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Boker Tachtit in the Negev is a crucial archaeological site for studying the spread of Homo sapiens out of Africa and the subsequent demise of Neanderthals. Using techniques so sophisticated that they can date grains of sand, Weizmann’s Prof. Elisabetta Boaretto and colleagues have shown that previous dating of the site was incorrect – and that early humans and Neanderthals cohabitated at the site.

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A co-investigator on NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter, Prof. Yohai Kaspi and his team have made discoveries about the gas giant’s climate: Each pole has several Australia-sized cyclones that rarely change their size, number, or position because massive polar storms keep them at bay, and strong jet streams won’t let them form below a certain latitude.

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To date, place cells have been studied in mammals in small spaces. How do we navigate large ones? Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky and team studied bats navigating a 200-m-long tunnel – and discovered a novel neuronal code for spatial perception. The work showed that place cells behave completely differently when navigating very large spaces.

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Scientists at the Weizmann Institute and the Israel Institute for Biological, Chemical and Environmental Sciences took a novel tack to investigating SARS-CoV-2’s powerful ability to infect, finding that the virus deploys an apparently unique three-pronged strategy to take over the cell’s protein-synthesis abilities. The work could help develop effective Covid-19 treatments.

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The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Ofer Yizhar and colleagues used mosquito rhodopsins to create an optogenetics tool that is more precise, selective, and controllable than current techniques. In addition to increasing our understanding of the brain and advancing the field of optogenetics, the technology could lead to improved therapies for neurological and psychiatric conditions.

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Prof. Ilan Koren at the Weizmann Institute and Dr. Eitan Hirsch have identified another impact of Australia’s massive wildfires: smoke particles from the country’s southeast actually reached the stratosphere. They then traveled on a steady current that carried them around the world, covering and lingering above much of the Southern Hemisphere.

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The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Yardena Samuels, Prof. Eran Segal, and Dr. Ravid Straussman, with partners at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the NCI, and elsewhere, have discovered that the bacteria living inside cancer cells can be harnessed to provoke an immune reaction against the tumor. The work could also help explain findings showing that the microbiome affects the success of immunotherapy.

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In a first, the Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Jacob Hanna and his group have grown mouse embryos in an artificial uterus. The feat allows scientists to study the early stages of development, with potential implications that include understanding why implantations fail and the gestational conditions behind developmental disorders, as well as reduced need for laboratory animals.

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Weizmann Institute scientists analyzed around six million blood tests to obtain data on several types of hormones, discovering that some peak in winter/spring and others in summer. Peaks in stress or reproductive hormones may have “evolved to help us cope with seasonal changes in our surrounding environment.”

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Chronic stress can lead to or advance a number of diseases as the stress axis is continually activated. In a first, Prof. Alon Chen’s lab has revealed the entire stress axis, mapping it to the gene expression pattern of individual cells. The findings may lead to treatments for conditions such as metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and depression and anxiety.

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Ron Milo has shown that the mass of materials humans produce is now equal to that of all living things on Earth – and we're doubling that rate every 20 years. He warns that we are at the crossover point and must all “take responsibility.”

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Melanoma is skilled at evading therapies, with its cells going so far as to starve in order to stop the immune cells that would eradicate them. A team from the Weizmann Institute, including Prof. Yardena Samuels; the Netherlands Cancer Institute; and the University of Oslo have revealed one of melanoma's tricks - never before seen in human cells - and a therapeutic target.

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Prof. Rotem Sorek’s lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed the role retrons play in bacteria, finding that the hybrid structures are immune system guards that ensure the bacteria’s survival when it is infected by viruses. In addition, the team hopes that newly identified retrons will improve genome-editing tools.

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Liver failure – often due to acetaminophen overdose – is fatal in 80% of cases. The labs of Profs. Ido Amit and Eran Elinav discovered three liver-cell subsets that contribute to disease progression, and found that depleting the microbiome acts on those subsets to reduce liver damage and increase survival rates. The research may lead to treatments for liver failure.

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Dr. Felipe Natalio and colleagues, studying flint tools from Qesem Cave, found that ancient humans first exposed the flint to different fire temperatures, depending on the type of tool desired. The discovery was made by a team using very modern tools, such as machine learning and spectroscopy.

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Pregnant mice typically miscarry when exposed to the odor of a male who did not father their pups. Weizmann research provides evidence that the same effect occurs in women with unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL), who apparently process messages about male body odor differently. This could help identify causes and prevention of uRPL.

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The two institutions have signed an MoU to collaborate on advancing AI, including through exchange programs, conferences and seminars, sharing of computing resources, and establishment of a joint virtual AI institute. The partnership is enabled by the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE.

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The Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Institute for Biological Research took a new approach to fighting COVID: tracing the contacts between the virus’s genetic material and the cells’ protein-producing machinery. This could lead to better diagnostics and new treatments, as well as help clarify why COVID is so skilled in the process of infection.

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A study led by Prof. Mike Fainzilber identifies a potential new approach to treating chronic pain: targeting an importin molecule that moves pain messages into nerve cell nuclei. The team can now “conduct screens for new and better drug molecules that can precisely target this chain of events in the sensory neurons.”

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Prof. Ido Amit and his team’s INs-seq technology allows them to see inside tens of thousands of individual cells, at once, in unprecedented detail. The group has already used the method to identify a new subset of cancer-supporting immune cells that, when blocked in mice, boosted the anti-tumor immune response and killed the cancer.

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The Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Ravid Straussman and colleagues developed a method that utilizes cellular signaling to determine the best treatment for a given tumor. The method can help tailor treatments and identify new drug-development targets. In fact, the team has already singled out a gene that serves as a target for treating BRCA-related breast cancers.

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Oded Aharonson found that ancient ice holds magnetic particles. The finding could shed greater light on the Earth’s magnetic field reversals, supplement magnetic field data from rocks and sediment, and identify field reversals on other bodies in our Solar System, such as Mars.

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How did the earliest proteins arise, given that the amino acids needed to make them are themselves produced by other proteins – enzymes? The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Dan Tawfik and colleagues recreated primordial proteins to find the answer.

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Weizmann Institute scientists and colleagues - including at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry - studied mice in a semi-natural setting and found that the hormone oxytocin can amplify aggression as well as friendliness.

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Weizmann Institute scientists show that bacteria live inside all cancer cells, from brain to breast to bone, and that each type of cancer has its own type of bacteria. Understanding this relationship could help predict treatment effectiveness or lead to ways of using the bacteria to boost treatments.

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A new Weizmann Institute model of autoimmune disease may solve some major outstanding riddles, including what causes T cells to attack and why only certain organs get the diseases

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Two Weizmann Institute scientists are on a team selected as a finalist for a mission to Triton, Neptune’s largest moon. The duo designed a super-accurate clock that will help them study Triton’s atmosphere - and even search for life. The mission, called Trident, would launch in 2026.

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In another example of the power of the sense of smell, Prof. Noam Sobel, Dr. Anat Arzi, and colleagues have developed a “sniff test” that can help diagnose degree of brain injury in patients in a vegetative state. The test also predicted – with 100% accuracy – which patients were most likely to regain consciousness.

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Roy Bar-Ziv has demonstrated the self-synthesis and self-assembly of a ribosomal subunit on the surface of a chip. The breakthrough could lead to novel types of vaccines, including for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or to assembly lines to produce complex molecules for a range of industries.

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On April 12, the Weizmann Institute began using its cutting-edge PCR facilities to perform coronavirus testing after an agreement was reached with Israel's Ministry of Health.

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Ron Milo and colleagues at Caltech and Berkeley used his biomass-analyzing techniques to sort the mass of coronavirus data, with interesting results. For example, they found that the coronavirus mutation accumulation rate is relatively slow, which is good news for vaccines

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Weizmann Institute scientists present a mathematical model for an exit strategy: how to restart the economy after the crisis

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Reduced sense of smell is an early COVID-19 symptom for some. Weizmann Institute olfactory system expert Prof. Noam Sobel has developed SmellTracker, an online test for monitoring our own sense of smell. SmellTracker may help diagnose the virus early, and even distinguish between strains.

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A method of predicting the coronavirus spread – pioneered and developed by Weizmann Institute scientists – may enable authorities to focus efforts on areas where an outbreak is anticipated and relieve measures taken in others. Several countries, including the U.S., are adopting the new method

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Using machine learning to analyze data on nearly 600,000 pregnancies, researchers devised an algorithm that identified nine parameters – out of more than 2,000 analyzed – that can predict which women are at risk of gestational diabetes. The parameters can identify risk early in – even before – pregnancy, enabling early intervention.

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Weizmann Institute scientists created a decoy molecule that successfully recruits the immune system to fight arenaviruses. It also appears to be heat-resistant and stable, meaning it could be delivered to the remote areas where these diseases are endemic.

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Weizmann Institute scientists have converted bacteria to consume CO2 – basically, to live on air – instead of sugar. Such bacteria may contribute to new, carbon-efficient technologies, from food production to green fuels.

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A study on mice, conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Science's Prof. Alon Chen and colleagues, shows that animal research may need to take into account the connection between genes, behavior, and personality

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Researchers in the lab of Prof. Noam Sobel at the Weizmann Institute of Science reveal that some left-handed women have excellent senses of smell, despite lacking olfactory bulbs

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Research by the Weizmann Institute of Science's Prof. Yardena Samuels shows that heterogeneity in melanoma tumors prevents effective immune responses

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Prof. Rafael Malach’s lab has revealed a neuronal mechanism central to free recall. Working with people hospitalized with epilepsy who had implanted electrodes, the team recorded, for the first time, “hippocampal ripples” – synchronized bursts of activity that Prof. Malach calls “a nerve-cell fireworks display.”

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Profs. Eran Elinav and Eran Segal at the Weizmann Institute of Science have isolated a molecule that may be under-produced in the guts of ALS patients

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When immune cells and bacteria meet, the outcome is decided fairly quickly – including whether the bacteria will lie dormant, as in diseases like tuberculosis. Now, Weizmann Institute scientists have developed an algorithm that predicts how the immune system will respond to a pathogen, thus leading to early diagnosis for infectious diseases.

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The early-stage prostate cancer treatment, approved for use in 31 European countries, is now being marketed in Germany, Italy, Israel, and Mexico

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Eran Segal and colleagues developed an algorithm that is helping sort through variations in gut microbes. The group found that the same microbes occur across diverse populations, yet can behave in different ways. Even tiny variations in a particular microbe affects the microbiome, including leading to differences in weight.

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Prof. Noam Sobel's team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has shown that we do better on tests when we inhale at the same time we’re presented with a problem. The findings shed light on the evolution of the brain, and may lead to ways of helping people who have attention and learning disorders improve their skills.

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Antifreeze proteins occur in nature; in fact, that’s how life survives in cold environments. However, at extremely cold temperatures, the same proteins do the opposite and promote ice formation. Now, thanks to a device invented by the Weizmann Institute's Prof. Yinon Rudich, scientists have been able to study these proteins for the first time.

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Beresheet, Israel's first lunar landing craft, is heading towards that rocky outpost. Weizmann Institute scientist Prof. Oded Aharonson and Brown University's Prof. Jim Hood have now identified the best site for the craft to land in order to study the Moon's magnetic field.

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Currently, very few vaccines can be administered orally. Using a novel imaging method that captures all of the immune cells’ niches within an organ, Weizmann Institute scientists investigated the training process for the cells involved in immunity, developing insights that could lead to the design of more effective oral vaccines.

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The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Oded Aharonson, who is head of the SpaceIL international science team, has designed a project to measure and examine the Moon's magnetic field. The moon landing will make Israel the fourth country to reach the rocky outpost.