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.
Jan 24, 2011...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 24, 2011—Protection against nerve gas attack is a significant component of the defense system of many countries around the world. Nerve gases are used by armies and terrorist organizations, and constitute a threat to both the military and civilian populations, but existing drug solutions against them have limited efficiency.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science succeeded in developing an enzyme that breaks down such organophosphorus nerve agents efficiently before damage to nerves and muscles is caused. Their results were recently published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. Recent experiments performed in a U.S. military laboratory (the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, or USAMRICD) have shown that injecting a relatively small amount of this enzyme into animals provides protection against certain types of nerve agents, for which current treatments show limited efficacy.
Oct 19, 2015... Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2015 — Whereas human and many animals use teeth to crush or grind food as an initial part of the digestive process, some species such as birds that lack teeth grind food inside the gizzard – a structure between the mouth and the stomach – with the help of stones. Another interesting adaptation of this approach to digestion has evolved in most of the Cephalaspidean gastropods, a common type of marine mollusks, who use hardened plates that line the gizzard for crushing or grinding.
Jan 09, 2019...
Illustration by Jess Rodrigues via Shutterstock.com
Israeli researchers recently made a discovery that could help develop new therapies for anxiety disorders. With up to one in three people around the world at the risk of experiencing severe anxiety, this is big news.
At the heart of the discovery, published in Cell Reports, is a previously unknown biochemical pathway underlying anxiety.
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science biomolecular sciences department studied the role of proteins called importins in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Importins are found in all cells. Their job is to shuttle molecules into the nucleus.
Jan 21, 2020...
Non-communicable diseases including heart disease, cancer and lung disease are now the most common causes of death, accounting for 70 percent of deaths worldwide. These diseases are considered “non-communicable” because they are thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors and can't be transmitted between people.
A new research paper in Science by a team of fellows in CIFAR's Humans and the Microbiome program throws this long-held belief into question by providing evidence that many diseases may be transmissible between people through microbes (including bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that live in and on our bodies.
Jul 07, 2017... In Israel’s earliest days, Weizmann Institute scientists invented a method for waxing oranges so they could be shipped, which was a major boon for the country’s then-fledgling, agriculture-based economy. Since those days, the Weizmann Institute of Science hasn’t stopped working toward improving food security — not just for Israel, but for the world. But today the task is more daunting than ever: by the mid-21st century there will be nine billion mouths to feed; and climate change is expected to have an impact on agriculture, possibly a considerably negative impact.
Jul 21, 2019...
Some people are morning exercisers. For them, an early run or swim is as much a part of their wake-up ritual as that first cup of coffee. Others can’t abide the idea. They need a nighttime workout to rid themselves of the day’s stresses.
Does it make a difference? Several recent studies suggest that it does. But it’s complicated.
One recent paper indicates that morning exercise may activate certain genes in the muscle cells, boosting their ability to metabolize sugar and fat. While scientists say this finding requires further study, they think it ultimately might help those who are overweight or suffering from Type 2 diabetes.
Sep 01, 2012... Lipids are fatty substances found in every cell in our bodies. They make up the membranes that separate the cell from its surroundings and are responsible for regulating the passage of nutrients to and from the cell. One particular family of lipids — sphingolipids — fascinates Prof. Anthony (Tony) Futerman of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Chemistry. “Sphingolipids were discovered in the 19th century by the German biochemist Johann Thudichum, who named them after the sphinx because they were enigmatic,” says Prof. Futerman.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-july-2012/
Jul 27, 2012... As sulfur cycles through Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and land, it undergoes chemical changes that are often coupled to changes in other such elements as carbon and oxygen. Although this affects the concentration of free oxygen, sulfur has traditionally been portrayed as a secondary factor in regulating atmospheric oxygen, with most of the heavy lifting done by carbon. However, new findings that appeared this week in Science suggest that sulfur’s role may have been underestimated.
Apr 18, 2019...
New studies, from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California, Irvine, found mice that exercised in the evening were 50% more efficient than in the morning (file image)
Taking an evening jog may be better for you than going on a morning run, two new studies find.
In research conducted on mice, scientists said that exercise performance was about 50 percent better during the evening hours.
Oct 24, 2019...
JERUSALEM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) – Israeli scientists revealed the mechanism of the sea cone snail’s venom, which may lead to new drugs for abnormal heart rate and high blood pressure, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) reported Thursday.
The findings may also lead to the development of safe natural insecticides, because some components of this venom only kill insects, and not mammals.
The findings, published in the scientific journal PNAS, may explain some of the side effects of potassium-blocking drugs, such as heart arrythmia and hypertension drugs, and lead to the development of better ones.
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