ISRAEL INNOVATION PROJECT

A new Red Book for Butterflies, compiled by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in collaboration with KKL-JNF, Tel Aviv University, and the Butterfly Enthusiasts Association, reports a sharp decline in butterfly populations across Israel. The report finds that many of the country’s 156 butterfly species are now endangered or extinct due to habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, and climate change. Researchers warn that butterfly declines are a key indicator of wider ecosystem damage and call for stronger conservation measures.

Israeli-founded cybersecurity startup Upwind Security has raised $250 million in a funding round that values the company at $1.5 billion. The company focuses on identifying and managing hidden security risks across enterprise attack surfaces, and the new investment will support product development and global expansion. The funding milestone reflects strong investor confidence in Israel’s role in advanced cyber and security technology.

Researchers and engineers from Boeing and the Technion are collaborating to develop new clean aviation fuel technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions from aircraft. The partnership combines Boeing’s aerospace expertise with the Technion’s research in sustainable energy and chemical engineering. The work could help cut the aviation industry’s carbon footprint by making low-emission fuels more practical for commercial use.

New research from the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that Jupiter is slightly smaller and less massive than earlier estimates suggested. The team reexamined spacecraft data and refined measurements of the planet’s size and internal structure. The results improve models of how Jupiter formed and offer broader insight into the evolution of giant planets in our solar system and beyond.

A new Israeli study by researchers from the University of Haifa and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that sexual and gender minority adults report significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation than heterosexual participants. Based on an online survey of 465 adults conducted between 2022 and 2023, the study also found lower overall well-being, greater difficulties with emotion regulation, and a more central role of depression in the mental-health network of sexual minorities. The researchers stressed the need for more representative data and targeted mental-health interventions for these populations.

Professor Rachela Popovtzer of Bar-Ilan University has received her third European Research Council (ERC) grant. The grant supports GOLDEN-RT, a nanotechnology-based platform designed to improve the precision and effectiveness of systemic radiotherapy for cancer, including microscopic metastases. The research builds on earlier ERC-funded studies that developed gold nanoparticle systems for targeted drug delivery and gene therapy, expanding their application to cancer treatment and CRISPR delivery to the brain.

From NBC News - A study led by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science found that genetics’ role in how long people live may be as high as 55%, which is much higher than previously studied. The researchers arrived at this very different figure by separating deaths from external factors and those caused by internal biological factors. The result offers new directions for research into aging and the biological mechanisms that regulate lifespan.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University found that a common sea urchin species is now functionally extinct in parts of the Mediterranean due to environmental changes including warming waters and overfishing of its predators. The decline of this urchin disrupts local reef ecosystems because it plays a key role in controlling algae and supporting biodiversity. The findings highlight how human-linked environmental pressures can ripple through marine food webs and alter ecosystem balance.

Bar-Ilan University announced that Professor Shulamit Michaeli has been awarded the 2025–2026 Israel Prize in Life Sciences for her pioneering contributions to RNA research. The work revealed key RNA-based mechanisms that allow parasites to survive and adapt, reshaping how scientists think about gene regulation beyond DNA. These insights open new possibilities for targeting parasitic diseases and for broader applications in molecular and RNA biology.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that people’s justifications for memories remain consistent over time, even when the memories themselves change. In experiments, participants continued to defend the accuracy of altered recollections rather than updating their explanations. The findings shed light on how memory and reasoning interact and may help explain why people confidently hold inaccurate recollections.