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On this episode of HUJI Bites, Dr. Adi Torfstein shares his research, which reconstructs past climate changes and the mechanisms driving them to better understand current and future global climate change. Using field observations together with chemical analysis, Dr. Torfstein and his team are able to understand the past and apply it to evaluating potential future climate change trends.

Dr. Torfstein, is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Earth Science at the Hebrew University, and at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences of Eilat.

A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has proven the linkages between ultra-processed foods and reduced bone quality, unveiling the damage of these foods particularly for younger children in their developing years.  The study, led by Professor Efrat Monsonego-Ornan and Dr. Janna Zaretsky from the Department of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the University’s Faculty of Agriculture, was published in the journal Bone Research and serves as the first comprehensive study of the effect of widely-available food products on skeleton development.

The “three-body problem,” the term coined for predicting the motion of three gravitating bodies in space, is essential for understanding a variety of astrophysical processes as well as a large class of mechanical problems, and has occupied some of the world’s best physicists, astronomers and mathematicians for over three centuries. Their attempts have led to the discovery of several important fields of science; yet its solution remained a mystery.

Hebrew University Researchers Find Significantly Higher Rates of Mortality due to Heart Disease and Cancer Among Holocaust Survivors

Decades-Long Study Provides Basis for Close Monitoring of People Who Have Experienced Trauma Early in Life and the Impact it Can Have on Long-Term Health

First Agreement between AWS and an Israeli Academic Institution to Develop Quantum Technologies

Hebrew University students aren’t the only ones getting smarter!  Smart Cities are radically changing the way we live - using technology to provide services and solve city problems – improving everyday essentials like transportation, accessibility, and sustainability for the lives of that cities citizens. At the forefront of this initiative in Israel is Hebrew University’s Department of Geography in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

It has long been known that humans possess the ability to process information and behave both at the conscious and non-conscious levels. It is this duality which allows us to think, feel, make rational decisions and plan for events well into the future.  We have long wondered whether we are truly unique in this regard: are dogs conscious? What about ants? Or even an object, like an iPad or Siri? Most pet owners would swear they’ve caught their dog or cat (or fish…) thinking about and plotting their next move.  However, can we ever really know whether animals are consciously aware?

Malaria is a major global health issue, killing half a million people each year – mostly very young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

In pursuit of a cure is Dr. Anat Florentin, a science and nature enthusiast, who joined Hebrew University’s Faculty School of Medicine in July 2020. On this episode of HUJI Bites, Florentin discusses her ground-breaking research into the apicoplast – an organelle inside the parasite cell and a promising candidate as a potential drug target against the disease.

With urban areas growing dominant globally, cities  are increasingly being challenged to develop the urban environment in ways that both embrace technology but also preserve and enhance urban quality of life.  This motivation has popularized the idea of designing ‘smart cities’ equipped to confront  the challenges and opportunities of the ever-growing city.  

Hebrew University Research Successfully
Produces Genetically Engineered Synapsis, Circumventing Neural Damage

A team of Hebrew University researchers have successfully used genetic engineering as a first step to what one day may allow scientists to genetically repair damaged brain circuits.  The process, which was performed in tiny translucent C. elegans worms, saw the introduction of synthetically engineered connections (or synapses), as a means for bypassing missing connections between neurons in an impaired brain.  

Hebrew University Researchers Advance Simple and Inexpensive Diagnostic Blood Test

A new blood test has the potential to diagnose a wide array of diseases including cancers, liver diseases, immune disorders and more.  Extremely accurate, the test can report on the exact state and location of the disease without need for invasive and painful biopsies.

Amidst Decreasing Global Bee Populations, New Finding Provides Optimism for Bee Habitat Conservation

Hebrew University Identifies Genetic Mutation Associated with Autism, Offering Hope for Effective Therapeutics

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino received an honorary degree--“Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa”--from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) at a festive ceremony during the 85^th Board of Governors (BOG) meeting.

Considering the threat on the lives of academics and university students in Ukraine, and in a show of solidarity, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has offered academic hosting for Ukrainian academic staff and students.  To date, 18 such refugees have been accepted to continue their studies at the University and 10 have already arrived at our Jerusalem and Rehovot campuses. 

Israel’s academic cooperation with Morocco hit a high point this week with the visit of a senior delegation from Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI).

Seeking to establish a medical school and school of pharmacy, the UM6P representatives met with Professor Dina Ben Yehuda, Dean of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, to learn how HUJI prepares its future doctors for a medical career based on computational medicine and AI, while maintaining humanity and compassion for their patients.

(Jerusalem, March 17, 2022)—Moshe Shenfeld, a computer science PhD candidate at Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Rachel and Selim Benin School of Engineering and Computer Science has been selected as an Apple Scholar in AI/Machine Learning for 2022.  Shenfeld is one of only 15 awardees worldwide, the other Israeli recipient is from Tel Aviv University.  The PhD fellowship in Machine Learning and AI was created by Apple “to celebrate the contributions of students pursuing cutting-edge fundamental and applied machine learning research worldwide”.

Plus Teaching Posts, Stipends and Studies for Fleeing Ukrainian Academics and University Students

In a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) and HU Student Union hoisted the Ukrainian flag on its campus on Mt. Scopus.  The University and its students seek to send a message of support and encouragement to Ukraine, which is now suffering the second week of a brutal invasion by the Russian military.

New Hebrew U. Survey Finds 53% of Israelis Expect Situation to Worsen for Jews in Europe; France Now Tied with Poland as Europe’s Most Antisemitic Country, According to Israelis

Among 2,000 universities surveyed worldwide, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) ranked 90^th in the 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)’s evaluation of higher education institutions.  This marks HU’s best showing since 2016.

Smoking among young teens has become an increasingly challenging and costly public healthcare issue.  Despite legislation to prevent the marketing of tobacco products to children, tobacco companies have shrewdly adapted their advertising tactics to circumvent the ban and maintain their access to this impressionable—and growing—market share. 

Board of Trustees Re-elects Asher Cohen as University President

Hebrew University Study Analyzes How Corona Has Changed How We Remember

“This global crisis created a far more accepting culture for the role digital media must play in remembrance.”

 Despite advances in increased food production, half of all world’s harvested food is lost due to rot caused by microorganisms.  Plants emit various volatile organic compounds into their surrounding environment, which can be monitored for early detection of plant disease and prevent food loss.

When it comes to the world’s climate, in the past decade, planet Earth keeps sending us its summer siren’s call. According to NASA, nineteen of the hottest years have occurred since 2000, with 2016 and 2020 tied for the hottest on record. This summer is already making worldwide headlines, with England scorching beyond 40 degrees Celsius.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) climbed 13 places to rank 77^th among the world’s top universities and number one in Israel, according to the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), published today (Monday).  Topping the list were Harvard, followed by Stanford, MIT, Cambridge, and UCLA Berkeley.  Two other Israeli universities placed in the top 100, as well—the Technion and Weizmann Institute both shared the 83^rd spot.  This is a major achievement for Israel’s higher education at large and for Hebrew U., specifically.

As the world grapples with the cataclysmic events associated with climate change, it is increasingly important to have accurate climate models that can help predict what might lie ahead. 

The Innovation Centers of the Hebrew University and of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have won 2 of the world’s most prestigious prizes in higher education entrepreneurship.

(Jerusalem, June 21, 2021)—In recent years, the use of medical cannabis to treat sick kids is on the rise, although questions remain about the benefits and safety of such treatments. Now, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has completed a first-ever meta-analysis of pediatric patients treated with medical cannabis to understand better the risks and benefits of cannabis use among young patients.

In an effort to increase agricultural productivity and limit waste, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment developed a method to detect signs of stress before the plant is damaged.

Initial Clinical Data from Hebrew University Shows Promising Results, Supporting Early Evidence of Fenofibrate Ability to Prevent Lung Damage in Corona Patients

Drug can reduce COVID-19 severity and mortality even as newly emerging vaccines reduce transmission

We all know that DNA molecules express heredity through genetic information.  However, in the past few years, scientists have discovered that DNA can conduct electrical currents.  This makes it an interesting candidate for roles that nature did not intend for this molecule, such as smaller, faster and cheaper electric circuits in electronic devices, and to detect the early stages of diseases like cancer and COVID-19.