News

Hospital Image

Israeli-German Team Taps Mortality Data to Uncover which Countries have Underreported their COVID-19 Deaths and the Extent of their Deception

3 August, 2021

For the past year and a half, many of our decisions regarding whether it is safe to fly to country X or to vacation in country Y have been based a given country’s reported COVID-19 deaths.  These stats give the public a sense of how successful—or unsuccessful—that country has been at containing the spread of the coronavirus and its variant offspring.  However, not all countries have been playing fair.  Several have underreported their numbers, either deliberately or due to faulty testing capacities.

Photo of Event

Facing Climate Change Together: UAE Minister of Food & Water Security Meets Agtech & Foodtech Experts at Hebrew University's School of Agriculture

14 July, 2021

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for Food and Water Security Mariam Al-Muhairi met today with representatives of Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) to promote a research and innovation partnership based on FoodTech and Agtech.  As part of her visit, Al-Muhairi met with HU’s Professor Mona Khoury-Kassabri, VP of Strategy and Diversity, Professor Benny Chefetz, Dean of The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, faculty researchers, and Moshe Nadler, CEO of Agricora.

Cigarettes

Comprehensive Hebrew U. Audit Uncovers Tobacco Companies’ Sneaky Tactics to Circumvent Regulators and Target Kids

12 July, 2021

Smoking among young teens has become an increasingly challenging and costly public healthcare issue.  Despite legislation to prevent the marketing of tobacco products to children, tobacco companies have shrewdly adapted their advertising tactics to circumvent the ban and maintain their access to this impressionable—and growing—market share. 

Credit: Dr. Yossi Zaidner

New Fossils Reveal Interactions Between Ancient Human Groups Living Together in the Levant

24 June, 2021

A recent archeological dig in central Israel unearthed evidence that Homo sapiens, humans that inhabit the earth today, likely lived alongside a group of archaic humans known as the Middle Pleistocene Homo.  This discovery, and the international collaborations that made it possible, provide the first evidence that the two human types lived at the same time and interacted with one another.  Their findings were published today in Science. 

Medical Marijuana

Hebrew University: Understanding the Impact of Medical Marijuana on Children, a Meta-Analysis

21 June, 2021

In recent years, the use of medical cannabis to treat sick kids is on the rise, although questions remain about the benefits and safety of such treatments.  Now, a team of researchers from the : Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has completed a first-ever meta-analysis of pediatric patients treated with medical cannabis to understand better the risks and benefits of cannabis use among young patients.

Photo by Yonit Schiller

Hebrew University Jumps to 30th Place in Law and 25th in Communications in Prestigious Academic Ranking

8 June, 2021

Much has been spoken of in recent years about the ‘brain drain’ taking place at Israeli institutions, but the most recent academic data from the global Shangai Ranking reveals that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) has maintained its status and even improved in a number of departments.

People on Bench

Hebrew University Research Finds Optimism Extends Life Expectancy Among Seniors

1 June, 2021

Happiness might lead to better health but does it help you live longer? That’s a question that researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) took on in a longitudinal study they began back in the 1990s.  They looked at the impact of optimism on longevity and found that maintaining a positive outlook can directly extend your life. Professor Jochanan Stessman, Director of HU’s Institute on Aging led the study, along with HU’s Prof. Jeremy Jacobs and Dr. Yoram Maaravi.  They published their findings in The Journals of Gerontology.

Heavy water

Hebrew U. Develops Bio-Sensor to Detect Early Signs of Plant Stress and Prevent Crop Failures from Worldwide Climate Changes

25 May, 2021

In an effort to increase agricultural productivity and limit waste, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment developed a method to detect signs of stress before the plant is damaged.