Weizmann astrophysicists and an international team discovered a new type of supernova. Levels of calcium and titanium in the explosion indicate that the supernova was a nuclear reaction. This supernova could help explain mysteries such as the prevalence of calcium in the universe and in our bodies.

Weizmann's Prof. Steve Weiner and colleagues found fossilized DNA that may be better preserved and less prone to contamination with modern DNA. They showed that DNA fragments preserved in crystal aggregates within fossilized bone can be isolated and studied, giving us improved insight into our past.

Weizmann’s Dr. Ilan Koren found that over half of the mineral dust that air currents carry each year from Africa to the Amazon basin comes from a single small valley in the Sahara. This dust, measured using satellite images, provides the nutrients necessary for the rich biology of the rain forest.

Weizmann scientists took part in the research that proved the existence of gluons in 1957. Gluons are the particles responsible for the strongest force in nature—the force that holds the nucleus of the atom together.

Several Weizmann Institute scientists are part of the international consortium examining some of the biggest questions in the universe at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC, which is underground near Geneva, Switzerland, is the largest, highest-energy particle accelerator ever built.

In a first for astrophysics, Weizmann scientist Dr. Avishay Gal-Yam, collaborating with colleagues at San Diego State University, observed as a star estimated at a mass of 200 suns exploded. The scientists were ultimately able to confirm that the massive star turned into a black hole.