Archive for Innovations & Discoveries

| December 31, 2012
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Israeli professor receives OBE from Queen Elizabeth II

Prof. Penny Ur of the Oranim Academic College of Education received the Order of the British Empire award for her services to the English language.

 

Prof. Penny Ur of the Oranim Academic College of Education was awarded with Queen Elizabeth II’s Order of the British Empire on Saturday for her services to the English language.

Prof. Penny Ur

Prof. Penny Ur – Photo: Thompson Rivers University

“At first, when I got the call from the British ambassador and he told me the news, I thought someone was playing a joke on me,” Ur, who specializes in English, told The Jerusalem Post in a phone interview on Sunday.

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| December 25, 2012
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Fitting cement boots on the sperm cells

Not yet out of the lab, Hervana’s non-hormonal, non-invasive & long-acting birth control solution could be a game-changer for women, especially in developing countries.

 

The Israeli company behind a new contraceptive won a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and test its formulation for a safer, long-acting, non-invasive contraceptive solution, and also won second place in a startup competition at the Israel Life Sciences Biomed Conference in Tel Aviv last May.

Hervana founder Rachel Teitelbaum explaining her new contraceptive suppository to Bill Gates.

Hervana founder Rachel Teitelbaum explaining her new contraceptive suppository to Bill Gates.

The Gates Foundation is most interested in the product’s potential to provide a more accessible, cheaper and socially acceptable family planning option in developing countries, though it would be marketed in the United States and Europe as well. Continue Reading »

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| December 19, 2012
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Massachusetts-Israel cooperate to build water innovation

A state survey showed that already in 2009, nearly 100 Israeli companies were located in Massachusetts, contributing 6,000 jobs directly & 21,000 jobs indirectly, that were generating $2.4 billion per year.

 

As Massachusetts eagerly seeks Israeli partners in water innovation, a Herzliya-based firm specializing in rapid microbiological water testing will get the chance to showcase its systems in the New England hi-tech hub.

TACount company.

TACount company – Photo: Daniel Selligson

Led by CEO Charles Gast, the TACount company was the winner among six finalists in the W.E.T. (Water Export Technology) Revolution Competition on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, organized by the Massachusetts Water Innovation Mission to Israel – a trade delegation of 48 industry executives. Continue Reading »

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| December 18, 2012
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Israel’s discovery of 250 billion barrels of shale oil is a ‘game-changer’

US expert celebrates Israel’s discovery, says molecular research of the new resource will provide a better understanding of alternative fuels and extraction.

 

Developing a firmer understanding of shale oil’s chemical complexities is crucial to the search by oil explorers in both Israel and North America drilling at home in shale rock and sands for alternatives to traditional OPEC crude, an expert told The Jerusalem Post in an interview last week.

An aerial view of shale oil drilling rig SAI-307 - Photo: REUTERS

An aerial view of shale oil drilling rig SAI-307 – Photo: REUTERS

The company Israel Energy Initiatives (IEI), which has already completed an exploratory pre-pilot drilling phase in Israel’s Adullam region near Beit Shemesh, has claimed that the area — also called the Shfela Basin — contains approximately 250 billion barrels of shale oil, amounts that could be competitive to the amount of crude oil in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading »

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| December 17, 2012
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Hadassah geneticists make breakthrough with ‘The Curse’

The first 4 children treated with the experimental drug were saved from paralysis & a few have already been able to stand & walk again.

 

An effective experimental drug has been found in Jerusalem for a rare genetic disease of paralysis affecting Jews originating in North Africa, who previously refused to vaccinate their babies against childhood diseases because they thought that caused them to suffer from neurological damage.

Medicine [illustrative] – Photo: Thinkstock/Imagebank

The first four children with the disease, which has caused not only paralysis of the muscles but also of the vocal cords (making them lose their ability to speak) have been treated with the experimental drug by doctors at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, with very good results.

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| December 16, 2012
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Israelis turn reading glasses into night-vision glasses

A Ben-Gurion University team create a thin coating that could turn any pair of reading glasses into night-vision glasses using invisible infrared light based on nan-photonics technologies.

 

A thin coating that could turn any pair of glasses into night-vision glasses using invisible infrared light is being developed by a team at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba. BGU is only one of two recipients of a major grant from the Israel National Nanotechnology Institute to create the coating.

Eye glasses – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem

The team is led by Prof. Gabby Sarusi, who has a long history at the defense oriented companies Elop/Elbit, will lead a group of researchers aiming to create the coating. Continue Reading »

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| December 15, 2012
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Israel21c presents their Top 10 ways Israel fights desertification

 

ISRAEL21c takes a serious look at Israel’s  worldwide reputation for its ability to turn barren desert into useful & arable land.

This past year’s erratic and violent weather is only a small taste of what’s to come, climate scientists predict, as the impact of global warming starts to hit. Weather will become more unpredictable, flooding will become even fiercer, and droughts and famine more widespread as land increasingly gives over to desert.

With desert covering a large part of its surface, Israel has had to quickly develop solutions for its lack of arable land and potable water. Continue Reading »

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| December 14, 2012
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Israel provides better life than Britain

Extra points went to Canada for the desirability of its passport & Switzerland  for the quality of its chocolate.

 

Israel is a much better place to be born today than Britain, the Economist has reported.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the sister company to The Economist has produced a quality of life index that measures which country will “provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.”

According to the survey, Israel is the 20th best country to be born in today, far above Britain in 27th place. The results are in stark comparison to a survey the EIU conducted in 1988, which put the UK in 7th place and Israel at number 30. Continue Reading »

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| December 12, 2012
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Google opens innovation campus at Electra Tower in Tel Aviv

At the center, Google also will offer Launchpad, a two-week seminar for startups in their early stages.

By JTA

 

Google launched its Campus Tel Aviv, a center for Israeli entrepreneurs and startups.

Photo: To celebrate the inauguration of Google's new offices and campus in Tel Aviv, Israel, PM Netanyahu drew his own Google Doodle.

To celebrate the inauguration of Google’s new offices and campus in Tel Aviv, Israel, PM Netanyahu drew his own Google Doodle.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut a virtual ribbon at the inauguration ceremony on Monday for a campus that occupies a floor of the Electra Tower in Tel Aviv. The 16,000-square-foot space includes an area for meetings and workshop space for startup companies.

Using the campus and participating in its activities are free for entrepreneurs and startups. Continue Reading »

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| December 11, 2012
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Treasures found the heart of Jerusalem from the Hasmonean era

 

A perfume container and a lead weight from the ancient days of the Hasmonean dynasty, were found in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Yovel neighborhood

Chief archaeologist: Little is known about Jerusalem during that era.

Efrat Forsher

 

As Jews throughout the world celebrate the Hanukkah holiday, which commemorates the victory of the ancient Hasmoneans over the militarily superior Hellenists, the Israel Antiquities Authority recently disclosed that an important archaeological find was discovered in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, including items dating back to the Hasmonean era — 140 B.C.E. to 116 B.C.E.

The archeological dig in south Jerusalem. – Photo: Daniel Ein Mor & Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

The IAA, which conducted the excavation, uncovered what appeared to be an agricultural farm that was occupied during the days when Jerusalem was under Hellenist rule.

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| December 10, 2012
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Jerusalem’s Hebrew U. may have found cure for malaria

The Israelis are proposing a new medical treatment that would interfere with mosquito’s bite, strip the parasite of its ability to fool the immune system, which could then fully defeat the infection.

By  Michael Selutin

 

Researchers at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University have successfully identified a unique biological deception used by the parasite that causes malaria and believe they can use this new-found knowledge to defeat the disease.

illustrative - IsraelToday/co.il

Over a million people around the world die from malaria each year.

Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, making it very difficult to prevent infection. Once inside the body, the parasite is able to alter red blood cells and thereby bypass the patient’s immune system. Continue Reading »

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| December 6, 2012
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BT9 Keeps Produce From Perishing During Transport

Customers can also log into a personalized BT9 web portal and track their shipments in real time to receive information.

 

Cold chain is not the name of an alternative rock band. Rather, a cold chain is a term that describes an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range for perishable products. The products include meat, dairy, produce, and pharmaceuticals.

Technology News - BT9: Keeping Perishables From Perishing - Photo: William Couch

Technology News – BT9: Keeping Perishables From Perishing – Photo: William Couch

Shipping perishables is no easy task, and often, items are spoiled. New Israeli company BT9 is an end-to-end cold chain management (CCM) solutions provider that gives its customers, the producers of perishables, the information they need to better protect their products during shipment and transportation. Continue Reading »

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| December 2, 2012
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BGU is the only foreign university to develop software for US robot.

Ben-Gurion University has been given an American grant to develop control software for a disaster-response military operations robot.

 

 

The US government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military. The agency at the Department of Defense, which has been responsible for funding the development of many technologies that have had a major effect on the world, also finances a “Robotics Challenge.” Now Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba has become the only foreign university chosen to lead a team on a track to develop control software for the DARPA robot. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| November 25, 2012
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Synthetic biomechanical spinal discs fight back pain

1/10th of people suffering from degenerated discs suffer from long-term pain & disability.

 

Damaged spinal discs cause a great deal of trouble for people with chronic back problems, and a burden on the economy due to absenteeism from work and financial costs of treatment.

Back pain [illustrative] - Photo: Thinkstock/Imagebank

Back pain [illustrative] – Photo: Thinkstock/Imagebank

Sufferers are told to rest, take analgesics and – if these don’t help – undergo operations, but these are not always fully effective. One-tenth of people suffering from degenerated discs suffer from longterm pain and disability.

But some scientists are trying to find ways to alleviate the problem of damaged discs. Continue Reading »

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| November 25, 2012
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IDF schedules ‘Magic Wand’ test in upcoming days

US paper reports of ‘critical’ test on anti-missile missile scheduled to take place in Negev in coming days

Ynet

 

The IDF is gearing for a critical test of the Magic Wand system, which has been designed to intercepted short-to-medium range missiles in the backdrop of the Iron Dome‘s success during Operation Pillar of Defense, The Boston Globe reported Saturday. Israel has yet to confirm or deny the report.

Magic Wand – Photo: Yariv Katz

According to the newspaper, the test is set to take place in the Negev in the coming days. Magic Wand, also known as David’s Sling, is being developed by Israeli and American engineers at Rafael and Raytheon Co. Continue Reading »

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