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.
Oct 29, 2014... Institute President Prof. Daniel Zajfman tells the crowd that they are privy to a unique show: the collaboration between neuroscientists and modern dancers will play exactly twice, once in New York City, once in Tel Aviv. He compares scientists and dancers, saying that they both have to work extremely hard; need collaboration; and must have inspiration.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-february-2009/
Feb 03, 2009... Even when our eyes are closed, the visual centers in our brain are humming with activity. Weizmann Institute scientists and others have shown in the last few years that the magnitude of sense-related activity in a brain that’s disengaged from seeing, touching, etc., is quite similar to that of one exposed to a stimulus. New research at the Institute has now revealed details of that activity, explaining why, even though our sense centers are working, we don’t experience sights or sounds when there’s nothing coming in through our sensory organs.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/bats-offer-new-directions-in-brain-research/
Jul 01, 2012...
"Our memories are basically who we are," says Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky of the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. "I suspect that this is why people are so afraid of the various memory dysfunctions—because if you lose your memory then, in some way, you lose your identity and personality."
Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky
Dr. Ulanovsky investigates memory using an unconventional subject: bats. In addition to shedding light on the basic function of the memory system, his work could lead to new understanding of a range of neurological conditions. "There are dozens and dozens of disorders of the brain," he says, "and these are some of the most difficult medical problems to tackle."
Aug 28, 2019...
Image via Shutterstock.com
Prescribing the right anti-depression medication often involves tedious trial and error. Your psychiatrist suggests one type of pill, but it doesn’t work or has too many side effects. So you go on to the next medication and then another one until you finally find a prescription that seems to work. Meanwhile, the debilitating symptoms of depression continue.
Neuroscientist Dekel Taliaz found the entire drawn-out process to be, well, depressing. So, together with his brother Oren, he set up a company bearing the siblings’ family name – Taliaz – to apply the latest in artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable psychiatrists to prescribe the right anti-depression medication the first time.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/the-smell-of-white/
Nov 19, 2012...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 22, 2012—You can see the color white; you can hear white noise. Now, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers show that you can also smell a white odor. Their research findings appeared November 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The white we see is actually a mixture of light waves of different wavelengths. In a similar manner, the hum we call white noise is made of a combination of assorted sound frequencies. In either case, to be perceived as white, a stimulus must meet two conditions: The mix that produces them must span the range of our perception; and each component must be present at the exact same intensity. Could both of these conditions be met with odors, so as to produce a white smell? That question has remained unanswered, until now, in part due to such technical difficulties as getting the intensities of all the scents to be identical.
Feb 09, 2018...
The good news is that we’re living longer than ever. The not-so-good news is that age-related diseases – including vision problems – are also sticking around. As just one example, the National Institutes of Health says that because of increased longevity, the number of people with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, grew 18 percent – from 1.75 to 2.07 million – over a single decade.
Fortunately, the Weizmann Institute of Science’s dedicated researchers are investigating age-related diseases from a number of angles, from the basic biochemistry of the retina to imaging the brain in action. Interdisciplinary groups study computer-aided and artificial vision and experiment with vaccines that could prevent degenerative eye diseases. By finding ways to better understand, protect, preserve, and treat the eyes, Weizmann scientists are improving life for people worldwide.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/rats-long-term-memory-erased-in-study/
Aug 16, 2007... This article can be viewed by downloading the PDF.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/brave-brains-neural-mechanisms-of-courage/
Jun 01, 2010... A fascinating new study combines snakes with brain imaging in order to uncover neural mechanisms associated with 'courage.' The research, published by Cell Press in the June 24 issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating insight into what happens in the brain when an individual voluntarily performs an action opposite to that promoted by ongoing fear and may even lead to new treatment strategies for those who exhibit a failure to overcome their fear.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/a-lesson-in-sleep-learning/
Aug 27, 2012...
Anat Arzi (l), Prof. Noam Sobel, and a research subject in the lab.
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—August 27, 2012— Is sleep learning possible? A new Weizmann Institute study appearing August 26 in Nature Neuroscience has found that if certain odors are presented after tones during sleep, people will start sniffing when they hear the tones alone – even when no odor is present – both during sleep and, later, when awake. In other words, people can learn new information while they sleep, and this can unconsciously modify their waking behavior.
Nov 09, 2009... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 9, 2009—From Proust's madeleines to the overbearing food critic in the movie Ratatouille who is transported back to his childhood at the aroma of stew, artists have long been aware that some odors can spontaneously evoke strong memories. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now revealed the scientific basis of this connection. Their research appears in the latest issue of Current Biology.
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