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://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://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-next-agricultural-revolution-is-here/
Sep 19, 2019...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Uplands Farm has a history of ground-breaking plant research and environmental activism.
As a growing population and climate change threaten food security, researchers around the world are working to overcome the challenges that threaten the dietary needs of humans and livestock. A pair of scientists is now making the case that the knowledge and tools exist to facilitate the next agricultural revolution we so desperately need.
Sep 01, 2019... Among the many ongoing changes inflicted on our climate and atmosphere, the increase in CO2 level has been the most consistent, with about 1.5-2 ppm annual increase. CO2 is the substrate for plant photosynthesis, and hence the expectation that the more CO2 we emit to the air, the more CO2 is available for plant growth. Indeed, CO2 fertilization has been used successfully to increase yields in greenhouses. Yet, in the majority of scenarios outside the greenhouse, plant growth is limited by other factors, such as light, water, and nutrients. Therefore, so far, global crop yields have not benefitted from surplus CO2.
May 28, 2020...
California's giant Sequoias can live for more than 3,000 years, their trunks stretching two car lengths in diameter, their branches reaching nearly 300 feet toward the clouds. But a few years ago, amid a record drought, scientists noticed something odd. A few of these arboreal behemoths inside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were dying in ways no one had ever documented—from the top down.
When researchers climbed into the canopies, they discovered that cedar bark beetles had bored into a few branches. By 2019, at least 38 of the trees had died—not a large number, but “concerning because we’ve never observed this before,” says Christy Brigham, the park’s chief of resource management.
Jul 01, 2020...
Israeli researchers have discovered collaboration between trees deep in the ground, Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in central Israel said Wednesday.
In their study, WIS researchers found underground intricate networks of fungi connecting the roots of different tree species with one another.
These networks enable the trees to exchange of minerals, nutrients, water and carbon, while funneling carbon to the fungi in return.
Sep 20, 2020...
The Israeli company Phytolon, which is known for developing a fermentation-based technology for the production of plant-based food colors, announced on Thursday that it has secured $4.1 million from various companies and investors.
Some of the companies and investors providing the funding include major companies such as Millennium Food-Tech, EIT Food, Consensus Business Group, The Trendlines Group and also the Israel Innovation Authority. Phytolon's innovative products utilizes scientific advancement in biotechnology to produce natural food colors that are more environmentally sustainable, driven by the fact that consumers are seeking healthier food colors to replace synthetic ones.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/video-gallery/plant-power-nourishing-and-healing-the-world/
Dec 17, 2020... In this video discussion, renowned plant scientist Prof. Asaph Aharoni takes us on a tour of his lab before sitting down to talk about his research. He particularly focuses on using plants to improve health and tackle major problems such as hunger and malnutrition.
Mar 17, 2021...
A year into Covid-related shutdowns, we are seeing a host of devastating impacts unrelated to the illness itself. One of these is hunger.
Food insecurity – lack of consistent access to sufficient, nutritious food – was a major public-health concern before the pandemic. Climate change’s extended droughts, destructive fires and storms, and rising waters are wiping out resources in many areas, notably India and Africa. Poverty is another contributing factor, particularly in cities with “food deserts” where it is hard to find fresh fruit and vegetables and other healthy options. (Interestingly, the World Bank reports that “children who are properly nourished during the first 1,000 days of their lives are 33% more likely to escape poverty as adults.”)
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/a-natural-food-supplement-may-relieve-anxiety/
May 18, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—May 18, 2021—A natural food supplement reduces anxiety in mice, according to a new Weizmann Institute of Science study. The plant-derived substance, beta-sitosterol, was found to produce the calming effect both on its own and in synergic combination with a common antidepressant, fluoxetine (brand name Prozac). If these findings, published in Cell Reports Medicine, are confirmed in clinical trials, they could point the way toward the use of beta-sitosterol as a treatment for relieving anxiety in humans.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/bacteria-and-plants-fight-alike/
Dec 01, 2021...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 1, 2021—A brown blotch on a plant leaf may be a sign that the plant’s defenses are hard at work.
A new study at the Weizmann Institute of Science, published today in Nature, points to the evolutionary origins of this plant immune mechanism.
When a plant is infected by a virus, fungus or bacterium, its immune response arrests the spread of the disease by killing the infected cell and those immediately surrounding it. The new Weizmann study may help explain how major plant defenses work and how they may one day be strengthened to increase resilience against plant diseases that each year cause billions of dollars of crop losses worldwide.
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