About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Apr 20, 2010... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 19, 2010—The constant stress that many are exposed to in our modern society may be taking a heavy toll: Anxiety disorders and depression, as well as metabolic (substance exchange) disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and arteriosclerosis, have all been linked to stress. These problems are reaching epidemic proportions: Diabetes alone is expected to affect some 360 million people worldwide by the year 2030. While anyone who has ever gorged on chocolate before an important exam recognizes the tie between stress, changes in appetite, and anxiety-related behavior, the connection has lately been borne out by science, although the exact reasons for the connection aren't crystal clear. Dr. Alon Chen of the Weizmann Institute's Department of Neurobiology and his research team have now discovered that changes in the activity of a single gene in the brain not only cause mice to exhibit anxious behavior, but also lead to metabolic changes that cause them to develop symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes. These findings were published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/between-patroness-and-architect/
Feb 15, 2019...
Villa Weizmann on the Weizmann Institute [campus], today.
The patron/artist relationship touches on one of the most complex issues in the architectural profession. In contrast to any other art work where the creative aspirations of the artist constitute the main functional medium, architecture focuses on the client’s ambition, particularly in relation to private houses, where a list of requests express his taste, dreams, social status and lifestyle.
Sep 24, 1996...
REHOVOT, Israel—September 24, 1996—Prehistoric ashes can now be recognized and analyzed with precision for the first time, thanks to a discovery made by a Weizmann Institute of Science researcher.
The finding, reported in the September issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, is expected to shed new light on the ways primitive humans used fire, and on their lifestyles and environment. While humans are believed to have first harnessed fire at least 500,000 years ago, ash—the most direct evidence of fire—is hard to find and even harder to recognize, because most of the minerals in it are highly reactive and unstable, and begin changing within days of a fire's going out.
May 20, 2019... Prof. Noam Sobel is interviewed for the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s series “Spotlight on Basic Research” about his investigations of the sense of smell. Among other breakthroughs, he has found a way to manipulate smell to increase our trust in robots.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/could-lowering-oxygen-levels-reduce-jet-lag/
Oct 28, 2016...
Jet lag is a familiar hazard for those who take long flights. Now, it turns out, the remedy may be in the very air we breathe.
Scientists in Israel (with help from a colleague in the U.K.) have found that reducing atmospheric oxygen levels shaved days off the time that mice took to adjust to a big time shift. This suggests that it may someday be possible to offer travelers a low-oxygen lounge, or even lower the oxygen in baggage-claim areas, to help travelers combat discombobulation.
Feb 14, 2017...
This graphic shows galaxy NGC 7610 (top right), where the supernova SN2013fs exploded. The event was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory sky survey (bottom right) a mere 3 hours after explosion. The detection was so rapid that researchers could image the circumstellar material (middle left) that surrounded the exploded star. (Ofer Yaron)
It was a type II supernova, the kind that occurs when a massive star evolves into a red supergiant, like the star Betelgeuse. In their waning days, these huge, (relatively) cool bodies start to unravel, expelling huge amounts of their mass until they are surrounded by shells of dense gas called circumstellar material, or CSM.
May 04, 2018...
Source: Unsplash
Anxiety is the voice in the back of your head that says, “something bad is going to happen.” It’s what keeps you awake at 2 a.m. thinking about something embarrassing you did — five years ago.
Not all introverts have anxiety, and extroverts and ambiverts can struggle with it, too. To be clear, introversion and anxiety aren’t the same thing. Introversion is a preference for calm, minimally stimulating environments, whereas anxiety is a general term for disorders that cause excessive fear, worrying, and nervousness.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/past-perfect/
Sep 21, 2009... The present can supply us with intriguing glimpses into the past. In geology, for example, long-term processes that continue to this day can shed light on those belonging to the distant past. The same principle guides ethno-archaeologists, who study today’s traditional societies to learn about the lifestyles of ancient cultures. Dr. Ruth Shahack-Gross, who began her research career as a geologist, became captivated by this approach when she turned to archaeology: “I was immediately fascinated by the idea of learning about the past from contemporary traditional lifestyles,” she says.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/why-the-diet-on-your-soda-may-be-misleading/
Sep 17, 2014...
The artificial sweeteners found in the world’s most popular diet sodas may have a serious unintended consequence, according to a new study.
Calorie counters beware: That diet soda and your own stomach may be conspiring against you.
A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of elevated blood sugar levels.
When researchers added popular sweeteners – including saccharin and aspartame – to the diets of mice, the balance of bacteria in the gut shifted and blood sugar levels spiked. Similar results occurred in a subset of humans during a follow-up trial.
![Scientific Research Kept Youth Busy This Summer [Clarksville]](/media/3437/1505406402_eefd.jpg "Scientific Research Kept Youth Busy This Summer [Clarksville]")
Aug 31, 2017...
American ISSI participants, summer 2017
If you’re like me, you may have relaxed at the beach or by the pool this summer. Jacob Chandran, a 2017 graduate of River Hill High School, had more ambitious plans. He recently returned from Israel, where he spent four weeks conducting advanced scientific research at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Chandran was one of 19 teens from the United States selected to participate in the annual Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI). He received a full scholarship to this prestigious program, which accepts only one in five applicants. The program gives students the opportunity to conduct research with world-renowned scientists in biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science.
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