that people know: why is tickling funny and why can't a person tickle himself?

Dana asks: Why does tickling make us laugh and why can't we tickle ourselves? Evolution gives an answer to this question as well
A fish drives out of water on the paths of Ben Gurion University. Photo: Shahar Givon and Mattan Semina, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Researchers managed to prove: a goldfish can drive on land

A research group from the field of life sciences and computer science challenged goldfish to navigate in a terrestrial environment. The results change everything we thought about fish
A lion yawns. Filmed in South Africa. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things Yorami know: Why is yawning contagious?

Not only do each of us yawn at least 5 times a day, but almost every vertebrate: mammal, bird and even reptile yawns sometimes. It is likely that a behavior that is zealously guarded throughout the animal world will have a role
A book and equipment used by Arab doctors in the Middle Ages. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Lying with a determined forehead? This technology will expose you

A new development will make it possible to reveal "liars" by movements of the facial muscles
(In the picture: on the left, before illumination with white light, the pupil is clearly visible as a bright circle against the background of the closed eyelid. On the right, after illumination with white light, the pupil has shrunk and the spot of light is correspondingly smaller. During the research, a method for image processing was also developed in order to reconstruct the diameter of the pupil from the two images).

A new technology will allow for the first time the early detection of life-threatening conditions in patients who are in a coma

With the help of an innovative development by university researchers, doctors will for the first time be able to measure the size of the pupil and its reaction to light even when the eyes are closed: "The development will enable early detection of abnormal parameters and will contribute to saving lives
A woman and an air conditioner. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The evolutionary reasons why women are colder than men

The researchers: "The phenomenon is not unique to humans. In many species of mammals and birds, the females prefer warm places, while the males prefer a cooler temperature." The researchers suggest that this is an inherent difference between the temperature sensing systems
Illustration on behalf of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, describing the discovery of the 2021 prize winners. © The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. Ill. Matthias Karlén

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to the discoverers of temperature and touch receptors in the skin

David Julius and Erdem Patapotian (born in Beirut, Lebanon) discovered the receptors TRPV1, TRPM8 made it possible to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate nerve impulses that allow us to sense and adapt to the world around us
People look around at a market in Hong Kong. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Researchers who examined the gaze direction of dozens of subjects revealed our amazing ability to search effectively

A study by researchers from the Hebrew University and the German University of Würzburg, led by Prof. Yoni Pertsov and Uriah Lanker-Dine, found that the human ability to process large parts of the field of vision optimizes the search operation he performs. as a result
blush. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things that donors know: why blush?

The embarrassment column leads the "chronically shy" to ask: Why do you blush? And why inside? and how does it work?
Flying birds. Photo - Spokesperson of the Hebrew University

Why do the birds fly?

The researchers mapped the birds' neural network, which controls the coordinated movement of the wings. They found that the evolutionary basis for the development of the coordinated and uniform flapping ability of the wings in birds was created thanks to a natural mutation that developed
The smell of fresh bread. Image: depositphotos.com

A computerized optical nose that can detect smells and turn them into an image on the computer screen

In the laboratory of Prof. Oded Shusiov in the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University, a team of researchers led by the doctoral student Vald Shomeiko developed a computerized nose that imitates the combined action of our nose and brain and knows how to detect smells
The Bell Caves in the Bin Gubrin National Park. Photo: depositphotos.com

To smell and touch - a nature experience that produces happiness

A study conducted by three researchers from the Technion reveals that it is not enough to just go out into nature; For happiness you have to get really close to it, touch it and smell it. And the surprising tip: you don't have to turn off the phone
A puppy dreams of a sausage. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things that Yorams know: Why do we stay awake in a dream?

Judit reports with amazement about a dream in which she smelled fresh bread and asks if there really are fragrant dreams?
blindness. Photo: depositphotos.com

Phantom vision: a brain mechanism that allows the blind to see in their mind's eye

Charles Bona syndrome, blindness, Rafi Malach, Weizmann Institute
A deaf person undergoes a hearing test. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed genetic therapy for deafness

A new study from Tel Aviv University presents an innovative treatment for deafness, which is based on the introduction of genetic cargo into the cells of the inner ear. As part of the treatment, the genetic load is inserted into the damaged cell in such a way that it actually "repairs"
Diagram of the inner ear. Credit: Dr. Amiel Dror

A new study states: the corona virus does not harm the hearing system of the patients

"There is so much speculation about this virus and the damage it causes, and we have shown that at least in the audio system - at the moment no damage will be observed," explains Prof. Keren Avraham from Tel Aviv University, which is partnering in the research
The structure of the ear. Illustration courtesy of Tel Aviv University

A new discovery on the development of the hearing mechanism in embryos

The discovery may contribute to the development of treatments for deafness that will be based on the regeneration of the hair cells in the ear.
Odors may be measured by their distance from each other. Prof. Noam Sobel's laboratory, Weizmann Institute

The smell index: a new method makes it possible to accurately measure similarity between smells

The development by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists makes it possible to predict what the smell of any molecular compound will be and may pave the way for the digitization and reproduction of smells
Image from a confocal microscope of the inner ear. Photo credit: Prof. Keren Avraham and Shahar Tiber

For the first time in the world: in a family from Israel, 25 new genes that cause deafness were discovered in Israel and Israel

One of the genes, called ATOH1, was found for the first time in the world to be involved in deafness. Family members in Israel are the first people in the world to be found to have a mutation in this gene - which is responsible for hearing loss
As the word spread and panic gripped the public, the city officials ordered the killing of London's cats and dogs on the assumption that the fleas they carry were spreading the deadly bacteria. The assumption was not wrong - fleas do indeed carry the disease-causing bacteria - but the trustees of public health forgot an important factor in the equation: the rats. Photo: H. Zell, Wikimedia.

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Eye examination. Illustration: shutterstock

Nature has stopped producing, researchers have recreated a substance extracted from algae for the treatment of a rare eye disease

Algae were previously discovered to be effective in the treatment of a rare eye disease, but in light of the ecological changes that have occurred in the last decade, the algae stopped producing the substance in sufficient quantities naturally
Illustration: Sharon Tesh, for the Weizmann Institute

On sleep, memory and the sense of smell

A two-photon microscope image of a direction-coding cell in a mouse retina (the cell and its dendritic tree are marked in red) and around it starburst cells (in green) which are essential for calculating the direction of movement in most of the direction-coding cells

new direction