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/what-do-your-bones-wedding-bands-and-atomic-bombs-have-in-common/
Nov 13, 2017... Jets and Debris from a Neutron Star Collision. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab. This animation captures phenomena observed over the course of nine days following the neutron star merger known as GW170817. They include gravitational waves (pale arcs); a near-light-speed jet that produced gamma rays (magenta); expanding debris from a “kilonova” that produced ultraviolet (violet), optical, and infrared (blue-white to red) emissions; and, once the jet directed toward us expanded into our view from Earth, X-rays (blue).
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/spring-cleaning-find-joy-in-picking-up-trash/
May 01, 2019...
“I take every opportunity to clean up,” says Ron Milo, seen here with a helper as they collect trash along a trail. “It fills me with joy ... Our call is for people to take responsibility.”
There is always a flurry of environmental awareness activity around this time of year, with Earth Day and spring both making us more tuned in to our world. But being tuned in can be dispiriting, thanks to the relentless drumbeat of bad environmental news.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/what-an-alien-can-teach-us-about-ourselves/
Apr 30, 2018...
We want to believe: “Ata,” a mummy found in Chile’s Atacama region, inspired theories and rumors.Credit: Bhattacharya, S. et al., 2018
It started the way some of the best mysteries do: a strange discovery in a remote and otherworldly place; rumors that spread through obscure corners of the world, occasionally flickering into view; and the resolution of the mystery, revealing that the truth is as curious as the rumors. (Well, almost.)
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/third-woman-in-history-wins-nobel-in-physics/
Dec 03, 2018...
“Really? Is that all?” Donna Strickland becomes third female recipient of the Nobel in Physics
Winning the Nobel Prize is the ultimate crown for anyone’s career. Whether in the sciences, literature, or peace, the recipient surely hopes that their achievement will bring something positive to the world. But what if the post-award discussion of your life’s work was overshadowed by your gender? Unfortunately, that’s still the case when a woman wins a Nobel in science.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/the-art-of-the-visionary-scientist/
Feb 26, 2018...
The beautiful neural cells of chickens. Santiago Ramón y Cajal, c. 1905
For centuries, the brain has been a mystery, a blank-enough slate that scientists, artists, philosophers, and the like could imprint it with their own theories. It was only with the development of microscopes and other imaging and research techniques that the exquisite structure of the brain came into focus.
In the late 1800s/early 1900s, a man equal parts scientist and artist – Santiago Ramón y Cajal – laid the foundation of modern neuroscience through his detailed, meticulous, graphically impeccable drawings of axons, neurons, retinal structure, and other new (at the time) elements.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/going-public-with-parkinson-s-sharing-science-and-knowledge/
Sep 05, 2018...
Alan Alda, center, communicating science at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Credit: SUNY Stony Brook.
Ardent science-communication advocate Alan Alda recently shared that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. With his willingness to be open about this terribly intimate illness, Alda has made another investment in his work to increase the general public’s level of scientific understanding – as well as raise awareness of the disease.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/fight-climate-change-plant-a-tree/
Mar 02, 2020...
Our new world order is particularly brutal for trees. Between climate change and economic greed, these lifegiving – and lifesaving – plants are not doing so well.
Besides well-known, large-scale devastations such as wildfires and deforestation (particularly of the Amazon, whose mighty forests are the reason the region is called – for now, anyway – the lungs of the planet), incremental changes are wreaking quieter, though no less devastating, impacts; for example, species native to the American South can no longer survive the warmer climate and so are spreading into cooler Northern climes. Behind them comes desertification.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/high-flyers-are-more-likely-to-get-cancer/
Sep 28, 2018...
First class in fighting second-hand smoke: Did you know we have flight attendants to thank for exposing the dangers of second-hand smoke? Well, we do.
Don’t let the glamorous, globe-trotting lifestyle – and snappy, stylish uniforms! – fool you: flight attendants have much more serious things to contend with than obnoxious passengers.
It has been known for years – particularly by the attendants themselves – that the job carries increased risk of certain cancers, such as lung, breast, and melanoma. But a recent Harvard study is making news for revealing that the range of cancers is greater than expected, and include uterine, gastrointestinal, cervical, thyroid, and non-melanoma skin cancers.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/the-exquisite-precision-of-you/
Dec 01, 2017... You know that you have a circadian clock, or rhythm, that keeps you in time with the Earth’s 24-hour day-night cycle. Well, roughly in time, anyway; some of us are early birds, some are night owls, most are in between – and it’s very difficult for us night owls to change and go get that worm. Now we know why: studies in fruit flies show that these traits aren’t proof of superior moral fibre or laziness, but innate. That’s the way our circadian clocks are naturally set.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/are-these-ocean-dwellers-the-future-shape-of-humankind/
Jun 01, 2018...
The life aquatic with the Bajau: The islanders have evolved to remain underwater, at depth, for extended periods – even walking on the sea floor. Credit: BBCone
How long can you hold your breath underwater? If you’re untrained, it’s about 30 seconds. With practice: a minute, maybe two. But you’ll never be a Bajau.
A new study shows that these Southeast Asian ocean-dwelling people have changed genetically, enabling them to easily hold their breath for up to 15 minutes at a time as they drop to the ocean floor to dive, spearfish, or collect shellfish. Quoted in The Atlantic, researcher Dr. Melissa Ilardo says: “Underwater, the Bajau are as comfortable as most people are on land. They walk on the seafloor. They have complete control of their breath and body.”
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