Comprehensive coverage

Biology and Medicine

the human brain. Illustration: depositphotos.com

A grant of about one million dollars to a team of researchers who will try to find out why the human brain is stronger than other organisms

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Researchers at the Hebrew University and the University of Kentucky believe that a specific type of protein, which has not been studied before, substantially increases the molecular complexity in the brain and improves its function. "Such a discovery may have implications for the study of neurological diseases such as schizophrenia, epilepsy and autism"
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
Prof. Michal Schwartz. Photo: Weizmann Institute Spokesperson

Prof. Michal Schwartz from the Weizmann Institute won the Israel Prize for research on the relationship between the immune system and the nervous system

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Prof. Schwartz challenged the convention that nerve cells do not regenerate or recover, and discovered that the immune system also takes care of them. She also studied the blood-brain barrier and discovered that it prevents the cells of the immune system from helping in cases of brain damage such as Alzheimer's
pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

No change was found in the rate of spontaneous abortions in Israel during the period of the Corona epidemic

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This is according to a joint study by the Technion and the University of Haifa. In the study, data was collected from 252,858 United Health Insurance policyholders between the ages of 15 and 44, for the period between January 2017 and April 2021
The body bones of various chameleons glow through their skin under ultraviolet light. Photo: Prötzel et al., Scientific Reports, CC BY 4.0

The chameleon in disguise

The decoration of chameleons is not limited to their outer part - and the bones of many of them glow through their skin under ultraviolet light. This is how the chameleons never stop surprising with original costumes that can be an inspiration for our most colorful holiday
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
Gut bacteria. Illustration: depositphotos.com

A fateful encounter with intestinal bacteria - the National Science Foundation

The mode of birth and the microbiome that develops as a result affect the gut and the immune system
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

when age Photography: Elad Malka

AION Labs is establishing the startup DenovAI that will deal with the design of antibodies and drugs

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DenovAI will combine machine learning and computational biophysics to discover antibodies with a wider scope, faster and cheaper, and to improve the probability of success of drug candidates. This is the second company established by the innovation laboratory of Teva, Pfizer, Merck, AssertaZeneca, Amazon (AWS), BioMed X and the Israel Biotech Foundation
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
knee pain. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Does running hurt the knees? – Results of a new meta-analysis that reviews MRI studies

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The research shows that healthy cartilage recovers quickly after running, and that there is no lasting effect of "wear and tear". When running, the joints are constantly activated and there should be wear and tear. So it turns out that the human body does not behave like a machine, it does not wear out like a tire or a screw, at least if reasonable pressures are applied to it
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
Science magazine cover, 2/3/2023. From the magazine website.

SCIENCE: The Near East is the origin of the oldest vine in the world

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An international study published in the journal Science, in which researchers from several institutions in Israel also participated, sheds light on the origin of the grapevine for food and wine, and proves that the grapevine was simultaneously domesticated in the Levant and secondarily in the South Caucasus * The research will also help agricultural crops deal with the current climate crisis
White bear - polar bear. Able to switch from hibernation to active mode in one second. The Bronx Zoo. Photo: Avi Blizovsky

Cold feet: the secret of walking on the ice of polar bears

Special for Polar Bear Day: American researchers have discovered the reason why polar bears walk without difficulty on ice and snow surfaces that would cause each and every one of us to slip - microscopic bumps that line their furry feet
The team of researchers led by Dr. Igor Brinsky and Dr. Ayelet Lassman from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Ivy and Eldar Fleishman Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University. Photo: Tel Aviv University spokesperson

The propagation of the vibration waves outside the cell increases the strength of the mechanical signals in communication between cells

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A study by Tel Aviv University demonstrated how vibrational forces are transmitted by the extracellular network in the tissue causing effective interactions between the cells in the tissue
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

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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 in different habitats. The research findings were published in the journal Science
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
Bread wheat. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Genes conferring resistance to bread wheat were discovered

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A new international study conducted at the University of Haifa and the University of California (Davis) found for the first time genes that confer resistance to drought conditions in bread wheat. "The discovery is of great importance that will allow the cultivation of wheat in extensive climatic conditions," said Dr. Gilad Gabai, the lead author of the article published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications
"There is a triangular shaped hole between the mitral valve, painted in purple, and the pulmonary valve, painted in red." From the presentation by Dr. David DeHugenson, Boston Children's Hospital

save a baby girl's heart

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Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital performed emergency heart surgery on a days-old baby born with holes in the heart valves. They were helped by a virtual twin of the baby's heart, as part of the living heart project led by Dassault Systèmes. 
"They were frozen, so until the heating bags arrived we just attached them to us to warm them up" (Photo: Adi Rahum)

A date with a bat at the cinema

How the zoology students rescued a huge colony of bats from a movie theater slated for demolition
Link to the figure with a diagram showing the pathophysiological changes of Alzheimer's disease which the VBIT-4 molecule prevents by binding to the VDAC1 protein

A new approach to treating Alzheimer's

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The research carried out at Ben Gurion University focused on the VDAC1 protein that controls mitochondrial activity and controls cell life and death
A dedicated aquaculture system where the researchers grew three local species of algae. Photo: Tel Aviv University

Not only in sushi

"Super Algae" will be used to extract natural substances and medicines from the sea
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
wasp Illustration: depositphotos.com

An ecological tragedy

A wasp gathers as food for its future offspring larvae that contain maggots of another wasp in their bodies, thus harming their survival
Be old, feel young. Illustration: Sally Neve

Be old, feel young

Perceptions of aging by elderly patients affect their health after hospitalization
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