News by Field

Working on the Covid-19 Frontline Negatively Impacts Public Health at All Levels

Working on the Covid-19 Frontline Negatively Impacts Public Health at All Levels

1 February, 2022

Stress and Smoking Rates Up Among All Hospital Workers, New Hebrew U. Study Finds

A new study, published in the leading journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research’s special issue devoted to smoking and COVID-19, found that being on the COVID-19 frontlines could negatively impact hospital workers’ mental health—even during lull periods and even for ancillary hospital staff, such as maintenance workers and administrative staff.  

Covid-19
Research
COVID-19
New Liquid Biopsy Detects Local Immune Activity

New Liquid Biopsy Detects Local Immune Activity

15 December, 2021

Blood Test Developed at Hebrew University Detects Immune and Inflammatory Activity in Tissues, Removing Need for Painful Biopsies and Expensive Imaging

Our immune systems work hard to keep us healthy and to protect us against bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and cancerous cells.  When our Immune systems are weakened, we’re at risk for illnesses and dangerous infections; when they’re overactive, we’re at risk for inflammation and autoimmune diseases.  Therefore, accurate monitoring of our immune systems’ activity is vital to our health.  

Research
Medicine
bacteria

Newly-Identified State in Bacteria Has Major Implications for Antibiotic Treatment and Resistant Strains

17 November, 2021

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.

Research
Sciences
lachish_the_assyrian_ramp

Siege Ramps and Breached Walls: Ancient Warfare and the Assyrian Conquest of Lachish

9 November, 2021

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.

Research
Humanities
Israel - A Leader In Academic Innovation!

Israel - A Leader In Academic Innovation!

25 October, 2021

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.

Innovation
Novel Method Developed at Hebrew University Reveals Details of Nerve Connections in the Brain

Novel Method Developed at Hebrew University Reveals Details of Nerve Connections in the Brain

7 October, 2021

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.

Research
Sciences