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/weizmann-scientist-s-paper-makes-year-end-top-10-list/
Jan 03, 2019...
It’s that time of year: the roundup. The best movies! Music! Books! And, yes – scientific papers.
2018 was perhaps not the happiest year in a number of ways, and the good and bad news is that many of our major problems are reflected in the research. It’s bad because reading about these issues is not uplifting, to say the least. It’s good because science – and the knowledge, clarity, and facts it provides – is what will guide us through.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/ebola-is-still-killing-people-can-new-vaccines-help/
Aug 27, 2019...
Warning, again: While not making global headlines like it used to, Ebola rages on. A sign in the Congo warns that Ebola is in the area and to avoid dead animals, which are a vector for the virus.
The massive 2014-16 outbreak of Ebola in Africa was the first time many of us had heard of the virus. The stories and images of horribly sick and dying people, the selfless doctors and nurses in their too-often-insufficient protective gear, the concern that the virus’s spread could not be stopped: for a while, Ebola was in the global consciousness. Then, thanks to efforts on a number of fronts, the outbreak was quashed. Our attention faded accordingly.
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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/day-zero-what-happens-when-the-tap-goes-dry/
Mar 29, 2018...
Cape Town, South Africa, may very well become the first city in modern times to run out of water. The day they expect the taps to run dry is called Day Zero, the scarily named first day of an unwanted new era.
Most of us modern sapiens have never had to truly manage our water; we take daily showers, leave it running while we brush our teeth, we dump gallons of it down the drain without a second thought.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/science-hope/
Jan 18, 2018...
Even if you feel that things might be a little bleak right now, the start of any new year is a time to be optimistic. And the best, most realistic place to look for hope is science.
After all, science is universal and unifying and knows no boundaries. In every corner of the world, scientists of every stripe are taking on today’s problems. Tomorrow’s, too. Here are just a few rays of sunshine that gave us hope:
Mar 20, 2020...
Dear friends and members of the Weizmann Institute of Science community,
The coronavirus outbreak is a global challenge that forces us all to significantly and rapidly adjust our way of life and change our work routines.
Just a few months ago we might have imagined such an event playing out only in books or movies. But epidemiologists, immunologists, and public health officials have long anticipated the possibility of a pandemic. The theoretical policies developed during these more peaceful days are now being implemented worldwide to address the current crisis.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/are-you-a-handshake-sniffer/
Apr 07, 2015...
Do you sniff your hand after shaking someone else's?
This isn't a question I ever thought I'd ask myself, or you, but here we go, because, well...science.
The incredible Dr. Noam Sobel of the Weizmann Institute of Science ended up not only in a science journal this week, but in The Economist, with his findings. After handshakes, people are more likely to sniff their hands. But WHY? The piece ponders:
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/smell-that-sadness-female-tears-turn-off-men/
Jan 07, 2011...
Click here to listen to the NPR report.
A team of Israeli scientists is reporting that when your date at the movies starts crying, it may have an effect on you even if you can’t see the tears.
Seeing tears clearly has an effect on people — it tends to turn anger into compassion. But scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science wondered if the effect was strictly visual. Might there be some chemical in human tears that was responsible for the urge to care for someone? So they advertised for people willing to donate tears.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/in-pursuit-of-female-chemists/
Aug 11, 2011...
Chemistry needs new female role models and a less macho culture to appeal more to the next generation of young women, says Carol V. Robinson.
Women and chemistry do mix: Carol V. Robinson (centre) with members of her research lab at the University of Oxford, UK.
As the first female chemistry professor at both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, which have a combined history in chemistry of about 800 years, I am often asked to comment on the poor retention of women chemists by UK universities. The decline from chemistry PhDs (46% women) to professorships (just 6%) is steeper than in other disciplines, including physics and engineering1. But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Here I offer personal reflections from my career in chemistry about why women leave science.
Jan 28, 2013...
Chaim Weizmann. He foresaw the energy crisis and proposed an economical way of making fuel. Photo by Weizmann Institute of Science
Chaim Weizmann is primarily known as a leader of the Zionist movement and the first president of the State of Israel. However, before his success in statesmanship and politics, Weizmann became famous during World War II for inventing a new method of producing acetone, which was needed for manufacturing explosives.
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