Pages
January 01, 2013
-
Date:02SundayMarch 2025Lecture
The Clore Center for Biological Physics
More information Time 12:45 - 14:30Title Emergent Disorder and Mechanical Memory in Periodic MetamaterialsLocation Nella and Leon Benoziyo Physics LibraryLecturer Prof. Yair Shokef
Lunch at 12:45Contact Abstract Show full text abstract about Ordered mechanical systems typically have one or only a few ...» Ordered mechanical systems typically have one or only a few stable rest configurations, and hence are not considered useful for encoding memory. Multistable and history-dependent responses usually emerge from quenched disorder, for example in amorphous solids or crumpled sheets. Inspired by the topological structure of frustrated artificial spin ices, we introduce an approach to design ordered, periodic mechanical metamaterials that exhibit an extensive set of spatially disordered states. We show how such systems exhibit non-Abelian and history-dependent responses, as their state can depend on the order in which external manipulations were applied. We demonstrate how this richness of the dynamics enables to recognize, from a static measurement of the final state, the sequence of operations that an extended system underwent. Thus, multistability and potential to perform computation emerge from geometric frustration in ordered mechanical lattices that create their own disorder. -
Date:03MondayMarch 2025Colloquia
Exploring RNA and protein folding with Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy
More information Time 11:00 - 12:15Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Prof. Matthias Rief Homepage Abstract Show full text abstract about Single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) enables high-resol...» Single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) enables high-resolution insights into the kinetics and mechanisms of biomolecular interactions. In this talk, I will present how SMFS, helps uncover key principles in nucleic acid and protein folding. Examples discussed will include the microsecond invasion kinetics of toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) of DNA and RNA as well as mRNA-Roquin interactions, which regulate mRNA degradation via specific 3’UTR hairpin structures. Finally, we study chaperone-mediated unfolding of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), demonstrating how Hsp70/Hsp40 unfolds GR in discrete ATP-driven steps, stabilizing novel intermediates and acting as an unfoldase. These studies showcase SMFS as a powerful tool to resolve biomolecular dynamics providing new insights into RNA structure-function relationships and chaperone-mediated protein regulation. -
Date:04TuesdayMarch 2025Conference
The 4th International Day of Women in Science
More information Time 08:30 - 16:00Title The 4th International Day of Women in ScienceLocation The David Lopatie Conference CentreChairperson Idit ShacharHomepage Contact -
Date:04TuesdayMarch 2025Lecture
"Cut it Out" – Lytic Cell Death and Inflammation Mediated by the “NINJA” Protein – NINJ1
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Dr. Liron David Organizer Department of Chemical and Structural Biology -
Date:05WednesdayMarch 2025Lecture
students seminar series- Azrieli
More information Time 10:30 - 12:30Location Camelia Botnar BuildingContact -
Date:05WednesdayMarch 2025Lecture
students seminar series- Azrieli
More information Time 10:30 - 12:30Location Camelia Botnar BuildingContact -
Date:06ThursdayMarch 2025Lecture
LSCF departmental seminar by Dr. Yoav Peleg & Prof. Moran Shalev-Benami
More information Time 09:00 - 10:00Location Candiotty AuditoriumLecturer Dr. Yoav Peleg, Prof. Moran Shalev-Benami Organizer Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities -
Date:09SundayMarch 2025Lecture
On Light Propagation in Clouds and Light Flashes Above Clouds: Two Crazy Ideas, Two New Models
More information Time 11:00 - 12:00Location Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences
M. Magaritz roomLecturer Carynelisa Haspel Organizer Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about In this seminar, two new models will be presented. The first...» In this seminar, two new models will be presented. The first new model is a first-principles description of the propagation of light in a cloud, based on a classical solution to Maxwell's equations rather than radiative transfer theory. The second new model is a fully three-dimensional, time-dependent model of the regions of possible sprite inception in the mesosphere, based on the classical method of images from electrostatics rather than finite differencing in space. The reason why each model is unique, the problems each model can solve, and the kinds of results each model can produce will be discussed -
Date:09SundayMarch 2025Lecture
On Light Propagation in Clouds and Light Flashes Above Clouds: Two Crazy Ideas, Two New Models
More information Time 11:00 - 12:00Location Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences
M. Magaritz seminar roomLecturer Carynelisa Haspel Contact Abstract Show full text abstract about In this seminar, two new models will be presented. The first...» In this seminar, two new models will be presented. The first new model is a first-principles description of the propagation of light in a cloud, based on a classical solution to Maxwell's equations rather than radiative transfer theory. The second new model is a fully three-dimensional, time-dependent model of the regions of possible sprite inception in the mesosphere, based on the classical method of images from electrostatics rather than finite differencing in space. The reason why each model is unique, the problems each model can solve, and the kinds of results each model can produce will be discussed. -
Date:09SundayMarch 2025Lecture
The Clore Center for Biological Physics
More information Time 12:45 - 14:30Title Mechanical communication in cardiac cell beatingLocation Nella and Leon Benoziyo Physics LibraryLecturer Prof. Shelly Tzlil
Lunch at 12:45Contact Abstract Show full text abstract about Cell-cell communication is essential for growth, development...» Cell-cell communication is essential for growth, development and function. Cells can communicate mechanically by responding to mechanical deformations generated by their neighbors in the extracellular matrix (ECM).We use a 2D cardiac tissue model to study the role of mechanical communication between cardiac cells in the normal conduction wave. We quantify the mechanical coupling between cells in a monolayer and use this to identify a critical threshold of mechanical coupling, below which spiral waves are induced in the tissue. We demonstrate that normal conduction wave can be recovered only using mechanical stimulation. We further show that mechanical coupling reduces the sensitivity to geometrical defects in the tissue.We show that due to the dynamic viscoelastic properties of collagen hydrogels (a major component of the cardiac ECM), the shape of the mechanical signal changes in a frequency dependent manner as it propagates through the gel, leading to a frequency dependent mechanical communication. Moreover, we show that the sensitivity of cardiac cell response to the shape of the mechanical signal results from its sensitivity to the loading rate. We also show that an optimal loading rate exists for mechanical communication, implying that there are ideal viscoelastic properties for effective mechanical communication.FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND CONTENT ON SOFT MATTER AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS AT THE WEIZMANN, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.biosoftweizmann.com/ -
Date:11TuesdayMarch 2025Lecture
A Vascular-Centered View on Aging, Regeneration and Rejuvenation
More information Time 12:30 - 13:30Location Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
AuditoriumLecturer Prof. Eli Keshet Organizer Department of Immunology and Regenerative BiologyContact -
Date:11TuesdayMarch 2025Lecture
What is special about activity in the basal ganglia?
More information Time 12:30 - 14:00Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Prof. Mati Joshua Organizer Department of Brain SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about There are two major classes of theories about the basal gang...» There are two major classes of theories about the basal ganglia. The first class hypothesizesthat the basal ganglia are the site where cortical sensorimotor and dopaminergic rewardinformation interact to potentiate and select actions. These theories predict that contentspecificity of information emerges from within the basal ganglia. The second class oftheories posits that information is manipulated within the basal ganglia through processessuch as dimensionality reduction. These theories are primarily based on the fact that thereis a large reduction in the number of neurons from the input to the output stages of the basalganglia. These theories posit that there are changes in the coding properties of neuronsrather than the emergence of content specificity.In this talk, I will present a set of studies where we analyzed the eye movement system ofmonkeys to compare single-neuron activity in the basal ganglia with activity in thecerebellum and the frontal cortex. We used tasks that manipulated both eye movementsand expected rewards. We found that rather than coding specific sensorimotor or rewardparameters, the basal ganglia were unique in how they coded these parameters, both interms of the signal-to-noise ratio of responses and in the variety of their temporal patterns.These results strongly suggest that the basal ganglia play a role in manipulating rather thangenerating reward and sensorimotor signals. -
Date:12WednesdayMarch 2025Lecture
Birthday hormone: the neuroendocrine control of hatching in fish
More information Time 10:00 - 11:00Location Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
Botnar AuditoriumLecturer Dr. Matan Golan Contact -
Date:13ThursdayMarch 2025Lecture
Synthetic biology platforms for biomedical applicationsnnounced
More information Time 15:00 - 16:00Location Leon Benoziyo for Biological Sciences
Auditorium Rm.191Lecturer Dr. Lior Nissim
The Faculty of Medicine - Hebrew University of Jerusalem -
Date:16SundayMarch 2025Conference
EPScon 2025 - The 14th Students' Conference for Earth and Planetary Sciences
More information Time 08:00 - 08:00Location The David Lopatie Conference CentreChairperson Adam Chaikin Lifshitz -
Date:16SundayMarch 2025Lecture
The Holocene temperature and CO2 conundrum: a long-term perspective from earlier interglacials
More information Time 11:00 - 12:00Location Sussman Family Building for Environmental Sciences
M. Magaritz seminar roomLecturer Yair Rosenthal Organizer Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about The pre-industrial Holocene is unique among pastinterglacial...» The pre-industrial Holocene is unique among pastinterglacials due to a modest, but notable increase inatmospheric CO2 and methane (CH4) during the latter halfof the period despite an expected decrease given orbitalparameters. Although the causes for this increase,anthropogenic or natural are debated, all climate modelssimulate an increase in global mean temperature inresponse to the increase in the greenhouse gases. Yet,many proxy reconstructions, interpreted to reflect themean annual temperatures, indicate peak temperatures inthe first half of the Holocene, arguably exceeding modernmean annual temperatures followed by cooling through thepreindustrial period. This significant model-datadiscrepancy, known as the Holocene temperatureconundrum, and the debate on the cause of the CO2increase has undermined confidence in future climatemodel predications. In this talk I’ll offer new perspectiveson both issues. -
Date:17MondayMarch 2025Cultural Events
The Room Next Door | Almodóvar
More information Time 20:00 - 22:31Location Michael Sela AuditoriumHomepage Contact -
Date:18TuesdayMarch 2025Lecture
Vascular Aging:
More information Time 11:00 - 12:00Title The Hidden Driver of Age-Related Organ DysfunctionLocation Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical ResearchLecturer Dr. Myriam Grunewald Organizer Sagol Institute for Longevity ResearchContact Abstract Show full text abstract about As life expectancy increases, age-related diseases are becom...» As life expectancy increases, age-related diseases are becoming more prevalent. While these conditions are traditionally studied in isolation, mounting evidence points to shared, systemic mechanisms underlying these conditions. Our research highlights the vasculature as a key player in organ homeostasis and repair, and a system shared across all organs—making its dysfunction potential driver of age-related pathologies.We demonstrate that manipulating VEGF signaling to counteract age-related microvascular rarefaction promotes comprehensive geroprotection, preserving organ function and delaying disease onset. Our findings also reveal a link between vascular rarefaction and altered RNA splicing. While hypoxia-driven and age-related changes in alternative RNA splicing have been studied independently, we propose a unifying mechanism that links the two. To explore this further, we also employ patient-derived organoids, which retain their biological age in culture, providing a robust in vitro platform to test anti-aging interventions.Our findings support a vascular theory of aging, identifying vascular health as a promising target to mitigate age-related diseases and promote healthier aging. -
Date:18TuesdayMarch 2025Lecture
Proteome-wide prediction of protein-protein interaction networks and protein compound interactions and their integration for biological discovery
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Prof. Barry Honig Organizer Department of Chemical and Structural Biology -
Date:20ThursdayMarch 2025Lecture
Student Seminar-PhD Thesis Defense by Hagar Setty, Oren Lab, March 20
More information Time 10:00 - 11:30Location Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
BotnarAbstract Show full text abstract about While sexual dimorphisms in brain structure and function are...» While sexual dimorphisms in brain structure and function are well-documented across species, the specific features and mechanisms underlying sex differences in individual neurons and how these differences drive behavior remain largely unknown. Most research has focused on sex-specific neurons, limiting insight into how shared neural circuits diverge between sexes. Using C. elegans, we investigated sex differences in shared neuronal modules through two approaches: 1. To explore circuit-level sex differences we dissected the neuronal properties of a sexually dimorphic circuit shared by both sexes, focusing on the circuit responsible for mechanosensation (the detection of mechanical stimulation), specifically touch sensation, in both sexes of C. elegans. We discovered that touch is detected through a distinctly different set of neurons in each sex, and this process involves unique molecules and receptors that operate in a sex-specific manner. One of these key molecules is the ion channel TMC-1, critical for hearing in humans. This study identified for the first time that touch can be sensed differently by the two sexes of an organism. 2. To investigate genetic sex differences at the level of individual sex-shared neurons, we mapped the nervous system of C. elegans in both sexes using single-cell RNA sequencing. By analyzing gene expression patterns in the nervous system of both sexes derived from the transcriptomic profiles, we discovered novel sexually dimorphic neurons and their relevance to behavior and neuronal function. We further conducted computational analysis on our single-cell data set to predict synaptic connectivity regulators based on gene expression, leading to the identification of several candidate genes now under investigation. Taken together, our work revealed multiple cellular and molecular pathways that operate differently between the sexes, shedding light on how an organism's sexual identity shapes the organization of its nervous system.