August 4, 2021
I voted against the third COVID-19 vaccine dose:
As part of Israel’s panel of experts weighing in on how Israel should approach its COVID-19 crisis, I voted against immediately administering a third dose of the vaccine. That vote may be counterintuitive to some. Why would I be against offering a way for people with depleting antibodies to refresh their supply so their body can properly combat the virus? In actuality, I’m not against the booster shot as a concept. However, Israel should have a clear policy in place before it starts administering a third dose to the general public. Continue reading in
Israeli researchers provide innovative solutions to global issues
Tali Treibitz (pictured) who runs the Marine Imaging Lab at the University of Haifa’s Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences, was featured in a recent Science Magazine article outlining innovative research from Israeli Universities. Treibitz has developed underwater microscopes and cameras that use artificial intelligence algorithms to improve a picture’s visibility, contrast, and colour.

University of Haifa`s Dr. Dan Tchernov and Dr. Roee Diamant are also featured in the article for their participation in the global research project to decipher communication from whales.
Rat bones suggest ancient Africa-Europe ecological travel route
The remains of a rat from some tens of thousands of years ago could shed light on the potential existence of a travel corridor of temperate climate from Africa to Europe, University of Haifa researchers said recently. The remains of a maned, or crested, rat were found during excavations in 2016 by archeologists searching for ancient scrolls. Hundreds of bones were found in a cave in the southern Judean Desert, pictured above.

“We were able to extract DNA from the ancient bones,” the researchers said in a statement from the University of Haifa. “It is the earliest DNA extracted from bones in our region to date. Genetic and morphological analysis revealed that it is a subspecies of the maned rat that currently lives in East Africa.” Times of Israel
University of Haifa at the Olympics
Dr. Mia Kala Bensur from the University of Haifa’s Department of Physical Therapy is the chief physical therapist for the Israeli Olympic team. You can follow the journey in Tokyo with Bensur and other representatives from the Department of Physical Therapy on the University of Haifa’s Instagram page.