News

For almost two years, newsfeeds have kept us updated on the daily battle to annihilate the coronavirus.  So, it’ s easy to forget that there are also many types of bacteria threatening human health – our survival depends on the constant quest for new antibiotics that can destroy them.  Recent research provides an important insight into the complex response of bacteria to antibiotics and opens up the possibility of developing a novel and more effective class of drugs to combat major bacterial diseases.

Back in the day, the Assyrians were one of the Near East’s superpowers, controlling a land mass that stretched from Iran to Egypt. They accomplished this feat with military technologies that helped them win any open-air battle or penetrate any fortified city.  While today, air power and bunker busters help win the war, back in the ninth to the seventh centuries BCE, it was all about the siege ramp, an elevated structure that hauled battering ramps up to the enemy’s city walls and let the Neo-Assyrians soldiers wreak havoc on their enemies.

The human brain is a constant buzz of activity, with its 86 billion nerve cells (neurons) sending electrical signals from one region of the brain to another. The signals travel along the white matter fibers, a maze of wire-like fibers, ultimately giving rise to all brain functions. Uncovering these wire-like highways between neurons has been a longstanding challenge for neuroscience.  Existing methods for mapping this neural circuitry at the cellular level are either limited to animal studies or require highly specialized equipment for data acquisition and processing.

In our increasingly industrialized world, what we produce “out there” has a direct impact on what happens inside our bodies.  A new study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) reveals the link between rates of metal production and toxic lead exposure in humans.  The research team closely examined human remains from a burial ground in central Italy that was in consecutive use for 12,000 years.

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. 

A recent archeological dig in central Israel unearthed evidence that Homo sapiens, humans that inhabit the earth today, likely lived alongside a group of archaic humans known as the Middle Pleistocene Homo.  This discovery, and the international collaborations that made it possible, provide the first evidence that the two human types lived at the same time and interacted with one another.  Their findings were published today in Science.

Happiness might lead to better health but does it help you live longer? That’s a question that researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) took on in a longitudinal study they began back in the 1990s.  They looked at the impact of optimism on longevity and found that maintaining a positive outlook can directly extend your life. Professor Jochanan Stessman, Director of HU’s Institute on Aging led the study, along with HU’s Prof. Jeremy Jacobs and Dr. Yoram Maaravi.  They published their findings in The Journals of Gerontology.

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.

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.

(Jerusalem, July 14, 2021) — United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for Food and Water Security Mariam Al-Muhairi met today with representatives of Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) to promote a research and innovation partnership based on FoodTech and Agtech. As part of her visit, Al-Muhairi met with HU’s Professor Mona Khoury-Kassabri, VP of Strategy and Diversity, Professor Benny Chefetz, Dean of The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, faculty researchers, and Moshe Nadler, CEO of Agricora.

(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.

Jerusalem, June 8, 2021)— Much has been spoken of in recent years about the ‘brain drain’ taking place at Israeli institutions, but the most recent academic data from the global Shangai Ranking reveals that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has maintained its status and even improved in a number of departments.

Professor Hillel Furstenberg, a researcher in the Einstein Institute for Mathematics and professor emeritus at The Hebrew University, was awarded the 2020 Abel Prize – the Nobel Prize of Mathematics. The award recognized his incredible achievements and contributions in the field, and he is the first Israeli to win this prestigious prize.

The Abel Prize, often referred to as the Nobel of Mathematics, was established to recognize contributions that are of “extraordinary depth and influence”.
Today, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced it will award the Abel Prize to Hillel Furstenberg at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Gregory Margulis at Yale University “for pioneering the use of methods from probability and dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics”. 

Startups from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem raised $79 million in the first half of 2020, Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University announced today.  Despite the continuing global uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and ongoing lockdowns around the world, 14 Yissum spinouts raised tens of millions of dollars in early stage funding rounds.  

Largest-Ever German-Israeli Academic Grant to Promote Research on Human Rights and Minority Protections in Age of Rising Nationalism and Authoritarianism

The Alfred Landecker Foundation has awarded the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) a $13 million USD grant to fund academic initiatives that focus on the causes and consequences of the Holocaust, promote studies on human rights, minority protection, the rule of law, and reparations for historical wrongs and injustices.

Archaeological Excavations Near Temple Mount Also Unearth Pool Built by Soldiers From Rome’s 10th Legion and Byzantine Lamp Inscribed “The light of Christ Shines for All”

2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities Ranks Hebrew University 17^th Worldwide in Mathematics and Communications, and #1 in Israel in Earth Sciences, Food Sciences, Water Resources, Economics, and Public Policy

New Deans at the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and the School of Education

(Jerusalem, July 12, 2022) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has announced the appointment of four new deans who will take up their posts at the beginning of the upcoming academic year in October 2022.

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Sheafer Replaces Prof. Barak Medina, HU Rector Since 2017

Professor Tamir Sheafer was chosen by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Senate as the university’s new rector.  For the last six years, Sheafer has served as Dean of HU’s Faculty of Social Sciences.  His field of expertise is digital and comparative communications.  Over the past two decades, Sheafer has led several international research groups to study the impact of political systems and the strength of a democracy on that country’s political processes and communications.

On Eve of 4 Month Anniversary of Russian Invasion, Zelenskyy Asks the World, “How Can You Not Help the Victims of Such Aggression?”

Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) in a live speech from Kiev. The speech was broadcast on the university’s social media channels and followed by Q&A with students and staff.

In honor of Jerusalem Day, a special session of Israel’s Knesset, headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, was held at the Hebrew University (HU)’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) at the Edmond J. Safra Campus in Jerusalem.

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.

MIT physics Professor Pablo Jarillo-Herrero has won the 2022 Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research for his pioneering work on two-dimensional nanomaterials.  The Dan Maydan Prize was established by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) in 2018, with the generous contribution of Dr. Maydan, who played a central role in establishing the Israeli National Nanotechnology Initiative (INNI).  The INNI helped position Israel as a leader in nanotech and led to the opening of 10 nanotech centers in the country, including HU’s Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso became the 1st sitting president of his country to visit Israel.  He arrived with a 100-member delegation that will remain in country for two weeks to visit Israeli universities and innovative projects.

Today at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Lasso and his wife First Lady Maria de Lourdes Alcivar, inaugurated Ecuador’s Office for Technology and Innovation and held a business conference called “Ecuador Open for Business” to develop investments and public-private partnerships with key players in Israel’s ecosystem. 

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. 

Dr. Moran Yassour at Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Dr. Haitham Amal, at HU’s Institute for Drug Research and the School of Pharmacy, have been awarded the prestigious Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research, which is administered by the Wolf Foundation. The Krill Prize is awarded each year to 10 outstanding young researchers who have not yet been granted tenure. Winners are chosen based on standards of excellence and on the subject of their research.

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.

New Hebrew U. Survey Probes German and Israelis Perceptions of One Another, Shows Bilateral Support for Germany as Middle-East Mediator

The visit to Israel on March 2^nd of Germany's newly-elected Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, heralds a new era in German-Israel ties.  On the heels of this visit, it is timely to announce the findings of a recent survey conducted in Israel and Germany by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)'s European Forum, which reveals a complex picture regarding Israeli perceptions of Germany, as well as German perceptions of Israel. 

 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.

Why people with disabilities have trouble with dentists -

By Barbara Sofer, Israel director of public relations at Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. Her latest book is A Daughter of Many Mothers.

How can boys and girls, or men and women with intellectual and physical disabilities carry them out? For them, just sitting in the chair amid the machinery for long periods is a hardship.