Being born with a “tabula rasa” – a clean slate – is, in the case of the brain, something of a curse. Our brains are already wrinkled like walnuts by the time we are born. Babies born without these wrinkles – called smooth brain syndrome – suffer from severe developmental deficiencies and their life expectancy is markedly reduced. The gene that causes this syndrome recently helped Weizmann Institute of Science researchers to probe the physical forces that cause the brain’s wrinkles to form. In their findings, reported in Nature Physics, the researchers describe a method they developed for growing tiny “brains on chips” from human cells that enabled them to track the physical and biological mechanisms underlying the wrinkling process.
February 20, 2018
China’s Global Times reports on a project, involving Weizmann astrophysicists, aimed at helping us understand potential living conditions on Mars.
February 20, 2018
Israeli researchers have managed to grow tiny model brains in the lab to discover how the brain’s convolutions are created. A normal brain is as wrinkly as a walnut. And in cases where a person is born with a smooth brain, devoid of folds, he faces severe developmental difficulties.
February 20, 2018
One of the “four scientific studies” shared by a Forbes contributor is Weizmann Institute research on the placebo effect and creativity.
February 15, 2018
As the Yale Daily News reports, a cross-continent collaboration between Weizmann and Yale scientists is producing important results.
February 13, 2018
The good news is that we’re living longer than ever. The not-so-good news is that age-related diseases – including vision problems – are also sticking around. As just one example, the National Institutes of Health says that because of increased longevity, the number of people with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, grew 18 percent – from 1.75 to 2.07 million – over a single decade.
Fortunately, the Weizmann Institute of Science’s dedicated researchers are investigating age-related diseases from a number of angles, from the basic biochemistry of the retina to imaging the brain in action. Interdisciplinary groups study computer-aided and artificial vision and experiment with vaccines that could prevent degenerative eye diseases. By finding ways to better understand, protect, preserve, and treat the eyes, Weizmann scientists are improving life for people worldwide.
When Elena Meirzadeh immigrated to Israel from Iran with her family at the age of 12, her priorities were perfecting her Hebrew and acclimating to life in a new country. Despite the language barrier and culture shock at moving from the Islamic Republic to the Jewish state, Meirzadeh excelled at her studies and decided she wanted to become a scientist.
February 09, 2018
Prof. Karina Yaniv was first in the world to grow lymph cells in the lab, and is working to develop clinical treatments for conditions such as lymphedema.
From ancient paper to luxurious clothing and parachutes, humans have been capitalising on the extreme strength, lightness and softness of silk for thousands of years.
January 2018
©2018 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
