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/thanks-for-the-memories/
Jun 30, 2011...
How easy is it to falsify memory? New research at the Weizmann Institute shows that a bit of social pressure may be all that is needed. The study, which appears Friday inScience, reveals a unique pattern of brain activity when false memories are formed – one that hints at a surprising connection between our social selves and memory.
The experiment, conducted by Prof. Yadin Dudai and research student Micah Edelson of the Institute’s Neurobiology Department with Prof. Raymond Dolan and Dr. Tali Sharot of University College London, took place in four stages. In the first, volunteers watched a documentary film in small groups. Three days later, they returned to the lab individually to take a memory test, answering questions about the film. They were also asked how confident they were in their answers.
Aug 24, 2016...
Woodmere resident Justin Lish conducted research at the Weizmann Institute of Science campus in Rehovot, Israel and spent time exploring the country this July. Courtesy HAFTR
Woodmere resident and 2016 salutatorian of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School (HAFTR) Justin Lish broadened his scientific horizons during his four weeks in Rehovot, Israel, where he attended the Weizmann Institute of Science’s annual Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute from July 3 to 28.
Jun 12, 2018...
A team from the University of Washington has developed a way to bring soccer matches to the world of augmented reality. (Photo: Konstantinos Rematas / YouTube)
Future games to decide who hoists the World Cup of soccer may one day play out not on your smartphone or television, but on any flat surface in your home.
A team of researchers from the University of Washington have created a machine-learning algorithm that can convert 2D YouTube clips into 3D reconstructions. Experienced through an augmented reality headset like the Microsoft HoloLens or the HTC Vive Pro, the system places a virtual representation of the match on any real-world flat surface. Those viewing the simulation can then walk around or move in close to see key pieces of the action.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/ai-can-edit-photos-with-zero-experience/
Jul 10, 2019...
Images: The Weizmann Institute of Science
Imagine showing a photo taken through a storefront window to someone who has never opened her eyes before, and asking her to point to what’s in the reflection and what’s in the store. To her, everything in the photo would just be a big jumble. Computers can perform image separations, but to do it well, they typically require handcrafted rules or many, many explicit demonstrations: here’s an image, and here are its component parts.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/why-light-bulbs-may-be-the-next-hacker-target/
Nov 03, 2016...
The Internet of Things, activated through apps, promises tremendous convenience to homeowners. But it may also prove irresistible to hackers. Credit: Carlos Gonzalez for The New York Times
SAN FRANCISCO — The so-called Internet of Things, its proponents argue, offers many benefits: energy efficiency, technology so convenient it can anticipate what you want, even reduced congestion on the roads.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/tears-are-a-turnoff/
Apr 04, 2011... When we cry – a universal human behavior – we clearly send all sorts of emotional signals. Now, Institute scientists have shown that some of those emotional signals are chemically encoded in the tears themselves: In research that recently appeared in Science, they demonstrated that merely sniffing a woman's tears – even when the crying woman is nowhere in the vicinity – reduces sexual arousal in men.
Aug 28, 2010...
Stress is one of life’s universal experiences – everyone is familiar with it, regardless of who they are, where they live, or what they do. But while stress is common, it is hardly simple. Prof. Alon Chen of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Neurobiology is working to clarify the biological underpinnings of stress and elucidate the brain’s mechanisms for coping with the condition.
Prof. Chen defines stress as the result of any demand or challenge to homeostasis – our internal balance system – and says it is important to remember that stress can be real or perceived, current or anticipated, physiological or psychological, or a mixture of these. In addition, the perception of and response to stress are very individual, and both genetic and environmental factors play a role in how a person copes. Many scientists believe that stress is left over from early human existence, when challenging situations required an instinctive “fight or flight” response. Today, people have more choices; however, when confronted with stress, the body still automatically activates a series of coordinated responses organized to protect homeostatic equilibrium and, thus, enhance the probability of survival.
May 04, 2016...
This might sound like something from a Bond movie. But a team from Israel has used some rather nifty chemistry to come up with a way to use common chemicals such as cola as the encryption key to code and decode hidden messages
Next time you see someone spilling a drink in a bar, you could actually be witnessing a spy secretly decoding an encrypted message.
This might sound like something from a Bond movie.
Oct 29, 2014... Prof. Noam Sobel introduces the sensory into the science and dance program: while all our senses are involved in any experience, it is the brain that lets us smell, or hear, or touch. His studies on the brain mechanism behind the sense of smell could lead to early diagnosis of diseases. His dancers are both mechanical and fluid, conveying the way the brain works – and not.
Jan 07, 2019...
Let’s say you’re strolling through an art museum, stopping every few feet to admire a work you’re particularly fond of. A Picasso on the left, a Matisse on the right.
But something stops you before you step away from Picasso. It’s almost like it’s ... running off the frame, about to leap into your purse.
You think your eyes are deceiving you. You knew Picasso’s art was a little ... other-worldly ... but this? What is this sorcery? Am I at an art museum, or the fifth dimension?