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Bringing water to Tanzania

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Tel Aviv University’s future engineers flew to Africa to connect a school with 1,000 students to clean water

The children living in the villages of Babati district, Tanzania will now have drinkable water during the dry season, thanks to the student delegation from the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering. Unfortunately, there are still many places in the world where fresh, clean water, which many in developed countries take for granted, is a rare commodity. This is a common problem in many African countries. Each year, a delegation of engineers from the University of Tanzania sets out to build and improve water and electricity infrastructure. They do so within the framework of the “Engineers Without Borders” association, which works to promote and improve the quality of life of the Israeli population and developing populations worldwide. This year, as in previous years, students responded to the organization’s call, and a delegation of six students flew out during the Sukkot holiday break to contribute their time and knowledge, gained during their studies, and install systems at the regional school that would store 40,000 liters of water.

Months without water

“In Babati district, children sometimes have to walk 10 kilometers to reach clean water reservoirs, or settle for stagnant, contaminated water containing high levels of fluoride, which is detrimental to their health,” says Natalie Lubelchick, a University delegation graduate who is currently completing her master’s degree in Astrophysics. In Tanzania, during the dry season, the local rural population has to cope with three long, hot and dry months. In the absence of a solid infrastructure, the search for drinkable water sources is particularly difficult. If that’s not enough, the same water is also sought by wild animals, who often damage the few existing artificial water reservoirs. The mission of the Israeli delegation, which has sent volunteers for the fifth time, was to build a 40,000-liter water collection system from the rooftops of the Babati district school, where approximately a 1,000 students study, maintain existing systems installed by previous delegations, and also establish a new library, together with the local community. The project is overseen by Prof. Dror Avisar, head of the Water Research Center.   Working together: members of the delegation with locals from the school in Babati district Working together: members of the delegation with locals from the school in Babati district

A glass of water a day for 1,000 children

After a 12-hour flight and before they embarked on two weeks of challenging physical labor, the delegation acquired all the necessary equipment they didn’t bring with them from Israel in Arusha, the city where they landed: dozens of huge 2000-liter containers, each to be installed in a school, as well as pipes and work tools. The main difficulty of this delegation and its predecessors is in being funded. “The ideal situation is that we would have a regular annual budget and know that our operations are guaranteed,” explains Natalie. Sometimes it’s unclear until the day of departure how much money will be at their disposal. On the eve of leaving the city for the village, the delegation members met the Tanzanian community representative, Julius, a school teacher who accompanies the project, and met his family. “He is the delegation’s angel and takes care of all of us,” says Natalie.   Smiles all around: Julius and his family with members of the delegation Smiles all around: Julius and his family with members of the delegation At the biggest, most central school in Babati district, where the largest system was about to be installed, the delegation was greeted with an enthusiastic welcome. Knowing that soon every student would be able to enjoy clean water was exciting for the children.   Hope and excitement: the delegation is recieved by the young students Hope and excitement: the delegation is recieved by the young students   At the principal's office​ At the principal’s office The first order of business for the delegation was teaching a group of boys and girls from local Scouts how to help with the construction and then later on how to maintain the systems. “The idea is not just to build a system, but to work collaboratively with the community, which includes education and instruction, which will lead to long-term results,” Natalie explains. Left: local Scouts learning the new system. Left: children from the school using it to get clean water. Left: local Scouts learning the new system. Right: children from the school using it to get clean water.   The construction process included installing gutters, cleaning the water tanks and preparing the infrastructure. In one of the schools, where systems had already been installed in the past, the delegation had to replace containers, destroyed by elephants that came in search of water, and build anti-elephant concrete walls around them.   While the systems were being installed, the delegation members taught the students about proper use of the system and “water discipline”, and in return the students taught them local songs and dances. Singing while you work: two members of the delgation with young students Singing while you work: two members of the delgation with young students When it was clear that the work was progressing quickly and efficiently, the delegation decided to visit local families and get to know the community. “We started asking them questions about their daily lives and their needs,” Natalie says. “We realized that in addition to building the systems in schools, we also want to think of a home solution. Most people here live in extended families, sometimes numbering up to 50 people. So, a solution for one family can spare them a walk to the nearest water source, which can take hours, and also give them clean water, as opposed to reservoirs that are very polluted. Our challenge was to think of a simple, creative and inexpensive solution, using local materials, so we could easily distribute and duplicate it, and they could easily maintain the systems.”     Sometimes the villagers are forced to drink polluted water Sometimes the villagers are forced to drink polluted water

As the largest system was assembled at the Minjingu Elementary School, the principal, together with the teachers, some of the parents and a thousand students, conducted a moving farewell ceremony. “They thanked us with a song, and promised to maintain the system, and we, for our part, got to see and understand how important the system is to them,” Natalie concludes.

Tiny insects become “visible” to bats when they swarm

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3-D simulations could provide new insights into the evolution of bat echolocation, TAU researchers say

Bats use echolocation to hunt insects, many of which fly in swarms. In this process, bats emit a sound signal that bounces off the target object, revealing its location. Smaller insects like mosquitos are individually hard to detect through echolocation, but a new Tel Aviv University study reveals that they become perceptible when they gather in large swarms. The findings could provide new insights into the evolution of bat echolocation and explain why tiny insects are found in the diets of bats that seem to use sound frequencies that are too high to effectively detect them. The new research was conducted by Dr. Arjan Boonman and Prof. Yossi Yovel at TAU’s Department of Zoology and colleagues at Canada’s Western University. It was published in PLOS Computational Biology on December 12.

Modeling bat vision

Few studies have addressed what swarms of insects — as opposed to single insects — “look” like to bats. To find out, Dr. Boonman and colleagues combined three-dimensional computer simulations of insect swarms with real-world measurements of bat echolocation signals to examine how bats sense swarms that vary in size and density. They found that small insects that are undetectable on their own, such as mosquitos, suddenly become “visible” to bats when they gather in large swarms. They also discovered that the fact that bats use signals with multiple frequencies is well suited to the task of detecting insect swarms. These signals appear to be ideal for detecting an object if more than one target falls inside the echolocation signal beam at once. “Using simulations, we investigated something that could never have been measured in reality,” Dr. Boonman says. “Modeling enabled us to have full control over any aspect of an insect swarm, even the full elimination of the shape of each insect within the swarm.”

From insects to drones

The insect model the researchers used has a tiny mesh (skeleton) and minuscule legs and wings. “We are still adding new features, such as the bat’s acoustic beam or ears, which were not in the original model,” says Prof. Yovel. “We also developed a faster version of the algorithm. All of this will open a new world for us in which we can get echoes even from entire landscapes, so we can learn what a bat or sonar-robot would ‘see’ much more quickly.” The study could also affect technology being developed to improve defense systems. “The algorithms developed for this study could potentially be applied to radar echoes of drone swarms in order to lower the probability of detection by enemy radar,” Dr. Boonman explains. “Since drones are playing an ever more prominent role in warfare, our biological study could spawn new ideas for the defense industry.”

Eating in sync with biological clock could replace diabetes treatment

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An early-morning, carb-filled meal improves glycemic control among type 2 diabetics, TAU researchers say

Type 2 diabetics inject themselves with insulin, a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into liver, muscle and fat cells, up to four times a day. But insulin injections are linked to weight gain and the loss of control of blood sugar levels. This triggers a vicious cycle of higher insulin doses, continuous weight gain, a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and other complications. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that a starch-rich breakfast consumed early in the morning coupled with a small dinner could replace insulin injections and other diabetes medications for many diabetics. “The traditional diabetic diet specifies six small meals spread throughout the day. But our research proposes shifting the starch-rich calories to the early hours of the day. This produces a glucose balance and improved glycemic control among type 2 diabetics,” explains Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Wolfson Medical Center’s Diabetes Unit. “We believe that through this regimen it will be possible for diabetics to significantly reduce or even stop the injections of insulin, and most of antidiabetic medications, to achieve excellent control of glucose levels.”

A hearty breakfast and a light dinner

According to the new research, our metabolism and biological clock are optimized for eating in the morning and for fasting during the evening and night, when we are supposed to be asleep. “But the usual diet recommended for type 2 diabetes consists of several small meals evenly distributed throughout the day — for example, three meals and three snacks daily, including a snack before going to sleep to prevent a drop in sugar levels during the night,” Prof. Jakubowicz says. “But the ‘6M-diet,’ as this is called, has not been effective for sugar control, so diabetics require additional medication and insulin. And insulin injections lead to weight gain, which further increases blood sugar levels,” Prof. Jakubowicz adds. The researchers studied 29 type 2 diabetes participants and compared a new “3M-diet,” more in alignment with our biological clock, with a control group on the traditional 6M-diet. The experimental 3M-diet comprises a meal of bread, fruits and sweets in the early hours of the morning; a substantial lunch; and a small dinner specifically lacking starches, sweets and fruits. The group on the traditional 6M-diet did not lose weight and did not experience any improvement of sugar levels, requiring an increase in medication and insulin doses. But the group on the 3M-diet not only lost weight but also experienced substantially improved sugar levels.

Making insulin injections unnecessary

“Their need for diabetic medication, especially for insulin doses, dipped substantially. Some were even able to stop using insulin altogether,” adds Prof. Jakubowicz. “In addition, the 3M-diet improved the expression of biological clock genes. This suggests that the 3M-diet is not only more effective in controlling diabetes. It may also prevent many other complications such as cardiovascular disease, aging and cancer, which are all regulated by the biological clock genes.” The upregulation of the biological clock gene expression in the 3M-diet might be the mechanism behind its success, as it enhances insulin secretion and improves sugar delivery into the muscles, creating a balanced daytime and nocturnal glucose metabolism. The researchers are now investigating the role certain proteins play in breakfast foods consumed by diabetics.
 

TAU partners with Columbia University for Dual Degree Program

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For the first time, an Israeli university has a joint undergraduate program with an Ivy League university offering world-class education on two continents

Tel Aviv University, Israel’s largest and most comprehensive higher education institution, today announced that it will launch the Dual Degree Program with Columbia University – a first-of-its-kind partnership at TAU that will provide undergraduate students from around the world with an opportunity to pursue an exceptional liberal arts education and earn two degrees. Transcending traditional study abroad opportunities, the program will enable students to simultaneously earn two bachelor’s degrees—one from each institution—upon completion of the four-year program. The multidisciplinary educational experience will offer students the best of both universities while empowering them to succeed in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. “This is the first time that an Israeli university is collaborating with an elite American institution to offer a dual undergraduate program of this kind,” said Professor Raanan Rein, Vice President of Tel Aviv University.

Best of both worlds

The program will begin with students spending their first two years at Tel Aviv University, studying within one of six academic tracks in the International  Program in the Liberal Arts at Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities. For the final two years, they will study at Columbia University, fulfilling its core curriculum and completing their majors. Dedicated Dual Degree Program advisors from both TAU and Columbia will be assigned to students as soon as they enroll, providing guidance and support on academics and student life. “I am especially excited about our partnership with Tel Aviv University, which is consistently ranked among the best academic institutions worldwide,” said Professor Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean, Columbia University School of General Studies. “By giving students the opportunity to study full time at a top-tier university in the Middle East before bringing them to study in the Ivy League, they will not only benefit from being immersed in a wide range of cultures and experiences, but will also make an immense contribution to the Columbia undergraduate classroom.” TAU’s B.A. in Liberal Arts provides a broad education in the humanities while allowing students to specialize in their areas of interest by choosing from six academic tracks, including Digital Culture and Communication, Jewish and Israel Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Psychology, Philosophy, and Literature. The Dual Degree Program will welcome its inaugural class in the fall of 2020.

New Treatment Triggers Self-Destruction of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

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Research conducted on human pancreatic tumours transplanted in mice reveals promising results, TAU researchers say Pancreatic cancer is resistant to all current treatments. Patients have extremely poor chances of surviving for five years after being diagnosed. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that a small molecule has the ability to induce the self-destruction of pancreatic cancer cells. The research was conducted with xenografts — transplantations of human pancreatic cancer into immunocompromised mice. The treatment reduced the number of cancer cells by 90% in the developed tumors a month after being administered. The research holds great potential for the development of a new effective therapy to treat this aggressive cancer in humans. The study was led by Prof. Malca Cohen-Armon and her team at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Talia Golan’s team at the Cancer Research Center at Sheba Medical Center. It was published in the journal Oncotarget on October 22. “In research published in 2017, we discovered a mechanism that causes the self-destruction of human cancer cells during their duplication (mitosis) without affecting normal cells,” explains Prof. Cohen-Armon. “We have now harnessed this information to efficiently eradicate human pancreatic cancer cells in xenografts. The current results were obtained using a small molecule that evokes this self-destruction mechanism in a variety of human cancer cells. “The mice were treated with a molecule called PJ34, which is permeable in the cell membrane but affects human cancer cells exclusively. This molecule causes an anomaly during the duplication of human cancer cells, provoking their rapid cell death. Thus, cell multiplication itself resulted in cell death in the treated cancer cells.” A month after being injected with PJ34 daily for 14 days, the pancreatic cancer cells in the tumors of the treated mice experienced a relative drop of 90%. In one mouse, the tumor completely disappeared. “It is important to note that no adverse effects were observed, and there were no changes in the weight gain of the mice, nor in their behavior,” says Prof. Cohen-Armon. This mechanism acts efficiently in other types of cancer resistant to current therapies. The molecule PJ34 is being tested in pre-clinical trials according to FDA regulations before clinical trials begin.  

A new, revolutionary way to simplify complex scientific calculations

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Your zip software could calculate entropy as well as a supercomputer, TAU researchers say

Researchers at Prof. Roy Beck’s lab have figured out a simple and accessible solution to a problem that even supercomputers struggle with: measuring entropy, the level of molecular disorder or randomness in a complext system. In complex physical systems, the interaction of internal elements is unavoidable, rendering entropy calculation a computationally demanding, and often impractical, task. The tendency of a properly folded protein to unravel, for example, can be predicted using entropy calculations. Now, a new Tel Aviv University study proposes a radically simple and efficient way of calculating entropy — and it probably exists on your own computer. “We discovered a way to calculate entropy using a standard compression algorithm like the zip software we all have on our computers,” explains Prof. Roy Beck of TAU’s School of Physics and Astronomy. “Supercomputers are used today to simulate the folding or misfolding of proteins in diseased states. Our study demonstrated that by using a standard compression algorithm, we can provide new insights into the physical properties of these proteins by calculating their entropy values using a compression algorithm.

A veriety of new solutions

“Having the ability to calculate entropy meets an urgent need to harness the incredible power of computer simulations to address urgent, timely problems in science and medicine,” Prof. Beck adds. The research was led by him and conducted by TAU PhD students Ram Avinery and Micha Kornreich. According to Prof. Beck, the research has endless applications. From biomedical simulations to basic research conducted in physics, chemistry or material science, the new algorithm would be simple to use on any computer. “A high school student used our concept to calculate the entropy of a complex physical system — the XY model,” says Prof. Beck. “Although this is considered a challenging problem with regard to entropy, the student accomplished it with very little guidance. This demonstrates how easily this method can be used by almost anybody to solve very interesting problems.”

A by-the-way discovery

The idea for the computational method first came about when Prof. Beck’s students, Avinery and Kornreich, discussed entropy from the point of view of information theory. They wondered how well this idea might work in practice rather than in theory. “They simulated a few standard physical systems with entropy values they can compare to,” says Prof. Beck. “Soon they found that the simulation data file size after compression rises and falls just as the expected entropy should. Shortly after that, they realized they could convert the compressed file size into a usable value — the physical entropy. Surprisingly, the simple conversion they used was valid for all the systems studied.” The researchers are currently expanding the application of their methodology to a wide and varied selection of systems. “Since we started working and talking about our work, we have been approached by many researchers from very different fields, asking us to help them calculate entropy from their data,” concludes Prof. Beck. “For now, we are concentrating on simulation of protein folding, a timely and urgent topic that can benefit tremendously from our discovery.”

TAU makes schizophrenia diagnosis easier with AI

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TAU Computer Science master’s student Vered Zilberstein applies machine learning to identify schizophrenics

Tel Aviv University student, Vered Zilberstein, pursuing an MSc in Computer Science at the Blavatnik School of Computer Science, has co-led a study that will help detect schizophrenia patients using artificial intelligence.

She and her research partners applied a machine learning algorithm that identified which study participants were afflicted by schizophrenia and which were not.

 “We used participant scores in a language experiment to train a machine learning classifier to differentiate between schizophrenia patients and a control group of the same sex and age. It managed to do it at an 81.5% accuracy rate,” says Zilberstein, “This procedure is done through a sub-area called natural language processing.”

Collaborating with Beer Yaacov Mental Health Center, Zilberstein set out to explore how AI and computing can assist in the world of mental health – specifically in dealing with schizophrenia.

The disorder is very tricky to diagnose and is characterized by abnormal behavior, speech impairments and a diminished ability to understand reality.

Examples of thought and language disorders characterizing people with schizophrenia include jumping between unrelated issues, called “derailment,” while engaging in conversation. “Tangentiality” occurs when a sufferer replies to a question in an oblique and irrelevant manner. Grammatical mistakes and incoherent, illogical speech are also among the symptoms.

“However,” says Zilberstein, “you need to be very skilled to succeed in identifying speech difficulties affecting schizophrenia sufferers as well as those affecting other groups, such as people on the autistic spectrum.”

Zilberstein’s study included two experiments which examined two types of thought disorders. One focused on derailment, which is dissociative weakness. “It means that one is jumping from one subject to another during a conversation,” explains Zilberstein, “for example, someone can say: ‘I’ve always liked geography. My last teacher in that subject was Prof. August A. He was a man with black eyes. I also like black eyes. There are blue and grey eyes and other sorts too…’ and so on. You can clearly see that they jump very quickly between subjects and by the end of the sentence they have completely derailed from the initial topic, which was geography.”

The other experiment focused on incoherence caused by peculiar vocabulary and incorrect grammar. It is hard to understand what is meant. For example: “Oh, it was superb, you know, the trains broke, and the pond fell in the front doorway.”

Both experiments utilized interviews, questionnaires and photo descriptions. They involved 24 male patients affected by schizophrenia aged 30-40 and 27 mentally healthy males, serving as a control group.

The test results showed that, predictably, the control group tended to maintain focus on the conversation topics whereas the patients were more inclined to changing the subject. More important, it was the machine learning algorithm that could analyze and identify who was whom.

As a computer science master’s student, who comes from the world of exact sciences, what draws you to the world of mental health?

“I wanted to be involved in a combination of disciplines, and not only computer science. I wanted to write a thesis based on real data.”

How widespread, if at all, is the intertwining of artificial intelligence and mental health?

“While artificial intelligence gathers pace in the academic, industrial, educational and social media worlds, combining computer science and mental health is still very much in its infancy. However, artificial intelligence is inevitably going to affect almost all aspects of our lives.

“My study examined the way patients and healthy people talk but further studies may explore and compare between the way patients and healthy people write, for example on social media, which is what I intend on looking into in my research going forward.”

New Pulsed Electric Field Technology Could Allow for Less Invasive Tumor Molecular Profiling

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Electroporation bears less of the negative consequences of biopsies, say TAU, IDC, Technion researcher Current cancer treatment courses often begin with tissue biopsies. Biopsies, however, which involve the physical resection of a small tissue sample, can lead to localized tissue injury, bleeding, inflammation, and stress, as well as increased risk of metastasis. New technology developed by a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Herzliya Interdisciplinary (IDC), and Technion–Israel Institute of Technology may soon offer an alternative means of profiling tissues. The research finds that electroporation — the application of high voltage pulsed electric fields to tissues — enables minimally invasive extraction of RNA and proteins that reveal tissue-specific differential expression critical to molecular profiling. “Our new method can enhance the information surgeons obtain from biopsy, for example,” explains Prof. Alexander Golberg of TAU’s Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences, a lead author of the study. “By harvesting molecules from suspicious areas, this method enables improved diagnostics of the site and produces information pertinent to treatment decisions, including molecular biomarkers.” Research for the study was conducted by TAU graduate student Julia Sheviryov, Dr. Oz Solomon of IDC, Leon Anavy of the Technion, and Prof Zohar Yakhini from IDC and the Technion. The research was published in Scientific Reports on October 31. By extracting tissue-specific molecules using a combination of high-voltage and short pulses applied to specific sites, the technology enables profiling RNA, proteins, or metabolites in tissue and tissue environments. This can improve the accuracy of tumor diagnostics, including the potential response to different therapies. For the research, the scientists used electroporation to extract proteins and RNA from several normal human tissues, including liver tissues, and from a liver cancer model in mice. They then used advanced bioinformatics tools to demonstrate that tissue types can be distinguished by identifying specific molecules in the extracted samples. “Further in vivo development of extraction methods based on electroporation can drive novel approaches to the molecular profiling of tumors and tumor environments, and thereby to related diagnosis practices,” Prof. Golberg concludes. “Now we have a new method with which to sample tissue in vivo. We can sample molecules without extracting cells and without the risky excision of tissue parts.” The researchers now plan to develop a device for local extraction, thus enabling tumor heterogeneity mapping and the in vivo probing of tumor environment molecular composition.

TAU hosts first ever AI Week

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Over 3,000 people are expected to attend the event, which begins this Sunday, November 17th

For the first time ever, Tel Aviv University will be hosting AI Week – an international forum for discussing the hottest topics in artificial intelligence. The event will take place from November 17th to the 21st and bring together technology experts, industry leaders, business executives, government representatives and a variety of other sectors. AI Week will be comprised of two main conference days with keynote speakers, ten tracks covering key topics in the field, as well as an innovation exhibition led by the Israel Airport Authority and satellite events. In addition, the event will include workshops, led by some of the top experts on artificial intelligence. The week will conclude with a hackathon focusing on utilizing AI for social good: healthcare, education, preserving the environment, and more. The purpose of AI Week is to discuss diverse topics related to or making use of artificial intelligence, including medicine, transportation, computer innovation, startups and social issues.  Alongside the lectures, there will be an exhibition of research posters and a presentation of the leading companies in the field. The keynote speakers will include Prof. Amnon Shashua, President and CEO of Mobileye; Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel, Director of the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center; Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority; Dr. Kira Radinsky, CTO and Chairman of Diagnostic Robotics Technologies; Dr. Ben Lorica, Chief Data Scientist at O’Reilly Media and more.

Study shows Europeans migrated to the Levant 40,000 years ago

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Discovery of teeth in Manot Cave sheds light on a population known for its cultural contributions, TAU researchers say
Who exactly were the Aurignacians, who lived in the Levant 40,000 years ago? Researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Ben-Gurion University now report that these culturally sophisticated yet mysterious humans migrated from Europe to the Levant some 40,000 years ago, shedding light on a significant era in the region’s history. The Aurignacian culture first appeared in Europe some 43,000 years ago and is known for having produced bone tools, artifacts, jewelry, musical instruments, and cave paintings. For years, researchers believed that modern man’s entry into Europe led to the rapid decline of the Neanderthals, either through violent confrontation or wresting control of food sources. But recent genetic studies have shown that Neanderthals did not vanish. Instead, they assimilated into modern human immigrant populations. The new study adds further evidence to substantiate this theory. Through cutting-edge dental research on six human teeth discovered at Manot Cave in the Western Galilee, Dr. Rachel Sarig of TAU’s Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research and Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute in collaboration with Dr. Omry Barzilai of the Israel Antiquities Authority and colleagues in Austria and the United States, have demonstrated that Aurignacians arrived in modern-day Israel from Europe some 40,000 years ago — and that these Aurignacians comprised Neanderthals and Homo sapiens alike.

Teeth stand the test of time

“Unlike bones, teeth are preserved well because they’re made of enamel, the substance in the human body most resistant to the effects of time,” Dr. Sarig explains. “The structure, shape, and topography or surface bumps of the teeth provided important genetic information. We were able to use the external and internal shape of the teeth found in the cave to associate them with typical hominin groups: Neanderthal and Homo sapiens.” The researchers performed in-depth lab tests using micro-CT scans and 3D analyses on four of the teeth. The results surprised the researchers: Two teeth showed a typical morphology for Homo sapiens; one tooth showed features characteristic of Neanderthals; the last tooth showed a combination of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens features. This combination of Neanderthal and modern human features has, to date, been found only in European populations from the early Paleolithic period, suggesting their common origin.

A first-of-its-kind discovery

“Following the migration of European populations into this region, a new culture existed in the Levant for a short time, approximately 2,000-3,000 years. It then disappeared for no apparent reason,” adds Dr. Sarig. “Now we know something about their makeup.” “Until now, we hadn’t found any human remains with valid dating from this period in Israel,” adds Prof. Israel Hershkovitz, head of the Dan David Center, “so the group remains a mystery. This groundbreaking study contributes to the story of the population responsible for some of the world’s most important cultural contributions.”

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