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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.
Nov 15, 2017...
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In Greek mythology, Zeus had dominion over the creation of lightning. Thousands of years later humans have begun to assume that role. Scientists have already linked aerosol emissions to increases in lightning over areas of the Amazon prone to forest fires (pdf) as well as regions of China with thick air pollution. The clearest example yet of humanity’s influence on atmospheric electrostatic discharges, however, surfaced recently when researchers discovered dense trails of lightning in the soot-filled skies over two of the world’s busiest shipping routes in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
Dec 17, 2018...
(l-r) Profs. Ilan Koren, Yoav Schechner, and Klaus Schilling are inventing a new way of imaging clouds
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 17, 2018—Ten satellites, each around the size of a shoebox, are slated in a few years to enter orbit and begin filling in some gaping holes in our understanding of clouds and their role in climate. Inspired by medical CT (computed tomography), which observes and maps patients’ interiors, the designers are creating a system that will reveal detailed images of clouds’ external and internal 3D structures and properties. By probing small cloud fields that are generally missed by today’s remote-sensing technologies, the mission may resolve some major uncertainties that limit current atmospheric modelling and climate prediction.
Feb 13, 2019...
Clouds have a key role in Earth’s energy balance and water cycle, but difficulties in assessing them can lead to great errors in climate prediction. Israeli and German scientists are now trying to overcome this problem, inspired by the most human form – bodily organs.
Their idea is to perform “CT scans” on clouds. Like human CTs that scan and map the interior of a patient, the researchers plan on using CloudCT, a space mission of 10 tiny satellites, to reveal detailed images of clouds’ external and internal 3D structures and properties.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-tree-that-survives-the-desert/
Jan 16, 2019... Tu B’Shevat, a Jewish holiday commemorating the importance and sanctity of trees, could not be more fitting in this day and age. Undoubtedly, it’s not easy to be a tree these days. Extended drought periods induced by climate change make it more and more difficult for those that need water to survive. Add to this the constant increase in pests and invasive species, one gets an idea of the grim reality in which many tree species are forced to survive the rapid and extreme changes.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/a-fistful-of-dust/
Jan 06, 2011... On May 26th, 2008, Germany turned red. The winds of change, though, were meteorological, not political. Unusual weather brought iron-rich dust from Africa to Europe, not only altering the colour of roofs and cars on the continent but also, according to recent calculations by Max Bangert, a graduate student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, making the place about a quarter of a degree colder for as long as the dust stayed in the air.
Sep 02, 2019...
A view of Earth from space. Two billion years ago the planet would have looked very different. Researchers have now found evidence of a massive die-off event from this time. NASA/GSFC
Scientists have discovered a mass die-off that took place two billion years ago—with up to 99.5 percent of life on Earth disappearing. The massive die-off saw more of the planet’s biosphere vanish than when the dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the planet 65 million years ago, researchers say.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/why-do-we-see-the-man-in-the-moon/
Mar 12, 2012... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—March 12, 2012—There’s something poetic about gazing up at the night sky, seeing the familiar face of the Man in the Moon” who faithfully accompanies us through life. The synchronous rotation of the Moon taking the same amount of time to spin around its own axis as it does to revolve around Earth is what causes the Moon to “lock eyes” with Earth, resulting in one of its hemispheres constantly facing us. But is there a reason why this particular half of the Moon locked with Earth, or was it pure coincidence that it didn't “turn its back” on us?
Aug 14, 2008... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—August 14, 2008—Tons of soot are released into the air annually as forest fires rage from California to the Amazon to Siberia and Indonesia. Climate scientists have generally assumed that the main effect of smoke on climate is cooling, as the floating particles can reflect some solar energy back to space as well as increasing cloud size and lifespan. But new research by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); and NASA may cause them to rethink soot's role in shaping the Earth's climate.
Jun 29, 2012...
You’d be amazed at how much you can learn from a plant.
In a paper published this week in the journal Science, a Michigan State University professor and a colleague discuss why if humans are to survive as a species, we must turn more to plants for any number of valuable lessons.
“Metabolism of plants provides humans with fiber, fuel, food and therapeutics,” said Robert Last, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. “As the human population grows and nonrenewable energy sources diminish, we need to rely increasingly on plants and to increase the sustainability of agriculture.”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/let-it-rain/
Jan 01, 2012... Rain can be a blessing or a disaster. An hour of steady rainfall can water the roots of plants and percolate underground to replenish water supplies. If the same amount of water falls in a five-minute downpour, however, the results are more likely to be uprooted plants, runoff and even flooding. According to new research, the effects of human activity on the atmosphere appear to be nudging rain patterns in the direction of faster and heavier.
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