Archive for Innovations & Discoveries

| January 12, 2015
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Israeli drug benefits 92% of ALS patients (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

Israeli firm BrainStorm reports final results in its clinical trial of stem cell treatment NurOwnat, at Jerusalem‘s Hadassah Medical Center, showing improvement in 92% of participants.

By Reuters

 

Israel’s BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics said final results from a clinical trial of its adult stem cell treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were positive, with most patients showing a slowing in the disease’s progression.

According to the ALS Association, 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed each year with the neurodegenerative disease, which has severely disabled British physicist Stephen Hawking.

Illustrative (right): Shutterstock

A single dose of the stem cell treatment called NurOwn was administered in a mid-stage phase 2a trial in 14 patients with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 2, 2015
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2014 Saw 14 New IDF Innovations

IDF released list of developments from 2014 that included new equipment, new programs, and new regulations, many of which were instituted during ‘Operation Protective Edge’.

By Tova Dvorin

 

The IDF released a list Friday of 14 new changes instituted in 2014 on its website – ranging from a focus on healthier food to upgrades in defense.

IDF soldiers - Photo courtesy, IDF Spokesperson's UnitIDF soldiers – Photo courtesy, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

Overall, meals became healthier and more “green,” it said, with two new programs upgrading ready-to-eat meals for combat soldiers and offering vegan options for all recruits. Combat rations were made with lower fat and served for the first time during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 1, 2015
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Israeli Cancer Vaccine Initiates Favorable Reaction In 90% Of Cancer Types

 

Video icon JPEG WATCH: An Israeli biotechnology company has developed a vaccine for cancer, which is not designed to treat the illness – but to attack and kill the cells preventing it from returning.

By Jonathan Neff, NoCamels.com

 

There’s no doubt that cancer is one of the world’s most vicious diseases. For decades, scientists have been trying to find a cure for cancer, a terminal illness that kills 8 million people worldwide every year. With 14 million new cancer cases diagnosed around the globe every year, according to the World Health Organization, the need for prevention is vital. Now, an Israeli biotechnology company is developing a vaccine for cancer, which is not designed to treat the disease – but to prevent it from returning. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Video's worth Viewing | Tags: ,
| December 24, 2014
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Excavations at Ancient Synagogue in Magdala Now Open to Public

 

In Time for Christmas: Excavations at ancient synagogue unearthed in Magdala, home to Mary Magdalene, is where Jesus most certainly preached & is now open to the public.

By David Lazarus

 

A synagogue where Jesus likely preached has been uncovered on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The 1st century Jewish house of prayer was discovered amidst the ruins of the ancient town of Magdala, home to the most well known female disciple of Jesus, Mary Magdalene.

“This is the first synagogue ever excavated where Jesus walked and preached,” said Father Eamon Kelly of the Catholic organization developing the property.

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| December 23, 2014
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Antiquities Authority unearths 1,600 yr-old glass bracelet with menorah inscription during Hanukka excavation

 

 

Israel Antiquities Authority announced that a glass fragment dating late Roman – early Byzantine periods, was found during a Hanukka excavation an Mt. Carmel National Park.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD

 

A fragment of a glass bracelet inscribed with a seven-branched menorah from the Second Temple was discovered during Hanukka at an excavation in the Mount Carmel National Park, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

1600 years old glass bracelet fragment with menorah engravings . – Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

According to a statement from the IAA, excavations were carried out there in recent weeks prior to the construction of a water reservoir for the city of Yokne’am, at the initiative of the Mekorot Company. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , ,
| December 22, 2014
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Ancient clay seals suggest Kings David and Solomon were real Kings

 

An ancient clay seal unearthed by American researchers suggest that both David & Solomon may have been “real kings” rather than local, rural chieftains.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Impressions from ancient clay seals found at a small site in Israel east of Gaza are signs of government in an area thought to be entirely rural during the 10th century B.C.E., says Mississippi State University archaeologist James W. Hardin.

The tiny clay seals were excavated at a small site a few miles east of Gaza – Photo: University of Wisconsin/Nathaniel Greene

This could indicate that Biblical accounts of David and his son Solomon described real kings rather than the backwater chieftains considered more likely by some archaeologists, said Hardin, an associate professor in the Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures Department.

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| December 21, 2014
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Israeli Students Take 1st prize in Int’l Robotics Competition

Group of high-schoolers from the southern Israeli town of Yeruham, is 1st Israeli team to take part in the ‘FIRST Tech Challenge’. Along with winning the top prize, the Israeli team won 2 additional trophies: for creativity & for success as 1st-time participators.

By Gadi Golan & Israel Hayom Staff

 

A group of students from the southern Israeli city of Yeruham won the first prize at the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition held in Chicago last week.

Yeruham Sci-Tech students – Photo: Reuven Stahl

The Israeli team, which calls itself the Y Team and comprises some 30 Yeruham Sci-Tech students, was represented at the competition by Racheli Amar (10th grade), Itai Seif (ninth grade), and their mentor, Reuven Stahl, who traveled to Highland Park in Chicago with the help of the Science, Technology and Space Ministry.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| December 18, 2014
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2,000 yr-old Herodian Palace Entryway Unearthed in Judea

A multi-arched entry to a Herodian Hilltop Palace was excavated revealing how the palace was later transformed into Herod’s memorial; also additional evidence of the Jewish revolts were found on the site.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologists have discovered a massive and elaborate entryway to the Herodian Hilltop Palace at Herodium National Park in Judea, south of Jerusalem.

The newly discovered entryway is remarkable in that it features a complex system of arches on three separate levels, allowing the King and his entourage to directly enter the Palace Courtyard. Thanks to the arches, the 20-meter long and six-meter wide corridor has held up over the nearly 2,000 years since it was built at a height of 20 meters.

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| December 17, 2014
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Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital discovery may help detect colon & uterine cancers early

 

A senior oncologist at Hadassah Hospital says the study finds it is possible to identify a genetic mutation that raises the chances of suffering from colon or uterine cancers, allowing the prevention and/or early treatment of the cancers.

By Yori Yalon

 

 

A breakthrough discovery by researchers at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem will allow early detection and possible prevention of colon and uterine cancers. According to the study, a genetic mutation related to Lynch syndrome has been shown to increase the risk of these types of cancers. The discovery of the mutation among members of certain population groups allows for a quick identification of at-risk patients.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , ,
| December 14, 2014
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Israel Embassy initiative in Senegal fights against poverty in Africa

An Israeli innovation installed on the farm, a low-pressure drip-irrigation system, using much less water & producing improved quality of fruits & vegetables has been inaugurated in one of Africa’s drought-prone regions.

By Anav Silverman, Tazpit News Agency

 

 

An initiative of the Israeli Embassy in Senegal recently led to the inauguration of a drip-irrigated vegetable farm in the city of Fatick earlier this month.

Growing lettuce in Senegal using drip-irrigation (Photo: MASHAV)

Growing lettuce in Senegal using drip-irrigation – Photo: MASHAV

Managed by a group of Senegalese women, the farm plot was established following a request made by the First Lady of Senegal, Marième Faye Sall, to the Israeli Embassy, as part of the TIPA program, which began in 2006 as an initiative of the Embassy of Israel in Dakar and MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation) to alleviate poverty through agricultural innovation. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , , , , ,
| November 25, 2014
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Using nanotechnology Israeli company recharges mobile phones in half-minute

 

Israeli company projects by 2016, it will be ready to market a slim cellphone battery that can be recharged in just 30 seconds.

• The Tel Aviv-based StoreDot reports its technology  is also applicable for electric car batteries.

By Reuters & Israel Hayom Staff

 

An Israeli company says it has developed technology that can charge a mobile phone in a few seconds and an electric car in minutes, advances that could transform two of the world’s most dynamic consumer industries.

Charging ahead: A lab worker shows the prototype at the StoreDot headquarters in Tel Aviv – Photo: Reuters

Using nanotechnology to synthesize artificial molecules, Tel Aviv-based StoreDot says it has developed a battery that can store a much higher charge more quickly, in effect acting like a super-dense sponge to soak up power and retain it.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , ,
| November 19, 2014
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Israeli chemist found link between Type 2 diabetes & Parkinson’s

Critical finding at Ben-Gurion University reveals atomic structure of a protein link between Type 2 diabetes & neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s.

By Abigail Klein Leichman

 

Israeli chemist Yifat Miller and her PhD student Yoav Atsmon-Raz have found a critical link between Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Scientist Yifat Miller at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva. - Photo: Dani Machlis/BGU

Scientist Yifat Miller at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva. – Photo: Dani Machlis/BGU

Miller’s research at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Beersheva revealed, for the first time, the atomic structure of a brain protein fragment called non-amyloid beta component (NAC), known to trigger PD when it clumps together.

The same clumping action by an endocrine hormone called amylin harms insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to T2D. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags: , ,
| November 11, 2014
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Israel introduces a hand-held molecular scanner that analyzes chemical makeup

WATCH: New Israeli hand-held scanner lets consumers check the ingredients & chemical makeup of any product by just pointing the beam at the object.

 

A new Israeli high-tech development might just revolutionize the consumer experience.

The hand-held Scio molecular scanner. - Photo: Scio

The hand-held Scio molecular scanner. – Photo: Scio

The Scio, developed by Consumer Physics, is the world’s first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of a hand. Using it, a consumer can scan any product and get instant information about its full chemical make-up.

Consumer Physics CEO Dror Sharon says that the Scio will pave the way to intelligent consumerism. Using the sensor, consumers will be able to avoid unsafe ingredients in products and will no longer be dependent on the supplier’s word that a cheese is low fat, say.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags: , , ,
| October 31, 2014
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Israel Shows Seriously Parched California How to Deal With Catastrophic Drought

California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed a strategic cooperation Agreement with Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu to receive aid from Israel, the world’s acknowledged expert on irrigation & water use.

By Israel Today Staff

 

California has been going through a catastrophic drought for three years now, which has cost the state’s economy at least $2.2 billion and left 500,000 acres of what was once rich, productive farmland fallow.

Prof. Eilon Adar (r), director of the Negev’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research with colleagues at Ben-Gurion University. - Photo: Dani Machlis/BGU

Prof. Eilon Adar (r), director of the Negev’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research with colleagues at Ben-Gurion University. – Photo: Dani Machlis/BGU

So where did California turn to for help? Not the Obama White House, but to Israel, the world’s acknowledged expert on irrigation and water use.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News, The Diaspora | Tags: , , , , , ,
| October 28, 2014
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Israel’s Newest Merkava Mark IV Tanks Rolls Out For Potential Hezbollah Conflict

 

Senior IDF source: The new Merkava Mark IV  platforms will enhance “our ability to both fight in closed areas, & effectively hold & defend areas against the type of organizations we deal with, Hamas and Hezbollah.”

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

 

The IDF’s Seventh Armored Brigade is in the midst of a modernization process that will see all tank battalions equipped with the Merkava Mk. 4 tank by 2016, a senior army source said Tuesday.

Tank crews from the Seventh Brigade’s 75th Battalion train with their new Merkava Mk. 4 tanks. – Photo courtesy: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT

The brigade’s 75th battalion will complete the switch over from the Merkava Mk. Continue Reading »

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