French Fries in Belgium Are Shrinking Thanks to Climate Change
European potatoes are shrinking because of declining rainfall in recent years and mounting temperatures: Bad news for fries eaters who will get a shorter version this year
Science & Health
There Are Only Four Personality Types, Psychologists Say
The rough and ready, the bold and beautiful and the teen humanitarian will be appalled to learn that they don’t exist, according to new data
In Defense of Shame
What some contemporary heroes of culture and politics have in common is not contempt for the law, but contempt for guilt
Newly Discovered Extreme Deepwater Fish Get Cotton-candy Names
At some point the sea snails found 7,500 meters beneath Pacific surface will get real nomenclature, but for now science just calls them Pink, Purple and Blue
The ‘Devil’s Teat’: A Brief History of the Clitoris
Physicians once believed its removal helps avert hysteria, and the inventor of corn flakes suggested smearing it with acid. With 8,000 nerve ends – twice as many as the phallus – the clitoris is apparently the only human organ whose purpose is to cause pleasure
Israel’s Groundwater Levels Dropping to Dangerous Lows
As main aquifers near their red line, the amount of water in the streams feeding the Jordan River continues to drop
Extreme Acne Cure for the Daring: Stick Your Face in a Bear’s Mouth
Or buy soap – but meanwhile science has found a staph-killing bacteria in the Siberian brown bear’s saliva
'Patients Say Ayahuasca Is Like a Reboot for the Brain'
The reason psychoactive drugs are banned is strictly cultural, says neurobiologist Dr. Ido Magen from the Weizmann Institute of Science. We need to free ourselves from the dichotomy between drugs and medications
Everything You Need to Know About the West Nile Fever Scaring Israelis
There is no vaccine or cure, but the good news is that the disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, usually goes away without treatment
Israeli Researchers Develop New Leukemia Drug That Selectively Destroys Cells
Researchers are seeking permission to conduct the first clinical trials on humans after the drug dramatically shrank tumors in mice
We Didn't Kill the Neanderthals, Climate Change Did, New Study Says
Analysis of stalagmites in caves shows extreme cold lasting a thousand years froze Europe around 40,000 years ago – just about when Neanderthals went extinct
Lebanese Cannabis, Long Valued by Smokers, May Have Untapped Value
'My impression is that it will have a different medical value because of the climatic conditions in the Bekaa Valley especially if you’re talking about the amount of the rainfall, sunlight and type of soil'
Scientists Find Missing Turtle Link: 230-million-year-old Monster Had Beak but No Shell
And now they’re even more confused, because an even earlier turtle had a shell but no beak
Evolution's Holy Grail: 90,000-year-old Hybrid Teenager Stuns Science World
90,000-year-old bone from teenage daughter of Neanderthal mother, Denisovan father shows not only that they mixed, but that they apparently did so frequently
Israeli Scientist Develops ‘Brain on a Chip’ Allowing for Groundbreaking Research
The Tel Aviv University researcher says the chip system will obviate the need for many types of experiments on animals or human beings
Forget Positive Thinking, Biopsies and Kombucha: Barbara Ehrenreich Wants to Cure the Wellness Epidemic
She refuses to undergo medical tests, assails the popularity of meditation and maintains that the Western world suffers from an obsession with fitness and nutrition. 'You can’t control every aspect of your body. So just relax,' says author Barbara Ehrenreich
Research Led by Israeli Scientist Finds Method to Fix Manufacturing Process for Cancer Meds
Research reveals that lab cultures of cancerous cells that are used to test cancer drugs often go through a mutation process, and are thereby not a faithful representation of the tumors the medicine is meant to treat
Blocking Sunlight to Cool the Planet Could Hurt Key Crops, Scientists Warn
Trying to save ourselves from global warming through geoengineering the stratosphere with reflecting aerosols could boomerang
DNA Study Shows How Cats Used Humans to Take Over the World
Researchers analyzed DNA from 209 ancient cats as old as 9,000 years from Europe, Africa and Asia, including some ancient Egyptian cat mummies
Cannabis Beer: The Latest Variation of a 10,000-year-old Tradition
Brewers are rushing to perfect marijuana-infused beverages, but experiments with beer date back to the dawn of civilization – although vaginal beer is a relative newcomer
This Israeli Wants to Save the World With Big Data - and Still Protect Your Privacy
Israeli data scientist Dr. Kira Radinsky predicted riots in the Middle East and says she could have cured tuberculosis before it was discovered. Now she's been appointed to a new UN panel that wants to go beyond Cambridge Analytica and use data for good
Naked Mole Rats Defy Biology by Living Longer if They Breed
Conventional wisdom is that procreation is physiologically onerous and parents die young, but the naked mole rat breaks this rule too
Sharing Your Stash With Your Rat Will Ease Its Nausea
Link proven between nausea and the brain receptor for cannabinoids, in rats, which could be good news for human chemotherapy patients one day
Worms With Waze: They’re Doing Math to Find Food, Say Hebrew University Researchers
You smell a brownie and follow the scent, finessing your route as you go. So does the nematode, claim Dr. Alon Zaslaver and his neurology team
There's Water on Mars: In First, Huge Underground Lake Discovered
There may not be life on Mars, but there is water: Liquid reservoir 20 kilometers across found beneath the south pole glaciers
Sheer Speed of Global Warming Is Decimating Birds, Say Scientists
Birds turn out to be doubly as affected as mammals from the rate of climate change
Finally, Scientists Bring Hope to Mice Embarrassed by Baldness
In groundbreaking study that might help people too one day, scientists in Alabama accelerated aging, then reversed it
Israel Sees 80% Drop in Plastic Bag Consumption After 2017 Law Implementing Bag Fee
The 10 agorot fee per bag implemented last year has helped save 7,091 tons of plastic, says the Environment Ministry
10 Moons Orbiting Jupiter Discovered, One 'Oddball' on a Collision Course
In 2014, the same team of scientists found the object with the most-distant known orbit in the Solar System and was the first to hypothesize the existence of a putative planet popularly called Planet X or Planet Nine
Pakistan's Deadly Paradox: It Can't Combat Climate Change, but It Has No Choice
Already buffeted by serial catastrophes, Pakistan is well aware of the deadly trouble it faces but seems overwhelmed by inability, corruption and a neighbor blowing smoke in its face
Science Figures Out Why the Tree Shrew Eats Red-hot Peppers
It's a mutant, say Chinese researchers
Ancient Romans May Have Hunted Whales to Oblivion in the Mediterranean
Maybe Jonah’s Leviathan meant whale after all: Gray and right whales used to calve in Mediterranean Sea, scientists deduce, after identifying whale bones in Roman salting factories
Israeli Minister Blocks Top Brain Researcher Because She Protested the Occupation
University officials protest that Science Minister Ofir Akunis' decision against naming Prof. Yael Amitai to an Israeli-German scientific committee could hurt Israel's international academic standing
4.5 Quake Jolts Northern Israel After Days of Minor Tremors
Monday's tremor follows swarms of minor quakes in last few days; no damage reported
Why Do Zebras Have Stripes? One Theory Shot Down, 17 to Go
Despite challenging lack of sun and zebras, Swedish scientists debunk hypothesis that the interchange of black, white stripes created mini-climate on animal's fur
MSG-spiked Soup Helps Make Better Food Choices, Says Report
Chicken broth with monosodium glutamate found to trigger brain sites associated with restraint, and wiser food choices
Being Transgender Is a Mental Disorder, Israeli Insurance Company Says
When a transgender man asked the Ayalon Insurance company to refund his mastectomy, he was told his policy does not cover mental disorders or psychiatric treatments
Secrets of Flying Spiders Revealed by Scientists
How do spiders and their silk balloons become airborne when there's no wind? The answer is electrifying
Palestinian High-tech Workers Plugging Shortage of Israeli Tech Staff
'For the price of one Israeli engineer, an [Israeli] company can hire three Palestinians in the West Bank, and they have very high motivation'
We Do It Better First Animals Caused Global Warming Half a Billion Years Ago
It took early complex animals 100 million years to change the climate, new study shows; humans have achieved the same in just 100 years. We win
Planet Birth Caught on Camera for First Time, Providing a Glimpse Into Solar System Infancy
Baby's a monster: Planet PDS-70b is much bigger than Jupiter, and twice as hot as Mercury despite being really, really far from its star
Narrow Channels on Mars Were Formed by Rainstorms, New Study Claims
Mega-floods from groundwater may have formed the largest Martian channels, but rainstorms eroding the surface seem to have created narrow gully networks 3.7 billion years ago
In Honor of World Giraffe Day: How to Shave a Giraffe's Feet
On the giraffe's five horns, supercharged cardiovascular system and how to perform a pedicure on your giraffe
IBM's Argumentative Computer, Produced in Israel, Proves Formidable Against Human Debaters
IBM gave its first public demonstration of new artificial intelligence technology it’s been working on for more than five years, showing that computers are getting better at mastering human language and speech
Backing the Wrong Wild Horse: New Studies Demolish Equine Domestication Theory
Widespread beliefs about how Indo-European languages spread have also ridden into the sunset
TechNation: New App Lets Tourists Get VAT Refunds Online
Two startups win anti-terror contest, DreaMed gets U.S. nod for diabetes tech
Want to Work at Home in Israel? Find a Job in the High-tech Industry
Among people employed in Israel’s high-tech industry, 80% of people polled set their own hours reached and more than half said they had the option of working at home
Space Odyssey: Why Does Israel Need a Blue-and White Communications Satellite?
The government will soon decide between an Israeli and an American-manufactured one
Scientists Auction Off Right to Name New Species of Snail-sucking Snakes
The newly discovered mollusk-munchers are already endangered but now they're living on land bought with the proceeds of the naming auction
Purifying Water Using a Ceramic Pot in Uganda
When the well is contaminated: The Purifaaya pot, made by Spouts of Water, is 99.9% effective and its water is potable, say Ugandan authorities
