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 future of humanity.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/ants-in-the-lead/
Jul 30, 2015...
Longhorn crazy ants cooperating to transfer an item much too heavy for one to move alone. Image: Drs. Ehud Fonio and Ofer Feinerman
Anyone who has ever watched a group of ants scurrying to carry a large crumb back to their nest has probably wondered how these tiny creatures manage the task. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, which appeared recently in Nature Communications, explains how a balance of individual direction and conformist behavior enables ants to work together to move their food in the desired direction.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/crystallization-made-crystal-clear/
Dec 07, 2016...
Correlation between cryo-transmission electron microscope (TEM) images and the crystal structure. (l) TEM image showing three colliding clusters. The scale bar is 10 nm. (r) Relative positions of molecules derived from the X-ray diffraction crystal structure are overlaid (brown) on the TEM image. A twinning plane is shown (green line).
Crystallization is a very basic chemical process: schoolchildren can witness it with their own eyes. But scientists had not been able to observe this process on the molecular level – that is, the instant in which molecules overcome their tendencies to float individually in a liquid solution and take their place in the rigid lattice of a solid crystal structure. Now, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have, for the first time, directly observed the process of crystallization on the molecular level, validating some recent theories about crystallization as well as showing that if one knows how the crystal starts growing, one can predict the end structure. This work was published in Nature Chemistry.
Jan 18, 2011... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 18, 2011—Antioxidants are sold over the counter everywhere. They’re added to food, drink, and face cream. But according to Prof. Nava Dekel of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation, we still don’t have a complete understanding of how they act in our bodies. New research by Prof. Dekel and her team, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has revealed an unexpected possible side effect of antioxidants: they might cause fertility problems in females.
Apr 29, 2014...
Prototype of the the excess heat system setup. Photo: COURTESY NEW CO2FUELS
Excess heat squandered in industrial production processes, as well as the carbon dioxide and water vapors emanating from their chimneys, will soon be put to positive use by an Israeli start-up.
The Rehovot-based NewCO2Fuels (NCF) plans to use the extreme heat released by factories such as steel, ceramics, glass and gasification plants – where residual heat temperatures rise to 1,450°C – to drive an innovative fuel production process, the company’s CEO, David Banitt, told The Jerusalem Post this week.
Dec 10, 2018...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 10, 2018—In an effort to advance basic research insights for the benefit of therapeutic discoveries, the Weizmann Institute of Science is establishing the Dr. Barry Sherman Institute for Medicinal Chemistry, thanks to a major gift from the Sherman family.
The Sherman Institute for Medicinal Chemistry will fund innovative research on compounds that hold promise for becoming therapies for a range of human diseases and disorders, including autoimmune diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious diseases.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/nobel-for-antibiotics-tool/
Oct 08, 2009...
Trio win chemistry prize for work that has led to cures for diseases.
STOCKHOLM—Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz and Israeli Ada Yonath on Wednesday won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the atom-by-atom mapping of protein-making factories within cells.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said their work on ribosomes has been fundamental to the scientific understanding of life and has helped researchers develop antibiotic cures for various diseases.
Sep 11, 2019...
Three fragments from the Temple Scroll, one the Dead Sea Scrolls, is displayed at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, Ohio, March 28, 2006. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea Yanak, File)
Among the thousands pieces of parchment found in caves above the Dead Sea, the one known as the Temple Scroll has stood out for its shape, color and fairly unblemished text compared to the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/building-a-better-antibiotic/
Apr 23, 2012...
Prof. Ada Yonath
When harmful bacteria become resistant to medicine, the cost—to both human health and society—is high. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), microbial resistance not only kills people, but also impedes control of infectious diseases, damages trade and economies, and threatens to return us to the pre-antibiotic era.
Drug resistance is a growing problem, as decades of misuse and overuse of antibiotics have resulted in the evolution of bacteria that do not respond to such medicines, leading to a rise in “superbugs” such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Sep 10, 2019...
JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Israeli and Italian scientists have developed a method which may lead to cost-lowering and streamlining of drug, pesticide and fertilizer production, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) reported Monday.
In the mid-19th century, Louis Pasteur discovered molecular “handedness,” the existence of left and right handed versions of the same molecule.
He then separated mirror-image crystals manually, and speculated that the differently handed molecules might have been created by Earth's magnetic field.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/israeli-innovation-extends-to-medical-marijuana/
Mar 20, 2015...
Photo by David Stuck
Israel is widely known as the “startup nation” for the plethora of innovation coming out of its tech-savvy entrepreneurs and researchers. And when it comes to medicinal cannabis, Israel does not disappoint.
From state-of-the-art vaporizers to groundbreaking research, Israel continues to advance the idea that marijuana can be used to treat a host of diseases, according to Lex Pelger. The Jewish state has even emerged as something of a leader in the industry.
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