THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE No. 3 SPRING 2013 OF SCIENCE & PEOPLE Floating with the Phytoplankton Cover Story PAGE 12 For the Love of Science The Human PAGE 36 Brain Project The Science of Fat PAGE 48 PAGE 40 Cover Story From the President fields within its scope of activity. Of physics or computer science. The great course, both ends of this spectrum – thing about this synergy is that no one and anything in between – are valid can predict where it will lead. And plans for an institute. Each provides this means that, once in a while, this both its researchers and the individuals, type of research will lead somewhere foundations and governments that completely new – to a place that was Faculty of Chemistry invest in it with a different set of not only not predicted, but never even advantages. dreamed of. Alumni Reunion Even a quick flip through the pages of But this magazine is about more than this magazine will give you some pretty just the connections our wide-ranging October 3, 2013 strong clues as to where the Weizmann approach generates. Of course we 19:00 Institute is situated along this spectrum. want to show you what we do, but our If you take a little more time, you will goal is also to strengthen a different find articles on fascinating, cutting- type of connection – that between our At the Weizmann edge research in fields from theoretical supporters and our scientists. These Institute of Science physics to personalized medicine, connections are what have enabled us from marine biology to brain research. to create this amazing web of science [email protected] And don’t forget science education here at the Weizmann Institute. I hope – from outstanding science teachers that our supporters feel themselves to www.weizmann.ac.il/alumni/English/home There are almost as many different plans to a program for international high- be full partners in the generation of new and approaches to setting up research school graduates. In other words, the ideas and in the scientific adventure institutes as there are institutes. Some of Weizmann Institute’s plan is to provide we undertake here each and every day. them may be dedicated to a single topic a very broad platform – one that will I would like to take this opportunity – for instance cancer or nuclear physics. foster a wealth of new ideas in as wide to thank them, one and all, for their The Human Brain Project All of the financial and intellectual a range of fields as possible. One of the superb generosity. PAGE 40 capital of such an institute will be biggest advantages we experience with invested in producing tangible advances this approach is that scientists have in the specific field. On the other hand, the opportunity to make connections a research institute can take the broad between ideas – including, more often Daniel Zajfman approach to science and discovery, than not, ideas that arise from such encompassing a wide variety of research disparate disciplines as biology and The Weizmann International Magazine of Science & People CONTENTS PLANT SCIENCE 27 New Spanish Association COVER STORY: PRIZES No. 3, Spring 2013 12 Floating with the Phytoplankton of Friends launched The Human Brain Project 52 Prize Possession Editor • Yivsam Azgad SCIENCE BRIEFS At the Falling Walls Conference, 40 Prof. Henry Markram: Mind Editorial board • Kelly Avidan, Yivsam Azgad, 2 Reprogramming Protein Revealed INTERNATIONAL BOARD MEETING Prof. Zajfman says science and Brain LAB STORY Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph and Tamar Morad Assistant editor • Judy Halper A Computer Learns to See 14 The Weizmann Institute’s literacy is critical 42 The Human Brain Project 54 Extreme Chemistry Writers • Staff writers of the Publications 3 A Better Basis for Biotech 64th Annual General Meeting of 28 A History of Scientific Relations 43 Prof. Yadin Dudai on the and Media Relations, and Resource Seeing Spin the International Board Human Brain Project STUDENTS Development Departments 17 A lifelong partnership and a PHYSICS 56 Students Who Teach Graphic design • Irit Sher Photo research • Naama Pesso 4 LESTER CROWN’S STORY dream fulfilled 30 New Horizons in Physics ON CAMPUS Students Who Organize Data research • Irit Oz 20 Achievement extraordinaire: 44 Remembering Dr. Chaim Weizmann Photography • Mitchell Canoff, Rose Eveleth, NEW SCIENTISTS awarding of Ph.D.s honoris causa BIOLOGICAL REGULATION 47 Opening a Window to Science 58 THANK YOU Miki Koren, Roya Mey-Dan, Dr. Daniella Schatz, Asaph Shilo of the Israel Sun, the Falling Walls 8 Prof. Ulf Leonhardt: A Trick 32 The Cholesterol Conversation Lecture Series for Scientists Foundation, Wikimedia Commons, Ohad of the Light ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 60 10 THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW Herches and Itai Belson of the Weizmann 10 Prof. Yardena Samuels: Working 24 Cycles EDUCATION OBESITY About Dr. Chaim Weizmann Institute Photo Department, Weizmann Toward Personalized Cancer 34 Schooling Teachers in Science 48 The Science of Fat Institute Archives Images • Thinkstock Treatment AROUND THE WORLD 36 For the Love of Science 50 The Personalized Nutrition Project Print • AR Israel 26 Dr. Manfred Gentz to lead 38 Q&A with Dr. Bessie Lawrence German Friends 39 Top that P 1 SCIENCE BRIEFS Reprogramming Reprogramming Reprogramming Revealed, Protein Protein Revealed Seeing Spin Weizmann Institute scientists revealed a Physicists who want to measure quantum piece of the stem cell puzzle: an enzyme systems have a problem: Observing or that plays a key role in the process measuring a quantum system in any of turning an adult cell back into an way changes the system. Unobserved embryonic-like stem cell. Scientists have quantum systems can be in superposition learned to reprogram cells, creating – in more than one state at a time. One so-called induced pluripotent stem cells quantum property that lends itself to A Better Basis A Computer Learns to See, (iPS cells) by inserting a small number of superposition is a particle’s spin – an genes, but the process, itself, has been a intrinsic magnet. Spins can be oriented in “black box.” multiple directions simultaneously, but Dr. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna and his observation will collapse that to a single team found that an enzyme called Utx direction of spin. is activated in reprogramming. Utx Dr. Roee Ozeri and his research team changes the packaging of the genes, investigated what happens to a single so that hundreds of genes that are Image of adult male mouse testis reveals enzyme function in sperm production Structure of a human protein produced in caterpillars atom’s spin when it is observed, in this normally silenced in the adult cell case with light. They lit the atom up with can be turned on. When the team a laser, causing the atom to collide with looked for the original function of this a photon. The results, which appeared enzyme, they found that it is crucial the Ruth and Samy Cohn Professor of Ullman and his team created an synthetically in cabbage looper in Science, showed that the direction for the production of sperm or eggs in Computer Sciences, and his research algorithm in which the computer would A Better Basis moth larvae. the photon takes as it leaves the atom is a developing embryo. So their findings team believe that computers can help, figure out, through watching a series of Their findings revealed that the the direction that the spin adopts when may have relevance for fertility research, as well as learning from babies how to video clips, what visual objects can be for Biotech new proteins were identical to those superposition collapses. as well as research on iPS cells. become intelligent agents. They designed identified as hands. manufactured in cultured insect cells. Measuring the polarization of the computer models based on the way Their findings suggest that “mover In today’s biotech industry, human The scientists reported that the moth photon showed whether the spin that babies observe their environment. events” – observations of hands moving proteins for drugs and research are larvae were easy to grow and manipulate, was parallel or anti-parallel to the Newborns, for example, can track objects – are best for learning. Adding produced by inserting human DNA into and they produced large quantities of direction of emission. Further research A Computer movement. The question was whether in faces and bodies as reference points bacteria, yeast or animal cell lines and the enzyme. These results are a “proof revealed that the photon and atom some kinds of movement are more further improved the computer’s tricking them into manufacturing the of principle” that can hopefully be were entangled: Even after they were Learns to See helpful than others in learning to identify learning abilities. The research, part of new molecules. Scientists searching applied to the manufacture of many more separated, measurements in one caused such objects as hands – one of the the Digital Baby Project, can be tested for newer, simpler, more cost effective biomedical proteins. an instantaneous change in the other. Babies cannot tell us how they learn to first things infants learn to distinguish, in studies with infants, and it may yield methods have hit upon the idea of Biotech, for make sense of the complex world despite the fact that hands can take on useful insights for computer vision and using whole insect larvae, as these around them. Prof. Shimon Ullman, quite a range of appearances. learning, and robotics. might effectively yield large quantities of the required proteins. But it was not clear whether the proteins created in this way would be as close to the human ones as those produced by today’s methods. Seeing Spin To find out, the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Harry Greenblatt and Prof.