ISRAEL INNOVATION PROJECT

Experts from Tel Aviv University, working with physicians from Sheba Medical Center, played a role in expanding Israel’s national genetic-screening policy. Their advocacy helped bring preimplantation genetic testing for BRCA1, BRCA2, and Lynch syndrome carriers into the country’s public health system. The change allows families with high-risk genetic mutations to reduce the likelihood of passing these conditions to future generations.

Researchers from Bar-Ilan University and NVIDIA have developed a technique that improves how AI image-generation systems interpret spatial instructions. The method enables models to follow directions such as “above,” “below,” or “next to” with greater accuracy. The advance could improve the reliability and controllability of AI-generated images in fields such as design, education, and human-computer interaction.

A new Passover Haggadah by a scholar from Bar-Ilan University brings ancient Egyptian imagery and archaeology into the traditional Seder narrative. The book, written by biblical scholar Joshua Berman, pairs artifacts, inscriptions, and historical images with passages from the Exodus story. The approach offers readers a deeper historical perspective on the Exodus story and its cultural context in the ancient Near East.

Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University propose a new explanation for mysterious cone-shaped clay vessels found at many sites near the Dead Sea. The vessels, known as “cornets,” were used as candles during ceremonial processions in the Chalcolithic period. Participants likely filled them with beeswax and later deliberately smashed them as part of ritual practices.

A long-term study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev finds that repeated cycles of weight loss and regain may still provide lasting health benefits. Participants who repeatedly rejoined weight-loss programs maintained healthier abdominal fat levels and improved metabolic markers over time. The results suggest that lifestyle changes can leave a lasting “cardiometabolic memory,” meaning health improvements may persist beyond changes on the scale.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University find that early-life experiences play a major role in shaping how bats behave as adults. In the study, Egyptian fruit bats raised in more dynamic environments later showed greater exploration in the wild, traveling farther and using larger foraging areas than those raised in stable conditions. The results suggest that conditions during early development can strongly influence animal behavior later in life.

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that looking at water availability, the balance between rainfall and evaporation, may explain climate impacts better than rainfall alone. By analyzing global ecosystem data and climate models, researchers found that water loss from land and plants has a relatively stable upper limit across climates, meaning even small changes in rainfall can lead to much larger shifts in available water. The findings suggest that dry regions may reach ecological stress more quickly, while wetter regions could face greater flood risks as climate change intensifies the global water cycle.

A new study from the School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics at Tel Aviv University shows that turtles possess a sophisticated visual processing ability once thought to exist only in mammals. By recording brain activity in turtles, scientists found that their brains can recognize unexpected changes in the environment even when the animal moves its head or eyes. The findings suggest that key mechanisms of the cerebral cortex may have evolved more than 300 million years ago, offering new insight into the early evolution of complex brains.

At Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a new study suggests that the human brain processes language in ways that resemble advanced AI language models. Using electrocorticography data from participants listening to a narrative, the research shows that deeper AI layers align with later brain responses in key language regions such as Broca’s area. The findings challenge traditional rule-based theories of language comprehension and provide new data for studying how the brain constructs meaning.

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examine how ESG rating agencies have created a solution to greenwashing and a new regulatory risk in sustainable finance. By comparing regulatory approaches in the European Union and the United Kingdom, the study shows that policymakers rely on “enhanced self-regulation,” combining public oversight with industry-led rules. The key insight is that building trust in ESG markets requires regulating not only the activities of rating agencies but also the intermediaries themselves.