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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/medical-marijuana-born-at-weizmann/
Nov 03, 2022...
Raphael Mechoulam’s research has driven the current medical marijuana boom – and is helping people suffering from a host of conditions.
Following the wave of marijuana legalization across America, THC and CBD products are now everywhere: gummy bears, energy drinks, chocolate, even skincare products. Before laws were changed, scientists in the U.S. were handicapped in their ability to research marijuana, thus giving a decades-long edge to scientists elsewhere. Scientists like Prof. Raphael Mechoulam at Israel’s Weizmann Institute. As a young academic, Mechoulam was able to convince the police to give him hashish for his research (one of his many fascinating stories.) This led to a relationship that continued for over 40 years.
Apr 27, 2020... On May 2, 1986, while visiting my long-term colleague and friend Richard O’Reilly, the head of bone marrow transplantation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, I received a strange phone call. It was from Richard Champlin, who worked at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at UCLA. He tended to speak very fast, so it took me some time to understand from his over-excited voice that he was about to leave the next day for Moscow.
Apr 21, 2020... One of the many challenges facing humankind during the coronavirus pandemic is testing – or, more accurately, lack of it. As the Weizmann Institute of Science pivoted its resources – human and lab alike – to addressing coronavirus, developing accurate, scaled-up testing was one of its main areas of focus. In keeping with the philosophy embraced by the worldwide Weizmann family, Institute President Prof. Alon Chen says: “During this crisis, we are harnessing our capabilities in basic research and applying them to the benefit of humanity.”
Aug 13, 2020... Hosted by the Embassy of Israel to the United States, this engaging virtual dialogue features Weizmann Institute President Prof. Alon Chen in conversation with Tammy Ben Haim, Minister of Public Diplomacy. Prof. Chen and Minister Ben Haim discuss a wide array of topics, including the Weizmann Institute's rapid response to the coronavirus. Prof. Chen explains how Weizmann's collaborative, multidisciplinary approach and focus on fundamental, curiosity-driven research enabled its scientists to quickly mobilize to fight COVID-19.
Dec 09, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 9, 2020—The mass of all human-produced materials – concrete, steel, plastics, asphalt, etc. – has now grown to equal the mass of all life on the planet, its biomass. According to a new study from the Weizmann Institute of Science, we are exactly at the crossover point, and humans are currently adding buildings, roads, vehicles, and products at a rate that is doubling every 20 years, leading to a “concrete jungle” that is predicted to reach over 2 teratonnes (2 million million) – or more than double the mass of living things – by 2040.
Dec 09, 2020...
In a startling sign of the impact that humans are having on our planet, a study published Dec. 9 estimates that 2020 marks the point when human-made materials outweigh the total mass of Earth’s living biomass.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science found that the total mass of human-made materials—such as concrete, steel and asphalt—has increased rapidly since 1900, when it made up the equivalent of just 3% of the mass of living biomass—plants, animals and microorganisms. As humans have constructed more buildings, roads, structures and objects over the last 120 years, the mass of human-produced materials has grown from less than 0.1 teratonnes to roughly 1 teratonne (1 trillion tonnes), the study, published in the journal Nature estimates.
Dec 09, 2020...
From roads and buildings to cars and plastic, human civilization is built on lots of stuff.
But roughly how much stuff have we actually created? And in the process, how much of the natural world have we consumed or destroyed?
A new analysis finds that on both counts, it's a lot ... so much, in fact, that these materials may now outweigh all of the living things left on Earth.
The year 2020 could be the year when human-made mass surpasses the overall weight of biomass - estimated to be roughly 1,100,000,000,000 tons, or 1.1 teratons - a milestone scientists say speaks to the enormous impact that humans have had on the planet.
Apr 16, 2021...
While Earth Day is 51 years old this year, the Earth is 4.54 billion years old – “plus or minus about 50 million years,” says the National Geographic Society. And yet in less than 200 years, the blink of an eye, humankind has thrown a wrench into our small planet’s carefully tuned systems.
Since the Industrial Age, our remarkable advances have had a flip side: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fossil fuels, and the like have fouled our water, land, and climate. We have increased Earth’s temperature, causing mass extinctions, stronger storms, devastating wildfires, flooding, and food shortages – consequences that will only increase. And while we can all take personal steps, there is ultimately one hope for mitigating human impacts on the planet: science.
May 19, 2021... The Weizmann Institute is made up of scientists and staff from many faiths and more than 50 nationalities. During the current crisis in Israel, the Weizmann Institute community offers a message of hope, unity, and coexistence. As Prof. Maya Schuldiner, Department of Molecular Genetics, says, “We know that the only way to move humanity forward is by working together.” Dr. Yifat Merbl, Department of Immunology, adds, “Just like in science, rather than focusing on the problem, we must start looking for the right solutions.”
May 24, 2021... With their 65th wedding anniversary approaching in June, Rosa and Harris Weinstein decided to mark the occasion with a gift to the Weizmann Institute. The couple believes deeply in the Institute’s vital mission, but their reasons are more personal. They wanted to honor Dewey Stone, one of the American Committee’s earliest visionaries who helped realize Dr. Chaim Weizmann’s dream of a world-class scientific research institution in Israel.
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