It doesn’t often happen that army generals switch sides in the middle of a war, but when cancer is attacking, it may cause even a gene that acts as the body’s master defender to change allegiance. As reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered that this gene’s betrayal can occur in more ways than previously appreciated.
July 2018
The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Ron Milo writes in World Economic Forum about his recent global-biomass research, explaining the impact of humanity’s actions on our world.
July 25, 2018
Weizmann studies of the sophisticated, complex zebrafish eye have implications for treating human diseases, reports China’s Xinhua news agency.
July 20, 2018
Ten moons have been discovered orbiting Jupiter – 9 “normal” outer ones and an “oddball” – scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington reported on Tuesday. Including the previously unknown moons, Jupiter now has 79 known moons orbiting the giant planet, more than any other planet in our Solar System. Saturn has the second highest number of known moons: 61.
July 17, 2018
The dog days of summer are an excellent time to sit in a cool place and take a look at what’s happening on the Weizmann Institute campus, where the gardens are lush and the labs as busy as ever. There are forward-looking scientific advances and considerable growth – hiring the right people, building the right infrastructure – and we’d like to share this progress with you.
July 13, 2018
On a sun-parched patch of land in Rehovot, Israel, two neuroscientists peer into the darkness of a 200-metre-long tunnel of their own design. The fabric panels of the snaking structure shimmer in the heat, while, inside, a study subject is navigating its dim length. Finally, out of the blackness bursts a bat, which executes a mid-air backflip to land upside down, hanging at the tunnel’s entrance.
July 11, 2018
“We don’t just want to find the genes involved in cancer,” says Prof. Yardena Samuels, of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Molecular Cell Biology, “we want to understand what those genes do. We want to reveal the complete picture of a cancer genome.” That is something of a tall order, considering that cells from melanoma, the cancer Prof. Samuels is researching, can contain anywhere from tens to thousands of mutations. On average, melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – has more mutations in the DNA of its cells than any other solid tumor. Among other things, this range of mutations explains why a recent treatment designed to target melanoma will only help around 50% of those with the disease, despite representing a large step forward.
The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science announced that Maggie Howard has been appointed as Associate Executive Director of its Southern California Region. Ms. Howard will play a critical role in advancing local philanthropic efforts to support the Weizmann Institute, a top-ranking, multidisciplinary research institution located in Rehovot, Israel.
July 10, 2018
The Weizmann Institute of Science has placed ninth in an international ranking of research quality. This is the second time that the Institute has ranked in the top 10 best research institutes in the world. (The Institute placed 10th in the 2015 ranking.) The assessment comes from the annual Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) Leiden Ranking, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
July 09, 2018
©2018 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
