https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Hebrew University of Jerusalem New research reveals that for many young children, the trauma of war can fundamentally alter how their nervous systems process and respond to the physical world. The study found that nearly half of the young survivors of the October 7 attacks developed atypical sensory patterns, causing common stimuli such as sounds, movements, and touches to be perceived as overwhelming threats. These findings emphasize the critical importance of addressing sensory needs to ensure that daily environments no longer feel like a source of distress for children during their most vulnerable stages of development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-world-loud-war-sensory-toll.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news694946434 A newly developed AI tool can dramatically speed up the search for the genetic causes of rare diseases, a process that often takes years and frequently ends without answers. The tool analyzes how genes have evolved across many species to uncover hidden clues about which gene is responsible for a patient's symptoms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-rare-disease-ai-breakthrough.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:20:02 EDT news694095146 Researchers have uncovered how a disease-causing bacterium uses a single protein to interfere with the body's defenses in more than one way, offering a clearer picture of how infections take hold at the cellular level. The study was led by Dr. Yaakov Socol together with Profs. Sigal Ben-Yehuda, Yael Litvak, and Ilan Rosenshine from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. J. Sivaraman from the National University of Singapore. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-bacteria-outsmart-immune-pronged-strategy.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:00:01 EDT news694095589 Step into a modern office tower or hospital, and the air you breathe is often carefully engineered, filtered, circulated, and cooled at a high energy cost. Now imagine those same spaces quietly breathing on their own, supported by living walls of plants that not only beautify interiors, but actively clean the air and reduce energy use. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-web-application-indoor-green-walls.html Engineering Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:20:05 EDT news693745125 For modern residents of the Levant, the "Red Sea Trough" usually brings a brief, dusty transition between seasons. But 127,000 years ago, this same weather pattern may have been the literal key to human history. A new study, led by Ph.D. student Efraim Bril, Prof. Adi Torfstein and Dr. Assaf Hochman from the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and published in Climate of the Past, reveals that during the Last Interglacial (LIG) peak, the Levant wasn't just a dry bridge between continents, it was dynamic with more relatively wet conditions fueled by intense, localized rain. This shift in ancient weather likely provided the water sources necessary for early humans to successfully migrate "out of Africa." https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-climate-reveal-wetter-levant.html Earth Sciences Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:40:01 EDT news693065641 Long before pottery, before agriculture, when the first villages took shape, people in the Levant were already molding clay with their hands, carefully, deliberately, and sometimes playfully. Some of those hands belonged to children. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-children-clay-years-pottery-farming.html Archaeology Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:10 EDT news692878280 We have long been told a simple story about reward: Dopamine is the "wanting" molecule that drives us toward goals, and opioids are the "liking" molecules that provide the hit of pleasure once we get there. But this pleasure-centric view has a major flaw, it doesn't explain why these same chemicals are active during stress, pain, or even immune responses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-brain-reward-energy-pleasure.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:40:02 EDT news692968920 Scientists have uncovered a powerful strategy that the brain uses to coordinate chemical signaling. In a new study, researchers found that in the striatum, a brain region central to learning and moving, one chemical signaling system can effectively seize control of another, promoting the coordinated release of both. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-serotonin-hijacked-brain.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:40:03 EDT news692889107 A team of researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has published a study in Frontiers in Psychology examining the impact of the ongoing war on Israeli adolescents. The research, conducted by Yonat Rum of the Seymour Fox School of Education, Erez Milsthen of the Department of Psychology, and Heba F. Zedan and Tali Gal of the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, moves beyond traditional focus on mental health assessments to evaluate the impact of war on the fulfillment of fundamental human rights of children. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-war-undermines-human-rights-agency.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:20:06 EDT news692546761 Researchers have developed a microscopic 3D-printed optical device that can efficiently combine light from dozens of small semiconductor lasers into a single multimode optical fiber with very low loss. The team demonstrated photonic lanterns that multiplex 7, 19, and 37 multimode VCSEL lasers directly into a fiber while preserving brightness and easing alignment constraints. By enabling scalable incoherent beam combining of many multimode lasers, the technology could simplify and improve high-power laser systems, optical communications, and other photonic applications where efficiently delivering large optical power through fibers is critical. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-3d-photonic-lanterns-combine-multimode.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:10:01 EDT news692374141 Researchers have discovered that non-psychoactive cannabis compounds, CBD and CBG, can significantly reduce liver fat and improve metabolic health. The study reveals that these compounds work by creating a backup energy reserve in the liver and restoring the activity of cellular "cleaning crews" to break down harmful waste. These findings highlight a new, plant-based path for treating the world's most common chronic liver disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-cannabis-compounds-fatty-liver-disease.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:30:01 EST news691908564 A new study reveals that habitat fragmentation can lead to sudden "tipping points" where a species' genetic health unexpectedly collapses after appearing stable for long periods. By merging network theory with population genetics, the research identifies detectable "early warning signals" in genetic data that can alert conservationists to an approaching crisis before it becomes irreversible. These findings provide a practical toolkit for monitoring wildlife populations and protecting the genetic diversity essential for animals to survive a changing environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-wildlife-genetic-collapse-newly-early.html Ecology Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:00:07 EST news691949674 Think of the brain as a city with traffic lights that keep signals flowing smoothly. In a new study, researchers followed a clue about nitric oxide, a common chemical messenger, and found that, in some forms of autism, if it increases, it may act less like a helpful signal and more like a "stuck button." When nitric oxide sets off this chain reaction, a key safeguard protein called TSC2 gets lost, and a major control system in cells, mTOR, which helps manage growth and protein-making, can surge into abnormal overdrive. The encouraging twist: when the researchers interrupted that specific step, the system calmed down, pointing to a more concrete "where to look" in the biology of autism and a possible direction for future therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-brain-stuck-autism-linked-chain.html Neuroscience Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:50:04 EST news691863961 As the recent war with Iran erupts into one of the most consequential military conflicts in the Middle East, military families are facing unprecedented stress and uncertainty. A new longitudinal study, initiated in the aftermath of the outbreak of the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, has tracked parents during the first seven months of the conflict and found that children's behavior problems are significantly linked to parental burnout experienced by the at-home caregiver, regardless of whether a partner is deployed or still at home. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-military-deployment-affects-children-parental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:40:03 EST news691684681 A new study from researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem provides fresh insight into how pancreatic cancer may begin taking shape years before it is clinically detected. The research shows that early precancerous pancreatic cells organize into distinct spatial "niches" and engage in targeted interactions with immune cells, potentially creating an immunosuppressive environment at the very earliest stages of disease development. The work appears in Gastroenterology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-pancreatic-cancer-immune-earlier-thought.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:00:03 EST news691340161 Cancer treatment can take a profound financial toll, and new research shows the damage does not stop at the bank account. Nearly half of patients experience significant "financial toxicity," and that strain quietly chips away at hope and social support, two pillars that sustain people through illness. As those erode, overall satisfaction with life declines. The findings of a new study published in JAMA Network Open suggest that addressing the cost of care is not only a financial issue but a psychological one, and that protecting patients' hope and sense of connection may be just as critical as covering their bills. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-financial-strain-cancer-treatment-undermines.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:20:03 EST news691331358 A new study has identified a distinct climate precursor in the Mediterranean Sea that can predict winter precipitation levels in the Levant months in advance. The study, published in Weather and Climate Dynamics, is titled "Mediterranean Sea heat uptake variability as a precursor to winter precipitation in the Levant." https://phys.org/news/2026-02-aegean-index-advance-mediterranean-seasonal.html Earth Sciences Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:00:07 EST news691174321 From summer evenings to global disease prevention, mosquito repellents are a daily defense for billions of people, yet until now, scientists didn't fully understand how mosquitoes themselves perceive these "keep away" signals. A new study has pinpointed an odorant receptor that helps mosquitoes detect a repellent odor and steer away. The researchers found that activating this receptor switches on a dedicated neural pathway that can override the insects' attraction to human scents, producing clear avoidance behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cannabis-essential-oils-camphor-repels.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:40:01 EST news691150981 A new study reveals that the image of a seamless global youth climate movement is fracturing as activists in the "periphery" feel increasingly sidelined by Western-centric leadership. By investigating why these local chapters face a "crisis of connection," the research exposes how national security threats, democratic backsliding, and political rifts over issues like the Israel-Hamas war are breaking the "weak ties" that once bound the movement together. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-local-political-crises-global-unity.html Social Sciences Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:20:04 EST news691142868 Life doesn't arrive in neat chapters. It flows, one conversation bleeding into the next, one thought quietly reshaping the one that follows. Yet our brains do something remarkable: they preserve a sense of continuity while also breaking experience into meaningful events. How this balance works has long puzzled cognitive scientists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-segmentation.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:13:49 EST news690815581 Scientists have long sought to understand why some plants are fragrant powerhouses while others remain subtle. Now, a research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has cracked a genetic "bottleneck," using precision gene editing to boost the scent of flowers and the nutritional profile of vegetables. The paper is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-stronger-scents-healthier-crops-hidden.html Biotechnology Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:40:04 EST news690725713 A new study provides a clearer timeline for one of the most significant prehistoric sites worldwide for the study of human evolution. By integrating three advanced dating techniques, researchers have determined that the site of 'Ubeidiya in the Jordan Valley likely dates back to at least 1.9 million years ago. This revised age suggests that 'Ubeidiya is among the oldest known sites of early humans outside of Africa. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-key-africa-site-older-dating.html Archaeology Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:30:36 EST news690726602 A new study led by Dr. Alex Gileles-Hillel along with Dr. Joel Reiter from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University and senior pediatric pulmonologists at the Hadassah Medical Center, together with Dr. David Gozal from Marshall University, has uncovered a significant link between pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a heightened susceptibility to viral infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-children-apnea-higher-flu-covid.html Sleep disorders Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:50:02 EST news690562300 A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that overweight and obese dogs have significantly higher eye pressure than lean dogs, with pressure increasing by 1.9 mmHg for every one-unit rise in body condition score. The research suggests that excess body fat and related metabolic changes may interfere with fluid drainage in the eye, potentially serving as a modifiable risk factor for dogs predisposed to glaucoma. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-canine-obesity-link-eye-pressure.html Plants & Animals Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:43:23 EST news690194582 A new study shows that sustainable finance relies on trust, but that trust challenges are increasingly focused on ESG rating providers, creating both a solution to greenwashing and a new regulatory risk. By comparing how the EU and the UK regulate ESG rating firms, the authors find that policymakers use "enhanced self-regulation," combining public oversight with industry-led rules, to build trust in emerging ESG markets and repair trust when credibility is questioned. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-esg-greenwashing.html Economics & Business Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:45:17 EST news689924606 Beyond the lesson plans and grading, teachers during the war had to manage a complex layer of war-related stress that often went unnoticed but deeply affected their ability to stay in the profession. A recent study explores how high school teachers are navigating the threat of professional burnout in light of the war crisis. Conducted eight months into the war, the research surveyed 329 Jewish and Arab teachers to understand why some educators remain resilient while others feel their professional efficacy slipping away under the weight of chronic crisis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-psychological-buffer-wartime-exhaustion-teachers.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:30:02 EST news689869288 A new study has uncovered a hidden step that helps the deadliest malaria parasite survive and multiply inside the human body. Researchers studying Plasmodium falciparum found that the parasite relies on a brief but essential stage, nicknamed the "Crown" stage, to make sure a crucial internal structure is passed on correctly when it divides. The discovery offers a fresh look at how the parasite reproduces and could point to new ways to stop malaria by disrupting this process. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-uncover-hour-crown-checkpoint-enables.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:00:01 EST news689422182 Managing type 2 diabetes is a demanding daily task involving diet, exercise, and often a complex regimen of medications. For patients facing financial hardship, the cost of these life-saving drugs can become a barrier to health, leading many to skip doses or delay refills. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-diabetes-disadvantaged-communities-significantly-financial.html Diabetes Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:44:34 EST news689341441 Viruses attack nearly every living organism on Earth. To do so, they rely on highly specialized proteins that recognize and bind to receptors on the surface of target cells, a molecular arms race that drives constant evolution. Now, a new study published in Nature Communications, led by Prof. Asaf Levy of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reveals just how far this evolutionary creativity can go. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bacteria-numerous-cell.html Evolution Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:33:23 EST news689268781 Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world. According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people live with epilepsy, a condition marked by recurring seizures that can also affect mood, memory, and day-to-day thinking. While many medications can reduce seizures, up to 40% of patients don't respond well enough, and today's drugs generally don't stop the condition from worsening over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-tiny-peptide-epilepsy.html Neuroscience Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:30:04 EST news688822094