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the cell

The multi-layered structures of two different biological species: the cuticle (cuticle), the external skeleton of the scorpion, and the spicule (spicule), the internal skeleton of the sea sponge (the zoom level in the diagram increases from left to right)

The scorpion and the sponge present: food for thought

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists draw inspiration from nature in developing new materials for a greener future
The mechanism of the flow of genetic information from the DNA molecule to microRNA molecules and from there to proteins. The identical genetic information is stored in the DNA of all cells in our body. This situation requires precise regulation of gene activity so that only the correct set of genes is active in each type of cell. Courtesy of the Nobel Prize Committee

Gary Rubcon and Victor Ambrose won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of microRNA and its effect on gene regulation (extension)

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The two scientists were recognized for their contribution to the understanding of genetic regulatory mechanisms through the discovery of microRNAs - tiny RNA molecules that play an essential role in the processes of development and function in cells
mRNA. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambrose and Gary Rubcon, for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation

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This is how the bloom collapses: four giant hexagon-shaped viruses that have replicated in a unicellular alga (the rough texture on the right) are on their way out to infect more algae. Three of the viruses are normal and ready for action - and one is white and empty of DNA. Photo: Dr. Daniela Shatz

The hunt for giant viruses in the ocean

Couple therapy of bacteria. Weizmann Institute illustration

in couples therapy

The list of crystals in the zebrafish: in the gill covers (top row) - long and narrow crystals, in the eye of the fish (middle row) shorter crystals, and in the skin (bottom row) - the shortest

The animals' secret recipe book for creating colorful and versatile crystals has been revealed

Internal structure of a frozen chloroplast. The image provides a glimpse of the organelle membranes and the arrangement of the photosynthetic proteins on their surface. Photographed with a cryogenic scanning electron microscope

from darkness to light

Will a better understanding of the process of photosynthesis help to grow plants under artificial lighting?
immunotherapy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Faster, stronger

Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a new approach to increase the rate of division of immune cells in the laboratory, while preserving their ability to kill cancer cells, and have identified optimal time windows in which the cells are particularly lethal. The method may promote
Plastic waste washed ashore on the island of Bali. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Green, hard, flexible and even edible

Plastic waste accumulates in the heart of the oceans and on the ground and tiny plastic particles enter our bloodstream. As long as suitable substitutes are not found for the common industrial material, this pollution is expected to continue and even increase. Institute scientists
Heart Attack. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Discovery of violations

Copaxone may protect heart muscle cells and improve its function after a heart attack
DNA structure. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Break the cell boundaries

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have created the smallest artificial genetic circuit ever. The new development based on a single DNA molecule is expected to promote the next generation of nanobiotechnological applications
The layers of glioblastoma tumors: first layer of necrotic tissue in the center of the tumor that does not receive oxygen supply (red), second layer of cancer cells that mimic fetal connective tissue (yellow), third layer of immune cells (green) and blood vessels (white) and fourth layer of tumor cells that receive oxygen and imitate normal tissues in the brain (in pink and light blue)

peel back the layers from the brain tumors

In two recently published studies, Weizmann Institute of Science scientists mapped common brain cancer tumors with unprecedented resolution, and identified a possible reason why some patients do not respond to a new treatment

The strange dance of ion and atom

A cold, strange and short molecule created in an experiment at the Weizmann Institute of Science following a collision between particles may shed light on chemical reactions at extremely low temperatures
From the right: Dr. Shagit Meir, Dr. Eva Heinig, Dr. Nikolai Kuzmich, Prof. Assaf Aharoni, Dr. Shirley Berman, Dr. Yoav Peleg, Hila Hart and Dr. Ilana Rogchev (photographed in the nursery Regev)

Hallucinations of cacti

The secrets of the production of mescaline have been revealed - a natural hallucinogenic drug with therapeutic potential * The drug extracted from the extinct peyote cactus has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. Its effect on serotonin receptors in the brain
Imaging of human small intestine tissue using a fluorescence staining method that allows marking a large number of proteins at the same time and thus mapping which proteins are produced in the entire basal area of ​​the intestine

navigate the digestive tract

Photomicrograph of a biopsy from a patient's lungs. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Towards a new generation of treatments for old age diseases

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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
An electron microscope image of phages that replicated inside bacterial cells that possess the immune system discovered in the study. The immune system attached a ubiquitin-like protein (marked with black dots and white arrows) to the tails of the phages, thus preventing them from infecting additional bacterial cells

to the tail of viruses

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have discovered a bacterial immune system that "neuters" the tails of viruses. The new system is based on a protein previously discovered by Nobel laureates Avraham Hershko and Aharon Chachanover
Illustration: depositphotos.com

The fertilized egg and its war in patriarchy

If you asked yourself why we only inherit the mitochondria from the mother, the answer is - the egg is the one that destroys the father's mitochondria very shortly after fertilization
Cells with cancerous p53 proteins (in red), in the presence of the accompanying protein DNAJA2 (left) and in the presence of its version without a "hairpin" (right). In its presence, the structure of the cancerous proteins is stabilized and they do not stick to each other and therefore remain scattered throughout the cell. In its absence, the cell is not colored red since the proteins form aggregates (red dots) that the cell can recognize and destroy (in blue - the genetic material in the cell nuclei)

stick a pin in the tumor

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have discovered a new cellular mechanism for identifying proteins whose 3D structure has been unraveled, thereby revealing a targeted target for cancer treatment
A normal MRI scan is unable to detect a pancreatic tumor (left). After injecting a transgenic sugar and improving the sensitivity of the scan, the tumor appears clearly in the new MRI approach developed by the researchers (right)

illuminate the malignancy

A new MRI method developed by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists is expected to pave the way for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
In the photo, from right to left: Dr. Tanya Dubovic, Prof. Shai Shen-Or, Dr. Alina Strusvetsky and Dr. Martin Lukachishin

Research sheds light on the constant evolution of the immune system

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The researchers of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion show in their article in Nature how the immune system has developed a "developmental space" that allows it to quickly adapt to changes in the environment
The dedicated gardener: Kif2a protein deficiency led to wild growth of nerve fibers in the skin of adult mice (right), while in mice without the protein deficiency the nerve endings were carefully nurtured (left)

Painful but less

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have discovered a protein that regulates pain sensitivity throughout life
The institute's scientists were looking for how to establish an efficient method for processing information in quantum computers - and unexpectedly discovered a new type of vortices that are created when two photons collide

When a particle of light sees the light

The institute's scientists were looking for how to establish an efficient method for processing information in quantum computers - and unexpectedly discovered a new type of vortices that are created when two photons collide
Right: the opening (red) of the phagophore (green) remains narrow thanks to the coordinated activity of two protein clusters. Left: The opening widened after the scientists reduced the action of the valve that is responsible for closing it

open a little mouth

This is how you maintain a balanced diet of the autophagy organs - the self-eating mechanism in our body cells that removes waste and strengthens our health
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