Media Buzz

From: Google Blog

Today, Israel’s “start-up nation” status is almost taken for granted. However, it wasn’t always that way; the country’s first computer, WEIZAC, helped establish Israel as one of the world’s technology powerhouses. Google has shared a short film in honor of the 84th birthday of Prof. Aviezri Fraenkel, one of WEIZAC’s creators.

June 08, 2013

From: Israel21c

Triple negative breast cancer targets young black or Hispanic women and those of Jewish Ashkenazi descent, and standard therapies don’t work for long. In a novel approach, Weizmann scientists engineered a two-front attack by binding different antibodies to different parts of growth receptors. A vaccination against cancer is their ultimate goal.

May 27, 2013

From: The Philadelphia Inquirer

A decades-old “audacious idea” by Weizmann’s Prof. Zelig Eshhar helped create a cancer treatment that has now led to full remissions in almost 20 adult and pediatric blood-cancer patients. Considered the “future of cancer” by many, the therapy programs the patient’s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer.

May 20, 2013

From: SPACE.com

Giant planets are dominated by winds that can reach supersonic speeds; however, just how deep those winds reached was unknown … until now. SPACE.com reports on how the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Yohai Kaspi and team resolved what “has been an open question for the last 25 years.”

May 15, 2013

From: The Jewish Daily Forward

Masha Leon dishes about the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science’s recent gala. Held at the legendary Pierre, it honored Sara and Prof. Michael Sela, a former Weizmann president and scientist who co-developed Copaxone®. The black-tie affair included remarks by Prof. Yadin Dudai and a sing-along led by Einat Sarouf.

April 22, 2013

From: The Times of Israel

The Green Revolution may have saved a billion people from starvation, but at a price we are just now reckoning: a huge increase in the use of environment- and health-wrecking pesticides and chemicals. But with technology developed at the Weizmann Institute and commercialized by Israeli start-up Catalyst AgTech, these consequences may be reversed.

April 21, 2013

From: NBC News

“Science on NBC News” reports on neuroscience from Weizmann – courtesy of bats. Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky created tiny equipment worn by the bats while he tracks their brain signals, focusing on memory and navigation. Similar work is being conducted at Boston University as scientists seek to learn how mental maps are built.

April 19, 2013

From: Haaretz

Haaretz covers the history of the Weizmann Institute’s WEIZAC (Weizmann Automated Computer), the first electronic computer in Israel and one of the first in the world. From humble beginnings, WEIZAC became a national icon, teaching a new wave of researchers and becoming the catalyst for Israel’s identity as a start-up nation.

March 25, 2013

From: The Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post reports that Weizmann and an agrochemicals firm are commercializing a new technology to stop toxic pesticides from getting into groundwater. Based on research by Prof. Brian Berkowitz and Dr. Ishay Dror, the method employs environmentally friendly substances to help protect our water.

March 10, 2013

From: The Huffington Post

While it is a plus that scientists like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have rock star status, Dr. Karen Kashmanian Oates is concerned that the value of basic science research is getting overlooked. Her HuffPost commentary cites Weizmann as an example of how basic research done right can be profitable.

March 07, 2013