Comprehensive coverage

Weizmann Institute

Muscle in the making: stem cells of muscle tissue (their nuclei are marked in blue) gradually change their structure and function and become mature muscle cells (the cells whose nuclei have turned red). These cells will eventually fuse into one long, multinucleated muscle cell. The ability of this muscle to contract is thanks to a large number of protein fibers produced in the mature muscle cells (marked in green)

How a muscle is born

An artificial intelligence model sheds light on the specialization pathway of muscle cells and reveals an important control node along the way
The bright twinkling is the supernova SN 2023ixf in the Vane Galaxy. Image based on telescopic data obtained on May 20, 21 and 22, 2023. Credit: Travis Dew, University of Arizona (Hosseinzadeh et al. 2023)

A once-in-a-lifetime supernova: unprecedented mapping of a stellar explosion

The new yeast was discovered for the first time by chance in a mouse intestine (fluorescence microscope image of intestinal tissue, in red - yeast cells named after Weizmann)

Yeast against yeast: Healthy competition between different fungal species in the gut may protect against life-threatening infections

Scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new species of Schmer that is able to push the legs of other species that may be dangerous to health; The scientists named the new species after Dr. Chaim Weizman
The experimental setup: microfluidic channels with a diameter of 1 micron in which E. coli bacteria were grown for several generations using a variety of fluorescent markers. These markers make it possible to follow important events in the bacterium's life cycle at the single cell level

How does a bacterium know it's time?

on the cellular division plan
Right: Ella Amitai Sadovsky - cystic fibrosis. On the left, Reut Dafna - Marfan syndrome

A database on the rare genetic diseases in Israel and an artistic project called "Rare" that illustrates each of these diseases

A new site that serves as the first knowledge base of its kind in Hebrew in the field of rare genetic diseases in Israel - was launched on the occasion of the International Day for Rare Diseases, which is noted on a date that returns only once every four years - February 29. The Internet project is a joint initiative of Bar-Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.  
The cover of the scientific journal shows the 3D structure of a new protein, as predicted by three different artificial intelligence algorithms

Proteins without parents

Collaboration between Israeli researchers, Chinese students and artificial intelligence reveals new wrinkles between the folds of orphan proteins and updates chapters in the theory of evolution
Mouse, rabbit and human embryos (right to left) in the same developmental stage - gastrulation (days 8-7.5 of pregnancy in rabbits and mice and around day 18 of development in humans). At this stage the human, rabbit and other vertebrate embryos are almost flat disc-shaped, while the mouse embryo is elongated cylinder-shaped. The images of the mouse and rabbit embryos were created as part of the current study, the image of the human embryo is taken from a study published in 2021 (Richard CV Tyser et al. Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of a gastrulating human embryo. Nature 600: 285-289)

In the rabbit hole

The institute's scientists developed a method that allows real-time monitoring of the development of embryos at the beginning of their journey and applied it for the first time to rabbits. The comparison they made between embryonic development in rabbits and mice gave rise to answers to fascinating questions about the formation of humans
Antibody engineering. Illustration: depositphotos.com

humanize the messenger

An algorithm developed by the institute's scientists heralds a leap forward in the field of humanizing antibodies and may enable the rapid, efficient and cheaper development of new drugs. The key: stability
Battle team: A dendritic cell (right) and a T cell connected by BiCE antibody (in yellow). were produced from a lymph node of a mouse with skin cancer

Together we will win: combining forces between the cells of the immune system may lead to improved cancer treatments

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have developed a new approach to immunotherapy based on communication between the cells of the immune system
Oats and grains of wheat. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Local heroes

The growth of wheat has become an Israeli symbol of hope and renewal after a disaster. So are Prof. Avraham Levy's field experiments in the Gaza Envelope, which continue a glorious Israeli legacy of researching the evolution and genetics of the world-famous grain
Cells infected with the corona virus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Medicines in the evolution test

Drug safety tests often focus on "physiological safety", meaning their possible effect on patients. Weizmann Institute of Science scientists propose a new type of test: evolutionary safety
The tears flow by themselves. Illustration: depositphotos.com

In the tears you cry: smelling women's tears reduces aggression in men

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that tears activate human olfactory receptors, even though they are odorless, affecting the brain activity associated with aggression - and leading to more peaceful and less vengeful behavior
Monsoon rains in a rural area in India.

Heavy rain is about to fall

Weizmann Institute scientists have shown that dry air crossing the equator intensifies the monsoon rains over India. These surprising findings may improve flood warning capabilities and be good news for hundreds of millions
Entry of an insulin molecule into a human cell. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Why are diabetics more susceptible to respiratory infections?

35% of the corona patients who died in the epidemic were diabetics. In a new study, Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveal that high blood sugar levels disrupt the immune system's ability to fight lung infections and present a therapeutic approach that may save lives
Hadas Calderon with a picture of her son Erez who was kidnapped to Gaza together with his father Ofer and his sister Sahar. The photo was taken on October 30, 2023. Sahar and Erez were later released. Ofer is still in captivity. Photo: L.A.M

The nervous mechanism that goes wrong as a result of exposure to a severe event at a tender age

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveal in unprecedented detail how trauma in newborn mice shapes their brains and impairs their social functions in adulthood * A corresponding behavioral expression in humans may take the form of a high level of introversion, social anxiety and avoidant personality - behaviors known to characterize post-trauma"
Dr. Marcel Freilich Kaplon (front right) handing out certificates of participation in the "We Have Chemistry" competition

"On Saturday morning, out of hell, Marcel worried about the safety of my son who was jumped to the base" - the story of a researcher from the Weizmann Institute who was murdered

Each of the more than 1,400 murdered in the war that began on 7/10/2023 with the invasion of Hamas militants into the Otaf settlements has their own story, Dr. Marcel Freilich-Caplon from the Weizmann Institute is one of them but it turns out that she was primarily concerned for the safety of her colleagues who were attacked by missiles at the same time
Forty babies were murdered in a massacre in the Gaza Strip, 7/10/2023. From the social networks as part of an awareness project to the world.

Stand up against terrorism and violence: a call to the international scientific community

A letter sent by the top of the Weizmann Institute to colleagues in academia around the world requesting that they not evade the condemnation of terrorism on 7/20/32
An artificial model of a human embryo in a developmental stage corresponding to day 12. The upper elliptical structure is the part that will become an embryo including the amniotic sac above it; The lower structure is the yolk sac. The interface between the two structures is an essential element for embryonic development in humans. Both parts are surrounded by a layer of cells which will become the placenta

A human embryo without the need for a sperm egg or uterus

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A pregnancy test detected the fetus in the test tube. The artificial models developed from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus - and grew in the laboratory until day 14
Bacterial cells before phage infection (left) and after (right). The virus replicates itself inside them and leads to the explosion of the cells and the spilling of their contents (in red - the bacterial DNA spilled from the cell)

Survive with 0% battery: an immune system that drains the cell of energy has been discovered

The new system was discovered in bacteria - but is also used in corals, bees and others
Different types of stars. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Hotter than the sun: an extremely hot brown dwarf has been discovered about 1,400 light years away from us

The brown dwarf is part of a new pair system that may advance our understanding of the evolution of stars and planets under extreme radiation conditions
Lung macrophages infected with human cytomegalovirus. In bright green - the cells where there is an active infection

On dormant viruses and protective proteins

New discoveries about how the result of infection with a virus from the herpes family is determined and where dormant viruses may hide in the body
An oligodendrocyte-type cell with many of its branches (in yellow) in a mouse brain section. Reacts to stress quite differently in males and females

Exposure to chronic stress activates different cells in the brains of females and males

From depression and anxiety to diabetes - health conditions resulting from chronic stress affect women and men differently. New study in mice maps at the single-cell level molecular differences in the stress response in the brains of females and males, and may pave the way for personalized treatments
The thinness of the cancer. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Why do cancer patients lose weight?

The institute's scientists reveal how cancer leads to fatal emaciation and point the way to treatment
red blood cells Illustration: depositphotos.com

After more than 100 years: the puzzle of red blood cell production has been solved

The scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science and their research partners identified for the first time the cells that are responsible for one of the most basic actions of life - the production of a hormone that gives an order to produce red blood cells; The findings are expected to break new ground for innovative medical treatments in various anemia conditions
Prof. Binghai Yan. Unexpected enlightenment. Courtesy of the Weizmann Institute

And let there be light, more light

It started with very strange experimental results, continued in a new physical theory about the behavior of photons, and in the future may improve our smartphone screens and allow faster data communication. faster data
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