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.
Aug 27, 2019...
Xray of a patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Image by Shutterstock
Just as first impressions set the stage for the entire course of a relationship, first impressions set the stage for how the cells of our immune system react when meeting a new microbe, according to Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
This new insight led the researchers to develop an algorithm that may predict the onset of such diseases as tuberculosis. Their findings were published July 22 in Nature Communications.
Jun 17, 2009... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 17, 2009—Bacteria can anticipate a future event and prepare for it, according to new research at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In a paper that appeared in the June 17, 2009 issue of Nature, Prof. Yitzhak Pilpel, doctoral student Amir Mitchell, and research associate Dr. Orna Dahan of the Institute’s Department of Molecular Genetics, together with Prof. Martin Kupiec and Gal Romano of Tel Aviv University, examined microorganisms living in environments that change in predictable ways. Their findings show that these microorganisms’ genetic networks are hard-wired to “foresee” what comes next in the sequence of events and begin responding to the new state of affairs before its onset.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/on-the-probiotic-trail/
May 08, 2012...
Naama Geva-Zatorsky in the lab. JTA
Jerusalem — She’s young, smart and aims to help treat life-threatening diseases. Naama Geva-Zatorsky, 34, is among a growing number of Israeli women scientists who are gaining recognition for their contributions to scientific research.
The Weizmann Institute biologist was in Paris last month to accept the International UNESCO L’Oreal Prize for Women in Science. Dubbed “Europe’s top young researcher” by the prize committee, she received a two-year, $40,000 fellowship for her postdoctoral work at Harvard University.
Dec 21, 2015...
University studies – and informal surveys of our friends and family – clearly show that the number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and be healthy. Year after year, people garner their resolve, join the gym, research the Paleo diet, Atkins, veganism – and vow that this year will be different. This time, the diet will work.
And yet, unfortunately, most dieters don't succeed. Still, we all know someone who committed to a diet and did get healthier – so why doesn’t everyone achieve the same results?
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/bread-and-health-a-personal-matter/
Jun 08, 2017... Bread occupies a unique place in our diet: it accounts for about one-tenth of the calories many people in the West consume and up to 40 percent of the caloric consumption in some non-Western countries – more than any other food product. In the past few decades, since white bread has acquired a bad name, bakeries have been going out of their way to produce high-quality whole grain breads. But a new study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science and published recently in Cell Metabolism reveals that these “wholesome” choices are not necessarily the healthiest for everyone.
Aug 14, 2016...
The varied and vibrant food market in Cascais, Portugal. (photo credit:AYA MASSIAS)
Weizmann Institute scientists have engineered bacteria to create sugar from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. All life on the planet relies, in one way or another, on a process called carbon fixation – the ability of plants, algae and certain bacteria to “pump” carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment, add solar or other energy and turn it into the sugars that are the required starting point needed for life processes.
Jul 23, 2019...
Gut bacteria may play a role in motor neurone disease ALS by speeding up progression, early studies reveal. The cruel condition that killed Professor Stephen Hawking, pictured
Gut bacteria could play a role in the development of motor neurone disease - also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, early studies suggest.
Tests on mice showed a change in their gut microbe levels before symptoms of the crippling disorder appeared.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/you-re-probably-not-mostly-microbes/
Jan 08, 2016... We are, supposedly, outnumbered in our own bodies. We play host to an extraordinary menagerie of bacteria and other microbes – the microbiome – and it’s frequently said that these teeming cells outnumber our own by ten to one. This 10:1 ratio crops up everywhere. It appears in scientific papers, blog posts, magazine stories, TED talks, and popular science books – sometimes, even in the very title. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous statistics about the microbiome.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/bacterial-immune-systems-take-the-stage/
Jan 25, 2018...
Bacteria like these have numerous defenses against the phages (dots) that infect them
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 25, 2018— Until a decade ago, scientists were not aware that bacteria had complex immune systems – ones that could keep up with the pace of evolution in viruses called phages that infect bacteria. That changed with the discovery of what is now the most famous bacterial immune mechanism: CRISPR. Scientists realized that CRISPR is a natural gene editor, and it has revolutionized the world of biological research in thousands of labs around the world. Researchers now understand that most microorganisms have sophisticated immune systems, of which CRISPR is just one element, but there has been no good way to identify these systems.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/eating-air-making-fuel/
Jun 23, 2016... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 23, 2016—All life on the planet relies, in one way or another, on a process called carbon fixation: the ability of plants, algae, and certain bacteria to “pump” carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment, add solar or other energy, and turn it into the sugars that are the required starting point needed for life processes. At the top of the food chain are different organisms (some of which think, mistakenly, that they are “more advanced”) that use the opposite means of survival: they eat sugars (made by photosynthetic plants and microorganisms) and then release CO2 into the atmosphere. This means of growth is called “heterotrophism.” Humans are, of course, heterotrophs in the biological sense because the food they consume originates from the carbon fixation processes of nonhuman producers.
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