Author: Hilary

A Letter from TAU President Welcoming the New Academic Year

Written by Hilary on 3 November 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

“May the hostages come back, the wounded heal, and the displaced return to their homes”.

This week, we begin the 2024-5 academic year, against the backdrop of the bloody war that rages on, and while we still lack a clear sense of how this war will unfold, particularly in relation to Iran.

The anguish over the hostages weighs heavily on us all. It’s hard to believe that over a year after the horrific disaster of October 7, many hostages are still languishing in the hellish tunnels of Gaza, with the bodies of many others held there as bargaining chips. We cannot win this war without bringing everyone home. Added to this is the daily sorrow and mourning for our soldiers, including members of our university community, who have fallen or been injured while defending us, as well as for the civilians who have fallen victim to terrorist acts across Israel. Our concern for the soldiers on the front lines and the tens of thousands of Israelis in the South and North–who either remain vulnerably in their homes or were displaced by circumstances–is unrelenting.

Yet, we have no other country, and fight for it we must. This is what the parents and grandparents of many of us did even before the establishment of Israel, and now it’s our turn. Our extraordinary young generation, with so many risking their lives on the battlefield, places a weighty responsibility on us, the older generation. What are we doing, as a university, and what more must we do in this crucial period?

One of our primary tasks, both last year and this year, is to do everything in our power to ensure that the reservist soldiers studying with us, as well as students who are spouses of soldiers, can complete the academic year successfully. Last year, we provided financial, academic, and emotional support and we will continue to do so this year as well. The emergency fund we established with the help of friends of the university in Israel and around the world has greatly assisted us in this endeavor.

Second, we succeeded last year in containing tensions on campus triggered by the war while maintaining a democratic space and protecting the human and civil rights of everyone. Members of our university community, Jews and Arabs, left-leaning and right-leaning, are equally dear to us. Open and free discussion on any topic is the essence of academia, and we will uphold this principle this year as well.

Third, a primary mission we are focused on is bringing as many Israeli researchers studying abroad back to Tel Aviv University as we have done in previous years. These researchers represent the next generation of academia; they embody the scientific and humanistic pursuits without which we have no future. Israel may seem less attractive to some of them at present, but I am confident that we will weather this crisis and emerge stronger.

Fourth, the growing boycott of Israeli academia worldwide (BDS) affects us all. Universities across the country have united and are working collaboratively to mitigate the impact of the boycott through legal and other means. We’ve had some successes, but there is still a long way to go.

Fifth, from October 7 to this day, the university–as an institution and as a community–has been involved in numerous volunteer activities. Days after October 7, our community members volunteered in the South and North, both in their areas of expertise and in agriculture and other manual work. We will continue to do so this coming year, hopefully in collaboration with local authorities in the South and North. A few months after the war broke out, we established the Post-Trauma Center, treating hundreds of people, both civilians and soldiers. Here, too, the generous financial support of our friends in Israel and abroad has been invaluable.

Sixth, we will continue to defend academic freedom and the autonomy of universities in Israel against those who seek to harm them. Academic freedom is essential for free thought, intellectually challenging education, and groundbreaking research. Without these, we will become a third-world country. I assure you that I will protect our academic freedom as one of my most cherished values.

These are the special missions that characterize this period. But equally important: last year, we carried on teaching and doing research as if – or almost as if – there were no war. We, the university and Israel as a whole, do not have the privilege to stop “producing” doctors, engineers, psychologists, social workers, scientists, and humanist intellectuals. Nor do we have the privilege to stop advancing research. This is the source of our resilience, the safeguard of our future, and we cannot forsake it, not in times of peace and certainly not in times of war.

I thank you all – academic and administrative staff – for your hard work this past year to meet the challenges we set for ourselves, and our friends in Israel and abroad – for your generous support of the University and Israel. And to you, our students – thank you for your patience with us. We are doing our utmost so that you derive the maximum benefit, and hopefully some enjoyment, from studying at Tel Aviv University.

I wish you a successful year, and may peace and tranquility return to our land. May the hostages come back, the wounded heal, and the displaced return to their homes.

Yours always,

Ariel Porat

TAU President

TAU Breakthrough Reveals Mechanism That Eliminates Tumors

Written by Hilary on 3 November 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Researchers identified a mechanism that eliminates tumors—even those resistant to immunotherapy.

A technological breakthrough by medical researchers at Tel Aviv University enabled the discovery of a cancer mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking tumors. The researchers were surprised to find that reversing this mechanism stimulates the immune system to fight the cancer cells, even in types of cancer considered resistant to prevailing forms of immunotherapy. The breakthrough was led by Prof. Carmit Levy, Prof. Yaron Carmi, and PhD student Avishai Maliah from TAU’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. The paper was published in the leading journal Nature Communications.

Prof. Levy: “It all happened by coincidence. My lab studies both cancer and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun on our skin and body – both of which are known to suppress the immune system. Cancer suppresses approaching immune cells and solar radiation suppresses the skin’s immune system. While in most cases, we cancer researchers worldwide focus on the tumor and look for mechanisms by which cancer inhibits the immune system, here we proposed a different approach: investigating how UV exposure suppresses the immune system and applying our findings to cancer. The discovery of a mechanism that inhibits the immune system opens new paths for innovative therapies”.

What Surprising Findings Emerged from the Research?

Prof. Levy adds: “With this idea in mind, I asked my colleague Prof. Yaron Carmi, a global expert on the immune system, to join the study. Avishai Maliah, an MD/PhD candidate in my lab, led the project. The first stage was a comprehensive investigation of changes in the skin induced by exposure to UV, using a mouse model. Avishai examined the behavior of dozens of proteins post-UV exposure and surprisingly discovered a significant rise in the level of a relatively unexplored protein called Ly6a. This unexpected finding led us to investigate further, to understand the protein function and whether it is involved in the immune suppression process”.

Prof. Carmi explains: “It’s important to understand a basic aspect of the immune system’s function. Our natural immune system is very efficient and very powerful, but it contains quite a few brakes and controls, to prevent overactivity that can cause autoimmune diseases – in which the body attacks itself. When our skin is exposed to UV radiation from the sun, our immune system responds immediately: blood vessels expand, DNA is repaired wherever possible, and cells with mutations are identified and removed. At the same time, a strong control system with numerous brakes is also activated to prevent overactivity”.

How Does UV Exposure Affect Immune Response?

Prof. Levy: “The use of sunlight to suppress autoimmune diseases of the skin – when the skin’s immune system overreacts – has been known for years. Phototherapy is basically the application of UV radiation to treat patients with autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, vitiligo and more, because ultimately UV suppresses the skin’s immune system”.

Avishai Maliah: “We found that after exposure to UV radiation, the immune system’s T cells – that play a critical role in fighting cancer – begin to express high levels of the protein Ly6a. We suspected that Ly6a serves as a brake through which UV inhibits the immune system, and that by releasing this brake, optimal activation of the immune system might be resumed”.

Prof. Levy: “We were surprised to discover that this protein, Ly6a, is also overexpressed in cancer tumors – apparently inhibiting T cells. Having found this in two types of cancer, melanoma skin cancer and colon cancer, we have reason to believe that the same thing happens in other cancers as well. Evidently, we have discovered a general mechanism through which cancer tumors desensitize the immune system. Avishai treated cancer with Ly6a antibodies, and amazingly the tumors were significantly reduced. Moreover, cancers resistant to known treatments reacted substantially to Ly6a antibodies”. The new discovery can have practical implications in immunotherapy – treating cancer by enhancing the response of the immune system.

Prof. Carmi: “Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer. However, about 50% of the patients do not respond to the currently prevailing treatment – the protein PD1. We discovered a new protein, Ly6a, and found that its antibody eradicated tumors in our model animals – even those resistant to PD1 therapy. We are currently working to translate our findings into a drug for human cancer patients, hoping to offer an effective new treatment”.

Prof. Beatriz Magaloni: 2024 BMI Prize Laureate

Written by Hilary on 3 November 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University has announced that it is awarding the 2024 BMI Prize to Prof. Beatriz Magaloni from Stanford University, in recognition of her significant contributions to the study of authoritarianism. This esteemed prize is presented annually by the The Boris Mints Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to Global Challenges and highlights the impact of a senior researcher’s work in specific academic fields.

Prof. Beatriz Magaloni is a distinguished scholar in political science, renowned for her groundbreaking research on autocratic regimes and their electoral processes. She holds the position of Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations and is a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Her work has become foundational in understanding multi-party autocracies, which are increasingly prevalent forms of governance globally.

Prof. Magaloni’s research addresses critical questions regarding why autocratic regimes opt for multi-party elections and the implications of these elections for democracy. She elucidates the nuanced threats posed by civilian leaders who ascend to power through electoral means rather than military coups, offering vital insights into electoral behavior and regime stability.

Throughout her career, Prof. Magaloni has published extensively in leading journals, including the American Political Science Review and World Development. Her work is widely assigned in graduate and undergraduate courses, shaping the academic agenda for studies in comparative politics.

The award will be presented to Prof. Magaloni at the joint BMI-University of Donja Gorica Conference in Podgorica, Montenegro, on November 25th.

For further information about Prof. Beatriz Magaloni and her research, visit her profiles on Stanford University and the Carnegie Endowment.

Let Them Migrate in Peace

Written by Hilary on 29 October 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Migratory birds in times of war.

Israel, a stopover for over 500 million migratory birds heading to warmer lands, has been at war on multiple fronts for a year. As these birds migrate south, they face not only the usual dangers but also added risks from fighter jets, missiles, and UAVs along their northern arrival routes and southern destinations.

Prof. Yossi Leshem from the School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences has studied birds, especially migratory ones, for over 50 years. He began tracking their flight paths in Israel 40 years ago using a glider, observing their spring migration from Egypt to Lebanon and autumn route southward. This work allowed him to map their arrival times, flight altitudes, and the effects of weather on their behavior.

Flying with the Birds (Photo: Eyal Bartov).

In the 1980s, he pioneered radar use in Israel to study bird migration, working with the Israeli Air Force to reduce mid-air collisions between military aircraft and birds. We asked him how the current conflict impacts migratory birds and whether solutions exist to protect both human and avian lives.

Can Radar Distinguish Between Birds and Aircraft?

“A radar is an electronic device that sends out electromagnetic waves. If there’s something in the air, the waves bounce back, indicating distance and azimuth. The larger the bird, the stronger the radar signal. Large birds like raptors, pelicans, storks, or cranes are at greater risk, posing the most significant danger to Air Force planes”, explains Prof. Leshem.

Doing everything to prevent an air collision with them. Pelicans in tight formation during their autumn migration (Photo: Aharon Shimshon).

“Today, it’s understood that larger birds generally fly over land to use thermals (warm air rising from the ground). Based on their speed, we can often identify flocks of birds. We can track migratory birds on radar up to 80-90 kilometers away”, says Prof. Leshem. However, since the war began and UAVs from Lebanon started appearing, distinguishing birds from hostile aircraft has become more challenging.

“During autumn, migration comes through Europe, Turkey, Lebanon, and down through Israel—the same route used by missiles and UAVs. They come from the same direction, height, and azimuth”. According to Prof. Leshem, this has led to four main challenges: additional pressure on air defense and the air force, which must quickly decide if there is a true threat or if cranes are merely passing by; stress for civilians prompted by alert systems when stork flocks fly overhead; harm to wildlife entering Israeli airspace; and substantial financial costs of interception missiles and air force resources”. Nonetheless, Prof. Leshem reveals that efforts are underway to develop a system that can differentiate between birds and UAVs, which will save countless bird lives.

Protecting Israel’s Residents, Endangering Its Birds: The Iron Dome System.

How is the War Affecting Local Birds?

It’s not just migratory birds suffering from the consequences of war. Prof. Leshem leads a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Society for the Protection of Nature, using barn owls and kestrels for natural rodent control in agricultural areas to reduce pesticide use. There are about 5,000 nesting boxes nationwide, supported by hundreds of farmers who receive professional assistance. The project now includes ten Middle Eastern countries and has recently welcomed Georgia, Ukraine, and Germany, fostering cross-border cooperation.

Prof. Leshem explains that barn owls typically lay between 5 to 12 eggs annually, depending on food availability. “However, the war has significantly reduced nesting and egg-laying in conflict zones in the north and south, where burned fields have impacted rodent populations. Fewer chicks this year will lead to a smaller barn owl population next year, resulting in long-term effects”.

A Death Trap for Rodents – A Cut in Food Supply for Birds of Prey: Burned Fields in the Gaza Border Area.

Will the Impact on Birds Affect the Entire Ecological Balance?

“Absolutely, the impact on birds is affecting the entire ecological balance in several ways. From small songbirds to larger migratory birds like storks, each species plays a crucial role in the ecosystem. For example, the black-headed bunting migrates from this region to Africa in the fall, crossing the Sahara Desert, and depends on the insects in our fields and surroundings to build up enough fat reserves for the journey. If these fields aren’t providing enough food, the bunting may seek other locations, leading to an increase in insects in our agricultural areas, which can harm local crops”.

“Additionally, storks, which arrive here in large numbers and help control rodent populations by preying on voles in flooded fields, are essential for maintaining this balance. If these storks don’t arrive, farmers may face increased rodent populations, which can damage crops. So, if birds don’t receive the ecological support they need here, the local balance will likely shift significantly, bringing widespread environmental consequences for agriculture, species diversity, and our overall environmental health”, he explains.

On its way to Africa, stopping to refuel in Israel: the Black-headed Bunting.

Will Migration Patterns Shift Due to War?

“Migration has been occurring for hundreds of thousands of years, and it won’t change quickly,” assures Professor Leshem. “However, it could impact survival chances. In a typical winter, about 50,000 cranes spend the season in the Hula Valley, but last year only 15,000 arrived. Some birds, like storks, birds of prey, and pelicans, stop here for just a night or two to ‘refuel’ before continuing their journey. If they can’t land in their usual spots due to burned fields or are scared off by gunfire, they may need to find other locations. This search could decrease their chances of successfully reaching their destination, affecting the larger migration cycle”.

Perhaps there will still be beautiful days ahead. Thousands of cranes in the Hula Lake (Photo: Shiraz Pashinsky).

Building Bridges Through Cuisine

Written by Hilary on 21 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Aliya Fastman, the founder and owner of Citrus&Salt cooking studio in Tel Aviv, is a California native who has made a significant impact on the city’s culinary landscape. A graduate of Tel Aviv University’s International MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Fastman now calls Tel Aviv home, where she combines her love for cooking with her dedication to building connections between people through the shared experience of food.

In our interview, Aliya Fastman shares her journey and insights on how cuisine can serve as a powerful medium for promoting understanding and unity.

From Conflict Resolution to Culinary Diplomacy

I first came to Israel for a year abroad. After finishing school, I came back for the army, left again, then came back for my master’s degree. I’ve been here ever since.

I finished my master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at TAU in 2016, and I thought I wanted to go into traditional diplomacy, but instead, I found myself, like many, needing to have a job. So I went into public relations in the high-tech sector, where I worked for several years. I really liked it, and it was a good learning experience.

But on nights and weekends, I started building a business called Citrus and Salt, which was originally intended to teach Israeli cooking and other local cuisines to tourists. It started out of my home, and then I got a bigger home, so I had more students. Now we’re actually on to our second brick-and-mortar studio.

At our current studio, we offer both cooking classes and different cultural events.

With fewer tourists now, we have started offering cuisines that locals are interested in. I am passionate about traveling to places like Thailand, India, and Italy to learn from chefs there, getting to know their culture through their kitchen and bringing those cuisines and flavors back to Israel.

In addition, we have an initiative that I hope to grow, which is cultural nights for cross-cultural awareness through food. Our first Indian night was sold out with a waiting list – it was with a family of Olim from Mumbai who shared their story. I’d love to replicate this with Ethiopian culture, Arab-Israeli culture, and more.

Connecting People Through Food

In a way, although I didn’t realize it in the beginning, what we do is very much diplomacy through food. Essentially, as we learned in our degree, whenever you gather people together in a shared activity, it helps them get to know each other and helps create good relations. There’s almost no activity that’s better for that than cooking.

Our business has brought together people from many countries, including Germany, Uruguay, Hong Kong, the United States, and South Africa. They cook together and share their stories.

Regarding Israel, which is my passion, our studio provides a safe and calm space for people who are visiting Israel and who have heard a lot about it, to ask me questions about the culture, the conflicts, the food, and everything in between.

I don’t think any questions, if they’re coming from a good place, are unpleasant. People want to be informed and understand more. This has allowed me to be a bit of an advocate for Israel through the kitchen.

Showcasing Israeli and Diaspora Cuisines

Our classic Israeli menu has falafel, hummus, perfectly puffy handmade pita, shakshuka, and smoked eggplant with tahini, and Israeli salad. It’s vegetarian-friendly and accommodating to a range of dietary needs.

We also offer Moroccan, Iraqi, and Yemenite dishes to introduce our visitors to diaspora cuisines.

Personally, I love North African Moroccan cuisine, like tagine and couscous. The way the spices simmer together is unlike anything I experienced in the United States.

During my year at TAU, I traveled to Morocco with friends from the program for a couple of weeks and we were able to dive more into the culture there.

Citizen’s Kitchen: Bringing Comfort to Soldiers and Families

From October 9, we opened a war kitchen out of our cooking studio, and have made over 65,000 meals since then, feeding soldiers, families of hostages, displaced people, and families of reservists. It’s very much a community initiative where people from around the world and local Israelis came together to cook.

We rely on donations from international volunteers and donors to fund Citizen’s Kitchen, and we also have a GoFundMe.

The initiative emerged during rocket fire, at a time of great trauma, so we started also offering some therapy and different Shabbat community events to help create a foundation for people, while also doing a public service.

As locals go back to work, we’re inviting groups from Europe and the United States to volunteer. We’re pushing forward with both the volunteer and the regular studio activities in tandem.

We’ve gotten a lot of praise for our food, with soldiers saying it’s the best food they’ve had. We believe that if we’re doing this, the food should be tasty and of good quality.

Our ethos is comfort through food.

In the beginning, we made a lot of schnitzel. Our chefs really put together a fabulous recipe with the chicken marinated in coconut milk and spices overnight.

Now we’ve been making a lot of sandwiches because we’ve been sending them to the North and in armored vehicles to soldiers in Gaza. We try to do really nice ones, such as freshly baked ciabatta rolls with teriyaki chicken and a crisp cabbage salad.

For families, we make dishes like stuffed onions and grape leaves, roast chicken, egg noodles with grilled vegetables and sesame seeds, fresh watermelon, baked food, and Israeli salad. Sometimes, we also send smoked eggplant with tahini, different cabbage salads, or meatballs in fresh tomato sauce.

More important than even the food is the fact that we’re here as an international community of Jews and allies, supporting the soldiers on the frontline and the survivors, saying that it’s not over.

Although a lot of kitchens have had to close, and we’re not at the same capacity we were, cooking just twice a week now, each meal counts and each partnership counts. We’re still cooking because they’re still fighting.

We’re also sending letters to soldiers from our international volunteers just to emphasize that we support them: “We have your back. You’re not alone in this.”

Looking Back on Studying at TAU

My degree taught me to communicate with different cultures, which is vital for my work even though it’s not formal diplomacy.

I loved the advanced mediation course—diving into it and doing the simulations really helped me.

It’s proved invaluable with some problematic situations and in dealing with students and volunteers of different cultural backgrounds.

Every culture has its particularities, and I need to be able to bring all students together around the table. For example, Americans love little spoons to taste what they’re making, while Israelis use their hands.

Being aware of cultural differences is almost more important than how the food tastes because that leaves people feeling understood and having a nice experience.

I also found it absolutely wonderful to be able to study from people who were instrumental in making history. Professor Daniel Reisner, for example, was involved in creating some of the laws and deals and offered us a refreshing perspective on them.

I’m a true believer in the fact that everything you do is a building block, whether it’s my waitressing after the army, or my job in PR.

This applies to my formal education as well—I didn’t know it would lead me here, but it’s definitely something that I needed, and I’m glad I did it.

I still have great friends from the course who stayed in Israel and we always speak about how it has helped us.

Connecting Education, Israel, and Global Advocacy

From my personal experience, I loved the education and the experience at TAU. It has been valuable for me and other alumni that I’ve spoken to.

I think that it’s very special to come and study in Israel and to be able to maintain connections here.

First and foremost, Jews need to be in a safe place. I think coming to strengthen the state here is very important. I also find great inspiration in Eylon Levy’s citizen spokesperson initiative to find people who are able to speak to Western audiences. Even if it doesn’t help the person you’re talking to, it might help the people on the sidelines.

The more well-educated, articulate, and well-informed internationals are in getting our message out there, to their communities, the better.

It does make a difference, and I believe there is hope for people who don’t necessarily have antisemitic beliefs, but simply follow the crowd.

Photos courtesy of Aliya Fastman and Citrus&Salt

The Reason Behind the Dancing Sunflowers

Written by Hilary on 21 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

As they grow, sunflowers “dance” to avoid blocking each other’s sunlight

Flowers have long fascinated scientists and nature enthusiasts alike, not just for their beauty, but also for their subtle, almost imperceptible movements. Over a century ago, Charles Darwin was the first to observe that plants, including flowers, exhibit a kind of cyclical movement as they grow. This movement, seen in both stems and roots, puzzled researchers: Was it just a byproduct of growth, or did it serve a crucial purpose?

A new study by Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with the University of Colorado, Boulder, discovered that plants that grow in dense environments, where each plant casts a shadow on its neighbor, find a collective solution with the help of random movements that help them find optimal growth directions. In this way, the study sheds light on the scientific enigma that has occupied researchers since Darwin, namely the functional role of these inherent movements called circumnutations.

The research was conducted under the leadership of Prof. Yasmine Meroz from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Prof. Orit Peleg from the University of Colorado Boulder in the USA. The research team included Dr. Chantal Nguyen (Boulder), Roni Kempinski and Imri Dromi (TAU). The research was published in the prestigious journal Physical Review X.

Do flowers have a sense of direction?

Prof. Meroz explains: “Previous studies have shown that if sunflowers are densely planted in a field where they shade each other they grow in a zigzag pattern – one forward and one back – so as not to be in each other’s shadow. This way they grow side by side to maximize illumination from the sun, therefore photosynthesis, on a collective level. Plants know how to distinguish between the shadow of a building and the green shadow of a leaf. If they sense the shadow of a building – they usually don’t change their growth direction, because they ‘know’ that will have no effect. But if they sense the shadow of a plant, they will grow in a direction away from the shadow”.

According to the researchers, Darwin was the first to recognize that all plants grow while exhibiting a kind of cyclical movement known as “circumnutation”, which is observed in both stems and roots. However, until today—except for a few cases, such as climbing plants that grow in large circular movements to find something to grab onto—it was unclear whether this was an artifact or a critical feature of growth. Why would a plant invest energy to grow in random directions?

In the current study, the researchers examined how sunflowers “know” to grow optimally—maximizing sunlight capture for the collective—and analyzed the growth dynamics of sunflowers in the laboratory, where they exhibit a zigzag pattern. Prof. Meroz and her team grew sunflowers in a high-density environment and photographed them during growth, taking pictures every few minutes. The photographs were then combined to create a time-lapse movie. By tracking the movement of each sunflower, the researchers observed that the flowers were “dancing” a lot.

Shake your Tail Petal

Prof. Meroz stated, “As part of our research, we conducted a physical analysis that captured the behavior of each sunflower within the collective, revealing that the sunflowers ‘dance’ to find the optimal angle, ensuring that each flower does not block the sunlight of its neighbor. We quantified this movement statistically and demonstrated through computer simulations that these random movements are used collectively to minimize shadowing. It was also surprising to find that the distribution of the sunflowers’ ‘steps’ was very wide, ranging over three orders of magnitude, from nearly zero displacements to movements of up to two centimeters every few minutes in various directions”.

In conclusion, Prof. Meroz adds: “The sunflower plant takes advantage of its ability to use both small, slow steps and large, fast ones to find the optimal arrangement for the collective. If the range of steps were smaller or larger, the arrangement would result in more mutual shading and less photosynthesis. It’s somewhat like a crowded dance party, where individuals move around to create more space: if they move too much, they’ll interfere with the other dancers, but if they move too little, the crowding problem won’t be solved, leaving one corner of the square overcrowded and the other empty. Sunflowers exhibit a similar communication dynamic—a combination of responding to the shade of neighboring plants and making random movements regardless of external stimuli”.

Want to Fall in Love? Step Outside in The Sun

Written by Hilary on 19 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Any Tel Avivian will tell you that the perfect place for a first date is at the beach. Now, we have the science to support that claim. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight enhances romantic passion in humans. In the study, men and women were exposed to UVB (ultraviolet radiation type B) under controlled conditions, and the findings were unequivocal: increased levels of romantic passion in both genders.

Sun + Skin = Love

The study revealed that exposure to sunlight affects the regulation of the endocrine system responsible for the release of sexual hormones in humans. The discovery may lead to practical applications down the line, such as UVB treatments for sexual hormone disorders.

In animal models, the effect was dramatic: the females’ hormone levels rose significantly, enlarging their ovaries and prolonging their mating season; the attraction between males and females increased; and both were more willing to engage in sexual intercourse.

The researchers repeated the experiment on the animal model, this time removing from the skin a protein called p53, which identifies DNA damage and activates pigmentation during exposure to sunlight as protection against its adverse effects. The removal of the protein eliminated the effect of UVB exposure on the animals’ sexual behavior, convincing the researchers that exposure to radiation through the skin was the cause of the observed hormonal, physiological and behavioral changes, and that the protective system is also responsible for the regulation of sexuality.

Furless Humans and Sun Exposure

In the 32 human subjects of the study, all treated with UVB phototherapy at the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) and Assuta Medical Centers, both genders exhibited a rise in romantic passion, and males also noted an increase in levels of aggression.

Similar results were found when the subjects were asked to avoid sunlight for two days, and then tan themselves for approximately 25 minutes. Blood tests revealed that exposure to sunlight resulted in a higher release of hormones like testosterone compared to one day before exposure. A rise in testosterone in males during the summer was also found in analyses of data from the Israeli health maintenance organizations Clalit and Maccabi Health Services.

Prof. Carmit Levy (on the left) & PhD student Roma Parikh.

The new discovery from TAU may lead to future practical applications, such as UVB treatments for sexual hormone disorders. The breakthrough opens up for further discoveries in basic science, “As humans, we have no fur, and our skin is thus directly exposed to sunlight. We are only beginning to understand what this exposure does to us, and the key roles it might play in various physiological and behavioral processes. It’s only the tip of the iceberg,” says Prof. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

The study was led by PhD student Roma Parikh and Ashchar Sorek from the laboratory of Prof. Levy. UVB phototherapy was administered to the subjects at the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) and Assuta Medical Centers. The groundbreaking discovery was published as a cover story in the prestigious scientific journal Cell Reports.

Animals Experience War Stress Too

Written by Hilary on 18 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

TSU study examines the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on wildlife

A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology, Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History reveals that the Israel-Hamas war has had a severe impact on animals. The study, which focused on geckos, found that the sound of explosions from fired rockets induces stress and anxiety in these creatures, leading to a sharp increase in their metabolic rates — an energy cost that, if chronic, may be life-threatening. The researchers hypothesize that these stress responses characterize many other animals, especially those who live in the conflict zones in northern and southern Israel.

The study was led by a team of researchers from TAU’s School of Zoology and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History — Shahar Dubiner, Prof. Shai Meiri, and Prof. Eran Levin — in collaboration with Dr. Reut Vardi of the University of Oxford. The study was published in the journal Ecology.

Energy Changes in Wildlife

Prof. Shai Meiri explains: “The most tragic aspect of war is the loss of human life, among both soldiers and civilians. However, animals are also severely affected, both directly and indirectly, in ways that may threaten their survival. A few weeks before October 7, we began working on a long-term study to measure the rate of energy consumption of small ground geckos of the species Stenodactylus sthenodactylus. We obviously did not foresee the outbreak of the war, but unintentionally, we recorded the energy consumption of five geckos during the rocket barrages launched into Tel Aviv in the first month of the war”.

The study’s findings showed that at the sound of the bombings, the geckos’ metabolic rate jumped to double what it was when they were at rest. Their breathing became faster, and they clearly exhibited signs of stress. The experiment lasted up to four hours after the barrages, yet even within this timeframe the geckos did not calm down and return to their resting levels. Moreover, even after a month of continuous fighting, the geckos did not acclimate to the sound of the explosions — their stress response remained unchanged.

Left to right: Prof. Shai Meiri and Prof. Eran Levin.

Prof. Levin: “A state of stress is detrimental to both humans and animals. To compensate for the increase in oxygen consumption and depletion of energy reserves, animals need to eat more. Even if they manage to find food, in the process they expose themselves to predators and lose opportunities to reproduce. In a situation of ongoing conflict, such as the current reality in Gaza, the Gaza Envelope, and along the Israeli-Lebanese border, the metabolic cost can be significant and have a real impact on the energy reserves and activity periods of reptiles and other animals. This can exacerbate their conservation status, especially for species that are already endangered”.

The researchers note that the findings of this study are consistent with another experiment conducted during Operation Guardian of the Walls, in which they also observed a stress response in a small snake of the species Xerotyphlops syriacus.

Shahar Dubiner concludes: “Our research was conducted in a laboratory at Tel Aviv University and pertained to the reverberations of explosions from interceptions in the Tel Aviv area. However, given the unequivocal results showing symptoms of stress, we can infer that animals that are in the immediate conflict zones in the south and north of the country, where the intensity and frequency of fire are much higher, suffer from significantly more severe stress and anxiety symptoms that may endanger their lives”.

Turning Organic Waste to Tomorrow’s Fuel

Written by Hilary on 18 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

TAU’s new method turns raw wet waste into biofuels, potentially meeting a third of Israel’s marine fuel needs.

An innovative development by a team of Tel Aviv University researchers allows for converting the wet raw waste that we throw in the trash into liquid and solid biofuels, without the need to dry the waste. The researchers assess that at the national level, fuels produced from organic waste can, among other things, meet about a third of Israel’s marine fuel consumption.

The study was led by Prof. Alexander Golberg of Tel Aviv University’s Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences and was published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management: X. The research was conducted by Ph.D. candidate Maya Mosseri in collaboration with engineer Michael Epstein, Prof. Michael Gozin of the School of Chemistry, and Prof. Avraham Kribus of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering.

How Israel Handles Its Waste Crisis

Israel’s waste problem is escalating. In 2019, the country generated approximately 5.8 million tons of municipal waste, averaging about 1.76 kg per person per day — about 30 percent more than the European average. This figure increases every year by about 2.6 percent. Currently, about 80 percent of household waste in Israel ends up in landfills. Organic waste presents a significant challenge, harming the environment through greenhouse gas emissions, leachate formation, and the pollution of air, water, and soil, often accompanied by unpleasant odors.

The Research Team.

“Organic waste emits methane, which is a greenhouse gas, and also contaminates groundwater”, explains Prof. Golberg. “The treatment of waste is a critical issue. Landfill sites in Israel are reaching capacity, and despite the desire to reduce landfill to a minimum, we are forced to open new sites, because there is no other solution. The major advantage of our proposal is that we will reduce the need for so many landfill sites. Municipalities invest considerable funds on waste transportation and treatment, and this solution has the potential to significantly cut those expenses”.

To assess the potential of municipal waste in Israel, the researchers analyzed the results of a groundbreaking 2018 survey conducted by E. Elimelech et al. from the University of Haifa. The survey examined the composition of the garbage produced by 190 households in the city of Haifa over the course of a week. The findings revealed that measurable organic waste constitutes about 36.4 percent of food waste and about 16.4 percent of total household waste. The category of measured organic waste was further analyzed, showing that it comprised 67 percent fruits and vegetables, 14 percent breads, pastas and cereals, 8 percent eggs and dairy products, 5 percent by-products such as peels and skins, 3 percent meat, fish and poultry, 2 percent sweets and cookies, and 1percent soft drinks. In general this organic waste contains around 80% water.

Turning Trash into Treasure

“The results of this survey formed the basis for the waste model in our study,” says Prof. Golberg. “We built a continuous reactor — which will eventually be adaptable for solar energy usage — to heat the waste to 280 degrees Celsius, and we were able to significantly reduce the amount of water and oxygen in the biofuel. We found cost-effective catalysts that make it possible to control the ratio between the liquid and solid fuel products. Solid fuel can be used as biochar, effectively sequestering carbon dioxide for extended periods. The biochar can be burned in power plants like regular coal and liquid biofuels, and after upgrading, it can power planes, trucks, and ships”.

Using the representative model of the measured organic waste, the TAU researchers successfully produced liquid biofuel with a yield of up to 29.3 percent by weight and solid fuel with a yield of up to 40.7 percent based on dry raw material. This process is versatile and suitable for treating any wet organic waste or residue, for example, organic waste from food factories, institutional kitchens, and hospitals.

The researchers conclude: “The production of biofuels from organic waste components can significantly reduce the volume of municipal waste sent to landfills, thereby decreasing environmental pollution of soil, water, and air. Moreover, reducing landfilling will lower greenhouse gas emissions and decrease reliance on oil and coal. Converting waste into energy also offers a local solution for Israel’s energy independence and security”.

The researchers thank the chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Energy and the company Noga for their support of the research.

Can Smartwatches Prevent Pandemic Outbreaks?

Written by Hilary on 7 August 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Researchers Discover How Smartwatches Can Stop Disease Spread by Early Detection

Researchers from the Department of Industrial Engineering at TAU’s Faculty of Engineering led a two-year study in which participants wore smartwatches that measured biomarkers and answered questions about their health every day. The results indicate that the wearable technology identified a change in key physiological parameters one to three whole days before the user felt the first symptom of the disease: a gap of 23 hours for COVID-19, 62 hours for group A streptococcus (GAS), and 73 hours for influenza.

The researchers: “Early diagnosis enabled by wearable technologies can be critical for inducing behavioral changes, such as reduced social contacts at an early stage, when the disease is most infectious. Potentially, this can prevent the spread of disease and even preempt global pandemics in the future”.

The study was led by Prof. Dan Yamin, an expert in epidemiology and infectious disease modeling and Head of the Lab for Digital Epidemiology and Health Analytics, and Prof. Erez Shmueli, Head of the Big Data Lab, both from TAU’s Department of Industrial Engineering. Other participants included: research students Shachar Snir and Matan Yechezkel from the Department of Industrial Engineering, Dr. Tal Patalon from the Kahn Sagol Maccabi Research and Innovation Center at Maccabi Healthcare Services and Yupeng Chen and Prof. Margaret Brandeau from the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. The paper was published in Lancet Regional Health Europe.

Prof. Yamin: “Infectious diseases and pandemics pose a great threat to humanity, and we must harness our scientific and technological abilities to prevent them. Previous studies have shown that during the recent pandemic about 40% of all transmissions occurred about a day before the first symptoms appeared. In other words, the person transmitting the disease was unaware they were infected. In this study we checked whether wearable technologies could provide earlier diagnosis, to reduce contagion and prevent the spread of infectious diseases”.

Tracking Key Health Changes

During the two-year study, 4,795 Israelis over 18 years of age wore a smartwatch that continuously monitored key physiological parameters, focusing on pulse rate at a 15-second resolution and HRV (Heart Rate Variability). Prof. Yamin explains: “Pulse rate and HRV provide crucial information about the two most important systems in our body – the heart and the brain. Our brain constantly consumes energy, burning oxygen provided by the cardiovascular system, and consequently, any change in our activity or condition is immediately reflected in a change in HRV. When a person becomes ill, most of the focus goes to a single system – the immune system battling the disease, keeping the heart rate relatively steady, and reducing its variability, the HRV. In this way, changes in HRV indicate physical stress”.

In addition to wearing the smartwatches, participants answered a series of general questions about their condition every day: How do you feel physically? How do you feel mentally? Have you engaged in physical activity? Do you have any specific symptoms? Etc. In addition, they were provided with home test kits for three different diseases – COVID-19, influenza, and group A streptococcus – which they used at their discretion. Over two years, the researchers collected 800,000 questionnaires and this data was compared with parallel data from the smartwatch. Altogether, the data included 490 episodes of influenza, 2206 episodes of COVID-19, and 320 episodes of GAS.

Based on their abundant data, the researchers built special models that identified three critical points in time following exposure to an infectious disease. For instance, COVID-19: A. The first physiological anomaly in heart rate measures – 96 hours after exposure, an interval, which the researchers call the ‘digital incubation period’; B. The first symptom noticed by the person –130 hours after exposure, an interval commonly known as the ‘incubation period’; and C. Testing that ultimately diagnosed the disease – usually about 168 hours after exposure, called the ‘diagnostic decision period’. The period from exposure to digital diagnosis, namely the digital incubation period, was even shorter for influenza (24 hours) and GAS (60 hours).

Getting Ahead of the Curve?

Prof. Shmueli: “Early diagnosis is extremely important for preventing the spread of the disease. Moreover, we found that even when our subjects reported first symptoms, they tended to postpone testing for a while – 53 hours for COVID-19, 39 hours for influenza, and 38 hours for GAS. Consequently, for quite a long interval, from exposure to testing, they did not change their social behavior, spreading the disease to others. We found that on average, people performed the test and changed their behavior when the disease was already past its peak, and they were much less likely to infect others. The delay between digital diagnosis and testing – 64 hours in the case of COVID-19, 68 hours for influenza, and 58 hours for GAS – is thus extremely crucial”.

Prof. Yamin: “Our findings indicate that at the population level digital diagnosis can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases, by causing people to change their social behavior at a much earlier stage of the disease. This can even prevent the next pandemic – by bringing the basic reproduction number (R0value) to below 1.0, which means that every sick individual transmits the disease to less than one other person, and the disease soon dies out”.

The researchers add that early diagnosis is also critical for effective treatment. Specifically, for COVID-19, existing treatments are very effective only when given early on, preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and even death.

A Milestone in Stopping Pandemics

Prof. Yamin: “In an ERC-funded paper published in October 2019, shortly before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I argued that infectious diseases pose the greatest threat of a global catastrophe. The threat is especially great in the modern world, with people traveling all over the globe and potentially spreading new diseases. However, modern technology can help us combat this danger and devise more effective public health strategies. Our new method, using wearable sensors for early detection of contagious disease can potentially reduce the threat of epidemics to a minimum. Smartwatches are a relatively new technology, with enormous potential, and novel, even more sensitive and accurate wearable sensors are constantly being developed. Ultimately, this can be a high-impact tool for preempting future pandemics”.

Author: Hilary

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