ISRAEL21c

Why China likes this Israeli modular wastewater solution

A modular, scalable, quiet and odor-free wastewater treatment technology from Israel’s Emefcy recently launched its first operational plants, one locally in the Jezreel Valley and one in the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas. Another will open next year at a hospital in Ethiopia.

Tiny barcodes are huge help in personalized cancer therapy

Tiny “barcodes” made of synthetic DNA can help determine the suitability of specific anticancer drugs to a specific patient before treatment even begins, according to an Israeli study recently published in Nature Communications.

What goes down the drain can sustain the whole building

A pug named Paulee doing his business on a Tel Aviv sidewalk inspired a revolutionary business in waste management, catching the imagination of the White House, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, corporations and investors on several continents.

13 best Israeli gadgets for under $100 to give this holiday

From disposable smartphone chargers to a cup that changes the taste of water to tiny computers, these Israeli-designed gadgets will surely win you best-present-giver status for this holiday season.

Solar-powered desalination cuts energy costs by 90%

As 2.4 billion people face severe water shortages in the world, desalination and water-purification technologies are in hot demand – many of them invented in Israel, considered the world leader in desalination.

World’s first blood test to aid diagnosis of Parkinson’s

Doctors diagnose as many as 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) every year in the United States. Yet diagnosing PD with certainty can take years — long after early signs and symptoms have appeared.

Jerusalem’s Glide hatches first camera for Apple Watch

How did a small Israeli company get to design CMRA, the Apple Watch camera band accessory introduced November 2 in a groundbreaking advance for the wearables field?

Europe to Israel: More avocado, please!

The Israeli avocado season is underway, and health-conscientious Europeans are keeping a watchful eye on this super fruit’s journey from orchard to cargo hold to their local grocery store.

Scientists discover where Titus breached Jerusalem walls

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists say they’ve found evidence of the battlefield and the breaching of the Third Wall that surrounded Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period.

Israelis produce clean energy alternative from… spinach

We always knew spinach was a great source of energy for our bodies. Now it seems the nutritious leafy green can also provide energy for other purposes. Using a simple membrane extract from spinach leaves, researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa invented a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell that produces electricity and hydrogen from water using sunlight. The unique combination of a manmade BPEC cell and plant membranes, which naturally absorb sunlight and convert it highly efficiently into a flow of electrons for storable chemical energy, paves the way for new clean technologies from renewable sources. This feat was a multidisciplinary effort. -- More...

How Israel is saving the honeybees

Honeybees across the world are in a sticky situation. Their numbers are dwindling dramatically due to colony collapse disorder (CCD) for reasons that are not fully understood.

The gadgets that enable blind people to see

In Prof. Amir Amedi’s world-renowned Lab for Brain and Multisensory Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, people with vision impairment can “see” their environment with the aid of sensory substitution devices (SSDs) that provide visual information from sound and touch.

Nanotech breakthrough prints human tissue from stem cells

It’s the stuff of science fiction: technology that can print a human organ. But the first step towards turning big-screen fantasy into everyday reality has been taken by Israel’s Nano Dimension, which makes 3D printers.

Israeli chutzpah lies at the heart of America’s favorite coconut drink

Two guys walk into a New York City bar in 2003 and meet a couple of Brazilian women.

Stopping diabetes before it starts

Sweetch, an Israeli digital health startup, is on a mission to make the world a healthier place. Its first undertaking: to prevent people who are at risk for diabetes from developing the disease.

Nanotech formula could be skin’s fountain of youth

All day long, our skin is assaulted by pollutants, UV rays, radiation and other stressors in the environment. When these substances filter into the body through our pores, they can create reactive oxygen species – otherwise known as free radicals.

A single blood test could detect multiple diseases

An Israeli-led international team of researchers has proof of concept for a single blood test that can detect multiple conditions, including diabetes, cancer, traumatic injury and neurodegeneration, in a highly sensitive and specific manner.

Is Europe ready to adopt Israel’s approach to security?

In the wake of deadly terrorist attacks at Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station in Brussels yesterday that killed 34 people and injured about 200 others, law-enforcement agencies in Europe’s major cities are scrambling to beef up security at airports and transport hubs.

Train your brain not to be upset or anxious

Brains can be trained to improve their ability to ignore irrelevant information, resulting in reduced neurological reactions to emotional events, according to an Israeli neuropsychologist whose collaborative PhD research is the first study to demonstrate that this effect is possible to achieve through non-emotional training.

Alzheimer’s could be diagnosed with common blood test

The progressive dementia of Alzheimer’s disease affects some 35 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 115 million by 2050, yet currently it is not possible to detect the disease before it has caused loss of memory and function. Even then, the tests available are invasive and/or expensive.