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 future of humanity.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/hot-pink-tomatoes-might-be-the-future-of-fruit/
Aug 21, 2017...
Tomatoes are red. Sometimes they're orange or yellow or even purple. But they're never hot pink—until now, that is. Scientists recently discovered a way to change the flesh color of a few different items in the produce aisle—and their new hues boast a bevy of surprising production and health benefits.
A recent study by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists uncovered an unknown gene in betalains, nutritious red-violet and yellow pigments heavy on antioxidants and used most commonly for food dyes. With the discovery of that new gene, the scientists created a yeast that would produce betalains, and then reproduced betalain synthesis in edible plants and (inedible) flowers, including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, petunias, and tobacco.
Nov 23, 2018...
A panel from “… And the Invisible” based on the research of Weizmann Institute physicist Ulf Leonhardt, illustrated by Thomas Gosselin. Photo courtesy of ERC
“Our comic is set in a phantasmagorical laboratory of physics inhabited by an invisible man, composed of rooms called the Microcosm, the Invisibility Pool and the Inner Forest. Complex polygons of love among the researchers accompany us in the story, as we dive into the science of invisibility.”
Sep 21, 2015...
We've all read that healthy living – eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, exercising regularly, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight – can boost your immune system to help you fight colds and infections.
But now research conducted by pioneering immunologist Michal Schwartz and her team at Weizmann Institute in Israel suggests that boosting immunity may be the key to treating and preventing a host of diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and glaucoma.
Apr 22, 2015...
Credit: Tim Greene
Some of the world’s best known cryptographers – veterans of the crypto wars of the 1990s – say government access to encryption keys is still a bad idea, but is an issue that will never go away because it’s something intelligence agencies crave.
Speaking at RSA 2015’s Cryptographer’s panel, Whitfield Diffie, who pioneered public-key encryption, says key escrow schemes where government could gain access to encrypted data works mainly to the benefit of government. “They want you to be secure but not against them,” he says.
Jul 26, 2017...
The structure in which shattered jugs were found during the summer 2017 Israel Antiquities Authority dig, attesting to the destruction. (Eliyahu Yanai, Courtesy of the City of David Archive)
New finds in the City of David confirm the veracity of the biblical account of the Babylonian capture and conquest of First Temple period Jerusalem. The event is commemorated next Tuesday on the Hebrew date Tisha B’av (August 1) in a day of fasting and mourning, Israeli experts said.According to Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Dr. Joe Uziel, co-director of the current excavations at the City of David, findings discovered in the site’s eastern slope, including a row of 2,600-year-old rooms and their contents — all covered with visible layers of charcoal ash — aid in understanding the days leading up to and the act of the destruction.Within the collapsed rooms were uncovered rare artifacts, including a unique, apparently Egyptian, ivory statue of a nude woman, and smashed pottery jars with a rosette seal which was in royal use during the final decade before the fall of the First Temple, according to co-director Ortal Chalaf.“These seals are characteristic of the end of the First Temple period and were used for the administrative system that developed towards the end of the Judean dynasty. Classifying objects facilitated controlling, overseeing, collecting, marketing and storing crop yields. The rosette, in essence, replaced the ‘For the King’ seal used in the earlier administrative system,” said Chalaf.Additionally, charred remains of wood, grape seeds, and fish scales and bones will be carbon dated by members of the interdisciplinary cooperative team of Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists and Weizmann Institute scientists Elisabetta Boaretto and her postdoctoral fellow Johanna Regev, who were present at the dig site.According to biblical descriptions, in 586 BCE, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar vanquished the Judaean king Zedekiah and razed his capital city, Jerusalem. The Babylonian captain of the guard Nebuzaradan was dispatched into the city, where, as told in the Book of Jeremiah, he “burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s house, burned he with fire.”At the dig site, the rampant destruction caused by a fiery inferno is clearly seen. Burnt charcoal layers of destruction preserved flooring and utensils in situ, giving a stark picture of the immediacy of the blaze.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/eran-elinav-beyond-the-microbiome/
Nov 30, 2018... Where did you grow up?I grew up in the southern Israeli city of Beer-Sheva, situated in the midst of the Negev desert. I remember it being a very happy childhood, filled with a sense of freedom and frequent encounters with the wild desert that surrounded me. I knew very little of the outside world; even a visit to the “big city” of Tel Aviv seemed like a daring adventure. After completing elementary school, my family relocated to New York City due to my father’s job position, which was a tremendous culture shock for me. I started high school in the Manhattan Lennox high school, not speaking a single word of English, knowing anyone, or being familiar with NYC ’80’s culture. But my quick acclimation into this new setting taught me an important lesson that I carry with me until this day: willpower, perseverance, and belief in myself could help me overcome even the most extreme of challenges. My NYC high school days ended up being a period of intense learning and self-development and a nurturing encounter with the world. Following my high school graduation, I returned home to serve (like any 18 year old) in the Israeli army, as a naval submariner (final rank of captain) for over 4 years. This was another significant period of development of leadership skills, comradery with my best friends until this day, and, most importantly, the development of intuitive troubleshooting skills, with an ever-lasting confidence that everything is solvable and doable.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/the-dark-side-of-the-sun-1/
May 15, 2018...
May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month: the perfect time to learn more about the disease – and what the Weizmann Institute of Science is doing to help.
Did you know that skin cancer is the most common cancer in America? And that it’s been on the rise for more than 30 years?
The single most significant cause of skin cancer is the sun. That’s certainly true when it comes to melanoma – the deadliest of all skin cancers – with the Skin Cancer Foundation citing research that shows that 86% of melanomas are linked to UV radiation. Thus, prevention – such as wearing a high-SPF sunblock or protective clothing anytime we go outside, even on overcast days – and early screening are the most important tools in our skin-cancer-defeating arsenal.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/understanding-the-anxious-brain/
Feb 03, 2017... Everyone experiences anxiety at times, but for some people, it’s a pervasive condition that can turn the ordinary into the distressing. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 1 of every 10 women and 4 of every 100 men will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some time in their lives – for example, as a result of trauma experienced in war or from all-too-common events such as accidents, crime, or sudden health conditions. Even more people suffer from generalized anxiety without a specific memory of an experience they can point to as a cause.
Nov 30, 2010...
Fabled as a site of biblical battles and spectacular palaces, Tel Megiddo today is a dusty mound overlooking Israel’s Jezreel valley. It is also host to one of the hottest debates in archaeology — a controversy over the historical truth of the Bible’s account of the first united Kingdom of Israel.
Ancient Megiddo is said to have been a key administrative and military centre in the kingdom ruled by King David and his son Solomon during the eleventh and tenth centuries BC. But the biblical narrative is challenged by archaeologists such as Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who believe that David and Solomon did not rule over an Iron Age empire. Instead, they suggest, David and Solomon commanded a small and not terribly influential kingdom, and Megiddo’s peak came nearly a century after the united kingdom had divided.
Nov 10, 2014...
Most preferences are thought to be conditioned by experience. (photo credit: Puppy image)
Free will isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, according to Israeli researchers. They say people may not have much control over what they like and dislike. That said, there may be a way to undo unwanted preferences, even phobias and addiction, by exploiting the fluidity of memory.
The standard scientific view is that people are born with few preferences. Most are thought to be conditioned by experience.