Photo: Wikimedia Commons With today marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, we thought it would be fitting to note the impact his theory of evolution has had on research in Israel. Of course, the theory of evolution underlies much biology research today, but this is, after all, a blog exploring the latest in [...]

Photo: Getty Images Israeli scientists have some great news in the field of stem cell research.  By transplanting nerve stem cells directly into the brains of mice born with birth defects (thanks to exposure to drugs and toxins), a Hebrew University team was able to get these mice to function at levels approaching normal. Where [...]

Photo: Getty Images For years, scientists have looked for good ways to treat Type I diabetes, a serious disease that reduces or eliminates the body’s ability to process sugars. (See Wikipedia for more.) For more than 85 years, the best way to manage diabetes has been through carefully monitored injections of insulin hormone. Now, however, [...]

Photo: Getty Images Since its founding in 1995, Save a Child’s Heart has performed life-saving cardiac operations on hundreds of children from around the world.  Based in Tel Aviv, the nonprofit has also been working to share its knowledge with the worldwide medical community.  Haaretz reports today that an SACH team is off to China [...]

Particle Accelerator at the Weizmann InstitutePhoto by Niv on Wikimedia Commons.  Used under Creative Commons license. The November issue of The Scientist magazine has named two Israeli institutions as the best places to work in science (not including the United States). Heading off the Top 10 list (PDF) is the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot followed [...]

Photo: Getty Images One of the foods traditionally consumed during the New Year’s celebration is the pomegranate, because it (traditionally) has 613 seeds or because it is supposed to usher in a fruitful year. Of course, the fruit has also been suggested to have a number of health benefits quite outside the spiritual realm. Whatever [...]

Einstein in New York with leaders of the World Zionist Organization Photo: Wikimedia Commons Ynet reports today that a researcher scrounging through the basement of Hebrew University’s planetarium building came across Einstein’s personal telescope. The great scientist believed in the necessity of the national university and willed his papers to the institution as well. Apparently, [...]

Photo: Getty Images The 05 September edition of Science magazine features an article about how the brain works. For years, scientists have been trying to figure out how we recall individual memories; scientists at Tel Aviv University and Weizmann Institute report that they have watched people remeber individual thoughts. Even better, they could anticipate which [...]

Photo: Getty Images By: Dudi Goldman Translated from Yedioth Aharonoth, 20 August 2008, p.12 Dr. Hossam Haick has been named by MIT’s Technology Review to an exclusive list of scientists for his electronic cancer-detecting “nose.” Each year since 1999, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, considered one of the world’s foremost universities, publishes a list of [...]

Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Remi JouanUsed under Creative Commons License v. 2.5 The New York Times this weekend highlighted Israel’s development of agricultural techniques to conserve water while building a vibrant agricultural sector. Unlike our previous post, which concentrated on inventions in the field of agriculture, the NY Times article focuses on the business side [...]