Why are there gender-specific roles in caring for offspring? Weizmann Institute scientists used optogenetics to change maternal behavior and levels of male aggression in mice – work that could reveal how male and female brains function in conventional gender-related activities and shed new light on disorders such as postpartum depression and autism.
Investigating how the microbiome impacts human health, the labs of Dr. Eran Elinav and Prof. Eran Segal at the Weizmann Institute of Science took a fresh approach: measuring the growth rate of the bacteria. The findings led Dr. Elinav to say, “microbial growth rate reveals things about our health that cannot be seen with any other analysis method.”
Unlike current methods that coat nanoparticles with light-sensitive molecules, a new technique from the Weizmann Institute instead suspends the particles in a light-sensitive medium, then self-assemble. Possible applications include rewritable paper, water decontamination, and a way to precisely deliver medicines.
The tiny, beautiful sea sapphire dazzles observers with its ability to turn various jewel-like colors – and become invisible. The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Lia Addadi, Prof. Steve Weiner, and others reveal how Sapphirinidae pulls off its magic trick, which could have applications such as adaptive reflective coatings and optical mirrors.
As bone marrow and lung stem cells are quite similar, the Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Yair Reisner investigated whether transplant methods used for bone marrow might also work for treating lung diseases such cystic fibrosis and asthma. When mice with lung damage were given the new stem cell treatment, their lungs healed and breathing improved.
Prof. Noam Sobel’s lab discovered that the way our smell receptors are distributed may be unique to us, and devised a method, based on degree of similarity of two odors, to create “olfactory fingerprints.” These could be used not only as a means of identification, but for early diagnosis of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or to match organs for transplant.
A team of Weizmann Institute and Caltech scientists recently had the rare opportunity to observe a supernova in progress by using the Swift Telescope’s UV, gaining unprecedented insight into why stars that go supernova explode in the first place. This is particularly crucial when it comes to 1a supernovae, used to measure distance in the universe.
Weizmann Institute studies are revealing a complex picture of colon cancer progression in which certain genes that drive tumor growth in the earlier stages get suppressed in later stages – taking a step back to move forward. This pause could provide an opportunity for researchers to intervene in the metastasis, or provide a means of early detection.
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute and the University of Bergen have found that a hereditary autoimmune disease (autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1), thought to be very rare, may have a less severe form that affects at least one in 1,000 people. The results suggest that other autoimmune conditions may be tied to mutations in a single gene.
Lung cancer, the world’s deadliest cancer, can be apparently successfully treated, only to return. And when it does so, it’s often resistant to the drugs that worked the first time. Now, a team led by Prof. Yosef Yarden has devised a novel three-pronged strategy that, in mice, kept lung cancer cells from developing resistance in the first place.
In a first, the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Karina Yaniv and a team of scientists have determined how the lymphatic system develops in the embryo … and grown lymphatic cells in the lab. Using zebrafish, they showed that the cells originate in a vein niche that harbors angioblasts. Besides solving this century-old puzzle, their work can shed light on disease.
Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death worldwide, in part because heart cells don’t renew – except during a very small window early in life. In a breakthrough, a team of researchers that included the Weizmann Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, and the University of South Wales gets mouse heart cells to take a step backwards… and be renewed.
Bacteria, which we so often fight, have an immune system, too – in their case, to fight off invasive viruses called phages. Like any immune system, its first challenge is to distinguish between “foreign” and “self.” A Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University team has now revealed exactly how bacteria are able to do this.
Why do we shake hands? Why do animals smell each other? These actions apparently serve the same evolutionary purpose. A study by Prof. Noam Sobel’s lab at the Weizmann Institute shows that after shaking someone’s hand, we subconsciously sniff our own hands twice as much as we normally do –which hand we sniff depends on the other person’s gender.
Weizmann Institute and University of Pennsylvania scientists revealed new informatjion about the complexity of the heartbeat, finding that a single heart muscle cell may beat as more than two dozen. A detailed glimpse into the mechanisms of normal and irregular heart muscle cell contractions, the research could lead to improved treatments.
A partial human skull unearthed in a cave in northern Israel is providing clues as to when and where humans and Neanderthals might have interbred. In order to precisely determine the age of the skull, a combination of dating methods were employed, including accelerator mass spectrometry by the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Elisabetta Boaretto.
SpaceIL – a nonprofit aiming to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the Moon – and the Weizmann Institute are hosting an online space trivia game, “Super Moon,” starting in March. Open to ages 6-11 and 12-18, winners will be announced during the Weizmann Institute’s Science Education Week (March 22-29). All entrants get to send a message to the Moon.
Weizmann’s Dr. Jacob Hanna and Cambridge University scientists have made a first-in-the-world breakthrough: creating human primordial cells. The group has turned back the clock on human cells to create primordial germ cells: the embryonic cells that give rise to sperm and ova. Scientists worldwide have been pursuing this goal for several years.
In a first, Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky’s lab has identified the neurons that help us know where we’re going. Working with bats, which move in three dimensions, the team found that bats’ brains contain a sort of 3D compass, enabling them to orient themselves in space. They believe that the brains of non-flying mammals – including humans – also have the compass.
Dr. Itay Halevy of the Weizmann Institute and Dr. Boswell Wing of McGill University found that deep-sea microbes that “breathe” sulfur prefer that sulfur to be light. In fact, the microbes will “fractionate” heavier sulfur into lighter isotopes. Learning the preferences of these microbes can help reveal the ancient past … and predict the future.
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