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.
Jul 16, 2019...
Photo of neurosurgery from healthline.com
If you’re ever unfortunate enough to require brain surgery, Israeli startup Nurami Medical has got you covered – literally.
The Haifa-based company has developed a patch made of synthetic, biodegradable nanofibers meant to be affixed to the dura mater – the protective membrane underneath the skull that keeps the brain and spinal cord safe – after cranial neurosurgery.
Dec 22, 2015... Prof. David Cahen, head of the Weizmann Institute's Alternative Energy Research Initiative, and colleague Prof. Leeor Kronik discuss humankind's energy problem – specifically, that we cannot keep using energy as we do today – and potential solutions, such as use of highly efficient solar power. The event was held at The Gregory School in Tucson.
Jan 02, 2019...
Cholesterol plaque illustration by Hywards/Shutterstock.com
You probably know that LDL cholesterol is “bad” and that too much of it in your blood puts you at risk of atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.
A group of Israeli researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science wanted to understand how cholesterol, a basic component of life, can turn deadly.
The job of cholesterol is to provide elasticity to the fatty substance that makes up cell membranes. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol acts as “packaging” to help cholesterol travel through the blood, and can even clear away molecular cholesterol that settles on blood vessel walls.
Mar 02, 2020...
To heat a slice of pizza, you probably wouldn’t consider first chilling it in the fridge. But a theoretical study suggests that cooling, as a first step before heating, may be the fastest way to warm up certain materials. In fact, such precooling could lead sometimes to exponentially faster heating, two physicists calculate in a study accepted in Physical Review Letters.
The concept is similar to the Mpemba effect, the counterintuitive — and controversial — observation that hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water (SN: 1/6/17). Scientists still don’t agree on why the Mpemba effect occurs, and it’s difficult to reproduce the effect consistently. The new study is “a way of thinking of effects like the Mpemba effect from a different perspective,” says physicist Andrés Santos of Universidad de Extremadura in Badajoz, Spain, who was not involved with the research.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/nature-s-cure-for-alzheimer-s/
Jan 31, 2018...
From ancient paper to luxurious clothing and parachutes, humans have been capitalising on the extreme strength, lightness and softness of silk for thousands of years.
Now, scientists are on the verge of harnessing its unique properties in a completely different way – for the treatment of illnesses like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have found that the structure of the silk fibrils in spider webs and silkworm cocoons is very similar to that of the cell-destroying protein clumps, or amyloids, that form in the brains of Alzheimer’s suffers.
May 12, 2017...
On March 21, the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Dr. Ulyana Shimanovich received the 11th Annual Gruber Award for Scientific Excellence. Established by philanthropist Patricia Gruber and her late husband Peter Gruber through their Gruber Foundation, the prestigious award provides valuable affirmation and support for talented young scientists just beginning their careers.
Patricia’s forward-looking approach to improving the human condition is both principled and pragmatic: she funds the fellowships, scholarships, awards, and other initiatives that actually help people advance.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-secret-of-seawater-spines/
Dec 07, 2016...
Soft corals and sea urchins crowd an outcrop off Inner Farne, England. New research revealed that sea urchins get the calcium they need to build hard shells and spines very differently from how scientists theorized in the past. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered how urchins get the calcium they need to build hard shells and spines, possibly altering the way scientists view the process of biomineralization.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/how-to-make-electrons-behave-like-a-liquid/
Feb 22, 2016... New work shows that interactions of electrons in graphene lead to viscous current flows, creating tiny whirlpools that cause electrons to travel in the direction opposite to the applied voltage – in direct violation of standard electrical theory. White lines show current streamlines, colors show electrical potential, and green arrows show the direction of current, for viscous (top) and normal (ohmic) flows. Courtesy of the researchers
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/crystal-clear/
Jun 01, 2008...
In November 1895, German physics professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was in his laboratory studying light phenomena generated by discharging an electrical current in a vacuum glass tube when, to his utter disbelief, he suddenly saw the bones of his hand outlined through his flesh.
Roentgen had discovered X-rays. Within weeks, physicians were using these magical rays to see inside the human body and less than three months later, 14-year-old Eddie McCarthy of Massachusetts became the first person to have a broken bone set with their help. The new technology quickly found its way into scientific research, exploding into experimental significance following the 1912 development of X-ray crystallography, which offered a first-time look into the atomic-scale arrangement of crystals. Having exposed crystals to X-ray beams, the father-son team of Henry and Lawrence Bragg, found that the beams diffracted off the crystal’s atoms, and could be captured on film to disclose the crystal structure.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/artificial-cells-act-like-the-real-thing/
Aug 18, 2014...
(l-r) Eyal Karzbrun, Alexandra Tayar, and Prof. Roy Bar-Ziv.
Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, but mimicking the intricate networks and dynamic interactions that are inherent to living cells is difficult to achieve outside the cell. Now, as published in Science, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have created an artificial, network-like cell system that is capable of reproducing the dynamic behavior of protein synthesis. This achievement is not only likely to help us gain a deeper understanding of basic biological processes, but it may, in the future, pave the way toward controlling the synthesis of both naturally occurring and synthetic proteins for a host of uses.
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