January 12, 2021
University of Haifa signs academic agreement with UAE research institute
The University of Haifa's Ezri Center for Iran & Persian Gulf Studies and Maritime Policy & Strategy Research Center (HMS) has established a new partnership with the TRENDS Research & Advisory Center in Abu Dhabi.

Prof. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Shaul Chorev, who heads HMS and The Ezri Center, announced: "The joint issues which are behind the cooperation … make it a strategic collaboration of paramount importance to the two countries, not only academically but also at the security and geopolitical levels." He hopes it will lead to important agreements with additional research institutes in the region. The research centers focus on studying geopolitical shifts, international relations, security and military affairs, and economic sustainability in and around the Middle East. The agreement was signed at an online ceremony in the presence of President Ron Robin and Rector Gustavo Mesch. Jerusalem Post.
A study recently published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology investigated whether irradiation using UV LED would inactivate human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Yoram Gerchman (Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology) a lead author of the multi-institutional research, explains that the findings are an “important step” in the use of UV-LED devices for disinfecting purposes. Researchers believe that UV-LED technology may soon be available for commercial installation in ventilation and water systems in hospitals and industrial settings. Collaborating in the study are scientists from Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Oranim Academic College, and Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer. Read more
An evolutionary relationship that may lead to treatments for depression and anxiety
A study by Drs. Tamar Lotan and Shani Levy (Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences) and Dr. Mickey Kosloff (Department of Human Biology) has discovered surprising evolutionary similarities in the functioning of the human nervous system and that of the sea anemone.

The research found that the neurotransmitter GABA, which regulates the preliminary development of the nervous system in mammals, and particularly in humans, follows a similar regulatory process by a receptor from the family in the sea anemone Nematostella GABABR vectensis. This unexpected relationship not only opens new avenues for basic research in neuronal development and evolution, it also offers new possibilities for pharmacological research aimed at finding new drugs for human ailments such as depression and anxiety.

Nature Ecology and Evolution, the premiere journal in ecology, evolution, and related fields, published the paper describing these findings. 
Study warns of an imminent
earthquake in Israel
Picture shows a building destroyed by a devastating earthquake that struck Israel
in 1927

A study reviewing 220,000 years of Dead Sea geology predicts the occurrence of a major seismic event to hit the region in the next few decades.

According to research data uncovered from the Dead Sea seabed, 7.5-magnitude tremors hit the Dead Sea every 1,300-1,400 years – instead of every 10,000 years as previously believed. Since the last quake of such magnitude hit the area in the year 1,033 C.E., we are currently living in a tectonically active period. Dr. Nicolas Waldmann (Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences), who specializes in sedimentology and seismic stratigraphy analysis, is a co-author of the study which appeared in Science Advances. Read more on Ynet