Tag Archives: Biology
Do Proteins Remember?
A study integrating biological ideas and new computer science tools has uncovered novel associations between genetic coding and protein structure, which could potentially change the way we think about protein production in the ribosome – the cell’s “protein assembly line.” The research, authored by Professor Alex Bronstein, Dr. Ailie Marx, and Ph.D. student Aviv Rosenberg,… Read More
When Blue-Green Algae Get a Virus
Half the oxygen in the world is produced not by plants on earth, but by single-cell “plants” that live in the ocean. One of the major groups of these “plants” are the cyanobacteria (also formerly known as “blue-green algae”). Like land plants, cyanobacteria perform photosynthesis: they trap CO2 to produce oxygen and organic compounds (fats,… Read More
Efficient DNA Repair
Scientists in the Technion Faculty of Biology have discovered a new mechanism that regulates DNA damage repair. The study, published in Molecular Cell, was conducted by Professor Nabieh Ayoub and members of his research group, Enas Abu-Zhaiya, Laila Bishara, Feras Machour, Alma Barisaac, and Bella Ben-Oz. The genetic material (DNA) is a double-stranded molecule located… Read More
How corals, starfish build their “skeleton”
How do marine organisms produce hard tissues from the materials available to them, and under the hostile conditions that prevail under the waves? That question is the basis of a study by an international group led by Professor Boaz Pokroy, doctoral student Nuphar Bianco-Stein (as part of her Ph.D. thesis), and researcher Dr. Alex Kartsman… Read More
All Roads Lead to the Catalytic Site
Maintaining the integrity of the genome is essential for the function and survival of all organisms. However, it is threatened by a broad spectrum of endogenous and environmental factors that create thousands of daily DNA damage events in every cell. The most severe of these events are the double-strand breaks (DSBs), which can cause deleterious… Read More
Faculty of Biology celebrates its 50th birthday!
To mark the occasion, the faculty inaugurated a faculty council room in memory of former dean, Professor David Gershon and his wife, Professor Harriet Gershon, and awarded excellence awards for research in their name. The Faculty of Biology kicked off their Jubilee celebrations with the unveiling of the faculty council room named after the late… Read More
Tech for Human Health
Three research groups have won a unique grant from the Technion's Human Health Initiative (THHI). THHI is the brainchild of Technion President Professor Uri Sivan and was established last year with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary research related to the worlds of health and medicine. “Human health is one of the main challenges facing humanity… Read More
Technion Researchers Honored
The grants are being awarded to the following faculty members: Dr. Ayala Shiber of the Faculty of Biology is exploring how RNA molecules in the cell direct proteins to fold to their native, functional state and avoid misfolding. She was awarded the ERC grant for her research on cellular mechanisms that protect proteins during synthesis… Read More
Booster Vaccine Effectiveness
Researchers from Maccabi KSM Research and Innovation Center, in collaboration with researchers from the Technion, found that the effect of the COVID-19 booster shot on lowering the viral load is waning, similar to the second dose of the vaccine A new study by Maccabi KSM Research and Innovation Center (Kahn-Sagol-Maccabi), headed by Dr. Tal Patalon,… Read More
Fishing Energy from the Sea
Electricity from the Sea: Researchers from the Technion have developed a new method that harvests an electrical current directly from seaweed in an environmentally friendly and efficient fashion. The idea, which came to doctoral student Yaniv Shlosberg while he was on the beach, has been developed by a consortium of researchers from three Technion Faculties… Read More