Archive for Innovations & Discoveries

| April 1, 2012
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How Coca-Cola became kosher for Passover

Coca-Cola’s secret formula is just that – a secret. The secret was revealed to Rabbi Tobias Geffen over 70 years ago, in order for the soft drink to receive kosher certification.

 

Rabbi Tobias Geffen lived for 100 years: He was born in 1870 and died in 1970. For 60 odd years of his life he lived in Atlanta, Georgia, the hometown of the Coca-Cola Company. Geffen published a handful of books and was considered an important halakhic arbiter, but more than anything else he is identified with a responsum he issued in 1935 − stating that Coca-Cola is kosher and can also be drunk during Passover.

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| March 30, 2012
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Israeli medicine goes to pot

Israel has one of the most progressive medical marijuana programs in the world. For thousands of Israelis suffering cancer, MS, Crohn’s and chronic pain, pot provides vital relief.

 

 


While Americans petition state senators to legalize medical marijuana, and the Dutch simply go to an Amsterdam café to self-medicate, thousands of Israelis are enrolled in a regulated medical marijuana program. As talk-show veteran Montel Williams recently saw for himself, Israel is one of the most progressive countries in the world to “legalize it.”

Israel’s inroads into legalizing cannabis for pain relief and managing terminal illness rest on the seminal research of Prof. Continue Reading »

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| March 30, 2012
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Israeli woman is ‘Europe’s top young researcher’

L’Oreal and UNESCO have named a Weizmann Institute biologist working in the field of probiotics for the award.

 

Multinational cosmetics firm L’Oreal and UNESCO have named a Weizmann Institute biologist working in the field of probiotics, commonly referred to as beneficial bacteria, “Europe’s top young researcher.” For her work in researching probiotics to treat disease, Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky will receive a two-year $40,000 postdoctoral scholarship.

During the past three years, young Israeli women have been able to apply for the program, which began 14 years ago and aims at promoting research among women starting out their scientific careers. There are only 15 annual fellowship winners around the world.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Jewish News |
| March 29, 2012
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Israel Seeking Foreign Partners in Gas Fields

Israel is looking for foreign partners to help in exploiting some 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas sitting off its coast.

Israeli officials are actively seeking foreign partners to help tap massive natural gas resources recently discovered off of its coast.

“All parties with expertise and know-how in prospecting, extraction and infrastructure are welcome,” Shaul Tzemah, head of Israel’s energy ministry, told French delegates at a seminar on Wednesday.

“It’s now or never – if you want a presence, there are opportunities to be grasped,” he told representatives of Electricité de France (EDF), Suez-Gaz de France and Technip.

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| March 29, 2012
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Israeli drug could save stroke victims

Synthetic peptide significantly enhances the only currently approved drug to get blood flow moving to the brain after a stroke.

 

Could a new Israeli treatment help save millions of people from death and severe disability after a stroke?

The six-person team of the recently funded company Thrombotech believes they have a fighting chance. Their new drug amplifies the effects of one of the only existing stroke medications on the market, while preventing dangerous side effects.

There is a critical window of time needed to get to the hospital if you are having a stroke. If it is an ischemic stroke, meaning an artery to the brain is blocked, doctors must get the blood flowing to the brain quickly.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News |
| March 28, 2012
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‘Natural gas exports will 1st go to Arab neighbors’

Landau says gas can be means to improve regional ties; Israel, Greece sign agreement for cooperation on environmental issues.

Landau with Greek counterpart Papaconstantinou - By Courtesy Energy and Water Ministry

Landau with Greek counterpart Papaconstantinou – By Courtesy Energy and Water Ministry

By exporting portions of its natural gas to the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, Israel could help bridge relations on a broader level with its neighbors, Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said on Wednesday.

 “Naturally, the immediate export of natural gas will be to our neighbors the Palestinians and the Jordanians, and I believe that this connection will be an important step in building trust and peace in the region,” Landau said, according to his office.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| March 28, 2012
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Israeli technology helps Canadian farmers

KIBBUTZ AFIKIM, Israel — Canadian farmers are turning to an Israeli company to help them increase the milk production of their cows.

Israel’s SAE Afikim, better known as Afimilk, is a world leader in computerized systems for dairy farm and herd management.

Across Canada, there are some 100 farms already hooked up to the Israeli dairy system. A team from Kibbutz Afikim is now shooting a film at Summitholm Holsteins farm in Lynden, Ont., to try to expand its activities.
“We found out that dairy farmers are most convinced by what their neighbours or friends or colleagues say,” said Noa Yonish, Afimilk’s marketing communication and market study manager. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags:
| March 27, 2012
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‘Nanotechnology becoming part of daily life’

“The great secrets hidden in small pieces of material” amaze President Peres.

 

 

From smartphone touchscreens, to the most advanced defense systems, to photovoltaic solar panels, nanotechnology has become an increasingly integral component of everyday life.

Representatives from companies in a wide range of sectors presented their innovative tiny-sized technologies during the Monday morning session of “NanoIsrael 2012: The Third International Nanotechnology Conference and Exhibition,” held in Tel Aviv on Monday and Tuesday.

Dr. Jonathan Goldstein and his start-up firm 3G Solar are beginning to use nanotechnology to perfect their unique type of photovoltaic panels, which are made with low-cost Dye Solar Cells – a layer of nano-sized titanium dioxide particles saturated with dye, according to the company.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries |
| March 27, 2012
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Study: Green Tea Beats Bad Breath And Tooth Decay

Green tea can help beat bad breath, according to a recent scientific study.

 

Green Tea - Health News - Israel

 

The study found that antioxidants in green tea, called polyphenols, destroy a number of compounds in the mouth that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and even mouth cancer.

The study, from Israel’s Institute of Technology, will add to green tea’s status as one of nature’s so-called ‘superfoods’.

It is already said to help prevent cancer and heart disease and lower cholesterol – and even ward off Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Writing in the Archives of Oral Biology, the scientists called for more studies, adding: “Alltogether, there is increasing interest in the health benefits of green tea in the field of oral health.”

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| March 27, 2012
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USB Flash Drive Inventor Unveils Smart TV Startup Comigo

Israeli entrepreneur Dov Moran, the inventor of the USB flash drive, last week launched his new startup, the Smart TV venture Comigo.

 

The company’s platform aims to enhance the TV experience by extending viewing across all types of handheld devices, opening up personalization and interactive socialization capabilities.

Comigo creates applications for smartphones and tablets (Android and iOS based), an Android-based Smart Set-Top-Box. Its platform make it possible to watch video-on-demand (VOD), internet broadcasts, such as YouTube and movies and pictures stored on a home computer.

It also enables users to stream content from one device to another. For example, a user can stream information to tablets or smartphones, in order to start watching a show on TV and continue watching it on a tablet or smartphone elsewhere.

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| March 23, 2012
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Is desalination the solution for Israel’s water problems? Depends who you ask

Desalination systems account for a fifth of the freshwater used in Israel and, according to existing plans, by the end of the decade that amount will be doubled.

Increasing desalination can improve water quality and save the economy some NIS 500 million a year, according to a new survey commissioned by the Israel Water Authority. Experts from the Environmental Protection Ministry, however, believe desalination plants’ costs outweigh their benefits.

Desalination systems account for a fifth of the freshwater used in Israel and, according to existing plans, by the end of the decade that amount will be doubled. Recently the Water Authority commissioned an economical value survey through Adan Technical & Economic Services.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags:
| March 20, 2012
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New weapon against pancreatic and prostate cancer

An Israeli pharma company is testing an advanced compound that blocks a tumor’s blood supply. Used with standard chemo, it obliterates the growth.


Last year, about 44,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a notoriously resistant cancer to treat and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death for men and women.

The prognosis for these patients could improve drastically if a compound developed by Israel’s Tiltan Pharma continues to succeed in clinical trials.

The compound, dubbed TL-118, comes from the labs of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It’s now undergoing its second phase of tests after proving effective against pancreatic tumors first in mice and then in more than 100 humans.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags:
| March 19, 2012
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New Radars Cut Gaza Infiltrations by 70-80%

Radars scan an entire section of the border, tracking multiple targets simultaneously without rotating.

New radars in use on the border with Gaza have helped the IDF cut the rate of infiltrations by 70-80%, the IDF Website says.

The new radars, “Baron” and “Baroness”, employ a revolutionary new scanning technology. The IDF Website reports that they are equipped with a wide-view scanner, which makes it unnecessary for them to rotate like traditional radars, thus eliminating blind spots. The new radar can scan a section of the border and track multiple targets simultaneously, without leaving any area vulnerable.

IDF radar operators - Photo By IDF website

IDF radar operators - Photo By IDF website

The radar is also sensitive to objects moving at low speeds.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 18, 2012
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Intel Banks on Israel for Profit, Hangs Out ‘Help Wanted’ Sign

Intel Israel once again is hanging out the “help wanted” sign as the company says the Israeli branch provides it with 40 percent of its profits.

Maxine Fassberg, general manager of Intel Israel, told the company’s annual news conference in the southern city of Kiryat Gat, 20 miles north of Be’er Sheva, that it will hire another 600 employees this year.

Intel Israel hired 700 new employees last year, bringing its total work force in Israel to 7,800.

Intel logo

“Intel Israel’s exports totaled $22.4 billion in 1999-2011,” said Fassberg, and last year’s exports totaled $2.2 billion, helping Israel’s balance of trade and strengthening the shekel. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags:
| March 18, 2012
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BGU develops new way of testing for cancer

Health Scan: “Fingering” Obesity – why babies should learn to feed themselves; protective Parkinson gene.

 

A simple blood test is being developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba that may provide early detection of many types of cancer.
cancer cell - Photo By Thinkstock/Imagebank

cancer cell - Photo By Thinkstock/Imagebank

Prof. Joseph Kapelushnik of BGU’s Faculty of Health Sciences and colleagues developed a device that uses infrared light to illuminate cancer cells in less than a teaspoon of blood. The experimental test detects minuscule changes in the blood of a person who has a cancerous growth somewhere, even before the disease has spread.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
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