The gene LIS1 is crucial for ensuring the proper placement of neurons in the developing brain. When it is missing, brains fail to develop their characteristic folds, resulting in defects. However, new research at the Weizmann Institute shows that having extra LIS1 genes can cause problems as well.
The bacterium E. coli, one of the best-studied single-celled organisms around, is a master of industrial efficiency. But how good is it? Weizmann Institute researchers developed a mathematical model "“ which uses only five simple equations "“ to check the efficiency of these complex systems.
New research by Weizmann Institute scientists and their colleagues helps explain why we don't experience sights or sounds when there is no input to our sensory organs "“ even though our sense centers are functioning.
Weizmann Institute scientists have created circuits and logic gates made of live nerves grown in the lab.
Why do some cancer cells survive chemotherapy "“ leaving the door open to recurrence "“ while others don't? Weizmann Institute scientists develop an original method for imaging and analyzing many thousands of living cells to reveal exactly how a chemotherapy drug affects each one.
Weizmann Institute scientist Prof. Nava Dekel found that performing a uterine biopsy "“ causing a slight injury to the lining of the uterus "“ just before a woman undergoes IVF doubles the chances of a successful pregnancy. A couple in Canada is very happy with the outcome.
Soot, or aerosols, can have both heating and cooling effects on clouds. Weizmann Institute scientists and colleagues have now developed a model of this complex relationship, showing when aerosols rising into the clouds will result in heating or cooling. Their findings may help convey the true climatic consequences of fires and industrial fuels.
A new Weizmann Institute study reveals certain mechanisms by which mimivirus, the world's largest virus, is spread. Weizmann scientists also obtained, for the first time, 3D pictures of how the virus infects cells. This research provides important insights into the process of viral infection.
Weizmann Institute scientists and colleagues have successfully created a new type of enzyme for a reaction that naturally occurring enzymes do not produce. By developing a method that allows the synthetic enzyme to "evolve" in a test tube, the researchers were able to vastly increase the efficiency of the new enzyme.
Weizmann scientists are participating in BIOTACT, a new initiative bringing together international teams of robotics and brain researchers. The program's goals include developing innovative touch technologies based on the natural principle of active sensing, such as a whiskered "robotic rat" that may be able to aid in rescue missions.
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have proposed a mechanism that provides an explanation for the remarkable precision of the genetic time bomb causing Huntington's and other trinucleotide repeat diseases.
New research shows how the body continuously screens and inspects the identity of cells to determine whether they are 'self' or 'foreign.' These findings may lead to deeper insights into the immune system and its function, and could yield new directions in pharmaceutical and medical research.
Some people are oblivious to the odor in the locker room after a game, while others wrinkle their noses at the slightest whiff of sweat. Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science has now shown that this difference is at least partly genetic.
The Weizmann Institute of Science will present career enhancement awards to 11 Israeli women scientists. The awards will help them conduct postdoctoral studies at leading universities worldwide, and are part of the new Weizmann Institute Women in Science Program. The goal of the program is to begin closing the gender gap in the highest ranks of academia.
Taking a chance on an experiment is one of the impulses that drive evolution. But when do cells retain specific gene sequences, and when do they allow evolution to experiment with them? Prof. Naama Barkai examined gene expression and the evolution of mechanisms for controlling that expression, and found that a sort of "risk distribution law" is in effect.
A group of Israeli scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Technion "“ Israel Institute of Technology, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have identified genes responsible for the positive response of many MS patients to the drug Copaxone. These findings may contribute to the development of personalized medicine for MS sufferers.
Is there something in the chemistry of a substance that predicts how we will perceive its smell? Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California at Berkeley have discovered that knowing the molecular structure of a substance can help predict whether we will find its smell pleasant or not.
Blue Planet, a curriculum package for middle school students, has won recognition by UNESCO as a worldwide model in environmental studies. Written by Weizmann Institute scientists, the program focuses on the link between man and the environment.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the Western world. The tumor starts off as a polyp but then turns into an invasive and violent cancer, which often spreads to the liver. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have now revealed the mechanisms that help this cancer metastasize.
Is heading straight for a goal the quickest way there? If the name of the game is evolution, suggests new research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the pace might speed up if the goals themselves change continuously.
When white dwarf stars explode, they leave behind a rapidly expanding cloud of "stardust" known as a Type Ia supernova. Astronomers have now "“ for the first time "“ made a unique set of observations enabling them to find traces of the material that surrounded a white dwarf before it exploded. No Type Ia supernova event has ever been observed at this level of detail over a several-month period following the explosion.
Weizmann Institute scientists and colleagues recently discovered what makes B lymphocytes stay alive. By then studying the survival mechanism, they were able to raise cancer cell mortality rates. The findings may lead to future treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as for other diseases in which B lymphocytes accumulate in the blood.
Scientists have discovered that the process of storing long-term memories is much more dynamic than previously thought, involving a molecular "machine" that must run constantly to keep memories going. They also found that jamming the machine briefly can erase long-term memories. Their findings may lead to future treatments for memory problems.
A team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has now revealed new details about the mechanisms controlling metastasis of breast cancer cells. Their findings add significantly to the understanding of metastasis and may aid, in the future, in the development of anti-cancer drugs.
In molecular recognition, the molecules often need to deform in order to bind. Why? Weizmann scientists have developed a biophysical model which indicates that, in picking out a target molecule from a crowd of look-alikes, the recognizer has an advantage if it's slightly off-target.
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, together with colleagues from the U.S., recently succeeded in being the first to implement doping "“ the introduction of small amounts of impurities "“ in the field of molecular electronics.
If single quantum particles can exist in two places at once, and interfere with themselves in predictable patterns, what happens when there are two quantum particles? New research allows scientists to observe, for the first time, an oscillating interference pattern between two identical particles, thus supporting quantum theory.
Weizmann Institute scientists have developed genetically modified mice that carry ferritin, a promising reporter gene that seems to circumvent many of the problems seen with other reporter genes.
A new, Israel-wide initiative put forward by the Weizmann Institute to help fill the ranks of outstanding women scientists has been established with the support of the Clore Foundation and S. Donald Sussman. This year, as part of this Weizmann Institute of Science Women in Science Program, ten young women will receive Sara Lee Schupf Postdoctoral Awards.
In many neurological diseases, including MS, the protective myelin surrounding the nerves is damaged. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have identified an important line of communication between nervous system cells that is crucial to developing myelinated nerves "“ a discovery that may help restore the normal function of affected nerve fibers.
Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a unique "switch" that can control the activity of any protein, raising it several-fold or stopping it almost completely. The method provides researchers with a simple and effective tool for exploring the function of unknown proteins.
In the final stage of muscle fiber development, the cell membranes of attached myoblasts open up and fuse together, but the way in which they merge has remained a mystery. Scientists have discovered that a protein called WIP plays a key role in muscle cell fusion. This finding may help design new methods for healing muscle tissue using stem cells.
New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science shows that cells may employ a "dual key" activation strategy before launching certain potent weapons of the immune system. The molecule interleukin-1 alpha must be present for interferon gamma to initiate many of its basic activities.
Cells in the central nervous system tend to communicate with each other via a wave of electrical signals that travel along neurons. It was believed that these signals generated patterns that the brain could interpret; however, new research shows that such patterns may be random. These studies will contribute to the ongoing debate on neuronal coding.
Modern hearing aids, though quite sophisticated, still do not faithfully reproduce sound as it is perceived by hearing people. New findings at the Weizmann Institute of Science shed light on a crucial mechanism "“ the tectorial membrane "“ for discerning different sound frequencies, and thus may have implications for the design of better hearing aids.
New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed in unprecedented detail how osteoclasts "“ whose job is to digest bone "“ seal off their work area as they get down to business.
When cells begin to divide, they also activate a "braking system" that eventually stops cell division. When this system is faulty, uncontrolled cell division and the growth of cancer can result. Weizmann Institute scientists have identified a number of the genes involved in this braking system.
A team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has created a molecule that can function as an ultra-miniaturized version of a keypad locking mechanism.
The messages passed in a neuronal network can target around 100 billion nerve cells in the brain alone. A team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has found how this mechanism works "“ a discovery that may have implications for the development of drugs for epilepsy and other nervous system diseases.
Weizmann Institute scientists found that a DNA repair enzyme can indicate greater chances of developing head and neck cancer. A simple blood test may be able to identify those most at risk for such cancer as a result of smoking.
Brain injury causes glutamate to flood areas surrounding the trauma and kill other cells. The Weizmann Institute has developed a new way to rid the brain of excess glutamate. This enzyme-based method could lead to new therapies not only for brain injury, but also for stroke and other conditions, and holds promise for prevention of damage from meningitis or nerve gas.
More than half of the dust needed for fertilizing the Brazilian rainforest is supplied by a valley in northern Chad, according to an international research team headed by the Weizmann Institute's Dr. Ilan Koren. In a study published recently, the scientists have explained how the Bodélé valley's unique features might be responsible for making it such a major dust provider.
The "resistance movement" founded by bacteria to combat antibiotics may be losing ground. By combining key properties of two different types of weapons used by the defense systems of organisms, a team of scientists has managed to design a more powerful weapon, hoping that this will provide a basis for novel and more effective antibiotics.
In hemophilia, a mutated gene prevents the production of a blood-clotting protein. Treatments for hemophilia and other genetic diseases may consist of risky blood transfusions or expensive enzyme replacement therapy. But what if the body could be induced to begin producing these proteins by transplanting healthy tissue with the abilities that are lacking?
An ambitious multidisciplinary research initiative into alternative, sustainable energy resources is being launched by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Its goal is to significantly advance the search for solutions to the world's most pressing energy problems.
Water is essential for life. Nevertheless, even small amounts of water in the wrong places "“ such as fuels, lubricants, or organic solvents "“ can cause motors to sputter, metal parts to rust, or chemical reactions to go awry. A new method for detection and measurement of small amounts of water, developed at the Weizmann Institute, might allow such tests to be performed accurately and quickly.
Three years ago, scientists at the Weizmann Institute accidentally discovered a way to silence the expression of a key amoebic gene, one which codes for a toxic protein that kills human intestinal cells infected with this devastating illness. Now the scientists have developed a way to successfully silence the expression of two additional virulence genes in the same amoebae.
Scientists who study black holes and the supernova events leading to them have, for the first time been able to observe a supernova explosion as it occurs. Their achievement has confirmed a theoretical model proposed by Prof. Eli Waxman of the Weizmann Institute.
How do some microorganisms manage to exist and even thrive in surroundings ranging from Antarctica to boiling hot springs? A team of scientists from the Weizmann Institute's Plant Sciences Department, has found that a switch in just two amino acids can make a difference between functioning best at moderate temperatures and being adapted to living in extreme heat.
Dr. Mary-Claire King, a distinguished geneticist who has made influential discoveries in multiple fields of research, received the seventh Weizmann Women & Science Award. Established in 1994 by Sara Lee Schupf, the biennial award honors outstanding women scientists in the U.S. who have made a major contribution in science, technology, or engineering.
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