Author: Hilary

Lights On, Immune System Off?

Written by Hilary on 27 April 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

TAU Study Finds Artificial Light at Night May Disrupt Biological Rhythms and Increase Mortality

A new study from Tel Aviv University indicates for the first time that artificial lighting may disrupt natural rhythms of the immune system in wild rodents. According to the study, even exposure to minimal artificial light at night (ALAN), at intensities equivalent to standard street lighting, leads to a 2.35-fold increase in mortality.

Examining real-world conditions

The study was conducted at TAU’s Zoological Garden, the I. Meier Segals Garden for Zoological Research on two local mammals, the golden spiny mouse and the common spiny mouse. It was carried out by doctoral student Hagar Vardi-Naim at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. The study’s supervisors were Prof. Yariv Wine, head of the Applied Immunology Laboratory at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor, head of the Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology Laboratory at the School of Zoology, and Rector of TAU. Both Prof. Wine and Prof. Kronfeld-Schor are also affiliated with the new Environmental School at Tel Aviv University. The research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation. The disturbing findings were published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

Vardi-Naim explains: “Large parts of every mammal’s body, including our own, are regulated by an internal biological clock. With a 24-hour rhythm based on the natural light-dark cycle, this biological clock signals to various organs and physiological systems, including the immune system, what they should do at different times of day. For example, the levels of certain white blood cells rise and fall in the blood, and the body produces more/less antibodies at specific times. Such oscillations can enhance the immune response to bacteria or viruses, but for this the body must know the time. Light pollution alters the natural light-dark regime, disrupts the central clock’s synchronization with environmental time, and changes these patterns, rendering time almost meaningless.”

Testing the effects of light pollution

The researchers examined the effects of artificial lighting on the immune systems of two related species of small rodents: the golden spiny mouse and the common spiny mouse. Both live in the Israeli desert, sharing the same geographical habitat, but differing in their activity time: while the golden spiny mouse is active during the day, the common spiny mouse is active during night. The animals were taken from the Judean Desert to outdoor enclosures at TAU’s Zoological Garden, where some of them were exposed to ALAN.

Vardi-Naim: “We kept the spiny mice in enclosures that simulated natural environmental conditions as much as possible. Half of the enclosures were illuminated at night with white LED, the most common type of lighting used today, at a relatively low intensity that simulates street lighting, while the control group was exposed only to natural light-dark conditions – the sun, moon, and stars.”

When timing breaks down

The researchers measured the percentage of white blood cells (i.e., lymphocytes) in the mice’s blood at several points in the 24-hour cycle, and found a pattern similar to the human rhythm, with lymphocyte levels in the blood rising during rest hours, between two and four in the morning. In addition, they discovered a very clear 24-hour lymphocyte rhythm, and found that the amount of antibodies produced in response to an antigen (a substance that evokes the immune system’s response, e.g. a virus or vaccine), is time-dependent.

“We saw that animals exposed to an antigen during their rest hours produced far more antibodies than those exposed during their active hours,” adds Vardi-Naim. “Exposure to light pollution, however, completely muddled these rhythms. Instead of a daily cycle of peaks and lows in the level of lymphocytes and immune response, we observed a complete flattening of the daily patterns. This means that the immune system loses its natural timing, and consequently, its response to infections, environmental stress, or vaccination might be less than optimal, possibly increasing the animals’ vulnerability over time.”

A significant rise in mortality

In addition, extensive and rapid mortality was observed among the mice exposed to light pollution, with a 2.35 times higher risk of death compared to the control group. The researchers note that even though the exact cause of death could not be determined, the rise in mortality occurred alongside disruption of immune and endocrine (hormonal) rhythms, suggesting a likely connection between damage to biological timing and reduced survival.

Vardi-Naim emphasizes that the spiny mice in the study are only an example, and that the findings have implications for all living creatures, including humans. “Our results show that ALAN is not merely an aesthetic environmental change, but an active biological factor capable of disrupting critical physiological mechanisms. Chronic exposure to ALAN disrupted the timing of the mice’s immune and endocrine systems and impaired their survival under conditions that otherwise simulated the natural environment. We believe that light pollution should be regarded as an environmental health risk with broad implications, not only for wildlife but also for human health and the ecosystem as a whole. Studies show that animals with weakened immune systems can transmit diseases to humans, and it is possible that the human immune system responds in a similar way. The study underlines the need to include biological considerations in lighting policies and to reexamine ALAN scope and intensity in both urban and open spaces.”

Overall, by studying animals that live in conditions close to their natural environment rather than in sterile laboratory settings, this research highlights the value of using wild models to understand how the immune system functions in the real world. Such approaches reveal how environmental changes, including growing light pollution, can affect complex biological systems in ways that are often missed in traditional lab studies. As human activity continues to reshape natural environments, studying immune responses under realistic ecological conditions is essential for understanding how global environmental change may influence the health of wildlife, ecosystems, and potentially humans.

Leading the Nation in Academic Sustainability

Written by Hilary on 27 April 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

Climate change is already here, and it affects everyone. In addition to the impactful research at Tel Aviv University’s New Environmental School, TAU is doing its part to combat global warming with a recent commitment to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus. To do this, every detail of emissions across TAU was mapped out to create a multi-pronged plan for a more environmental campus. That plan is already in motion, led by recently-appointed Head of Sustainability and experienced climate researcher and activist, Dr. Judi Lax. Last year, TAU’s efforts earned it a 150-place jump in the prestigious QS World University Ranking of Sustainability, and the top spot in Israel.

Read about TAU’s many sustainability initiatives below:

The Energy Revolution: Transitioning to 100% Clean Electricity

Tel Aviv University is excited to announce that it will be moving to 100% renewable energy use on campus:

Solar electricity on rooftops: As part of the move, the University is parting ways with natural gas and switching to solar electricity production. Solar energy already powers several main buildings; since the beginning of the year, solar panels have already been installed on the roofs of eight more large buildings on campus. These installations will continue with solar panel-lined roofs to shade parking lots; an outdoor solar field; and even an energy storage facility.

Reducing and saving: The cleanest electricity is what’s never used in the first place. TAU’s Fleischman Faculty of Engineering ran a campaign for energy efficiency with the slogan “Think Light!”, encouraging its members to be mindful and reduce their energy consumption wherever they could. The project showed great results and is expanding to other faculties this year.

Smart Mobility: Green and Accessible Transportation

Transportation is the second-largest source of emissions on campus. After carefully mapping the routes most people take to campus, public and green transportation options are being promoted:

Upgrading the shuttle system: For many years, a free shuttle service has helped students navigate campus and access public transit. Now, that service is expanding with longer hours, more shuttles at “rush hours”, location tracking and year-round service.

Infrastructure for riders and drivers: For those who have their own means of transport, TAU is encouraging greener options. Public bicycle-repair stations and charging stations for electric vehicles have been installed throughout the campus.

Greener campus vehicles: Energy efficiency is not limited to buildings—it also applies to everything in between. For cleaner deliveries and campus operations, TAU is gradually transitioning to a fully electric fleet of operational vehicles.

Cooling Campus: Urban Nature and Creating Shade

Nature is an integral part of the solution to climate challenges, and the physical design of the campus must function accordingly.

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Cooling the environment: In the hot Israeli summer, shade is a valuable commodity. Since trees are able to significantly reduce the temperature in their environment, dozens of new shade and fruit trees have been planted on campus in recent years. This is in addition to the establishment of artificial and solar shading solutions.
Surveying the urban forest: In order to understand and plan correctly, a group of volunteers mapped each and every tree on campus—so far, the number is 1,800! This data may serve as a scientific basis for combatting urban heat, encouraging pollinators and nurturing biodiversity.

Sustainable construction: Proper planning is the most effective way to reduce emissions for decades to come. Today, every new construction on campus is built according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s Green Building Standard.

Involving the community: On Tu B’Shvat, the campus community was invited to participate in planting new shade trees, cultivating the campus herb garden, and setting up a pollinator garden.
Campus Nature Competition: TAU’s campus is alive, breathing, and spectacularly beautiful. To capture this magic, the sustainability office held the “Campus Nature” photography competition which brought in thousands of photos. The competition winners will be featured in a special exhibition.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Waste as a Resource

Behavioral change and the right infrastructure can help waste become an opportunity:

“Let it stay on campus”: Furniture that is given up doesn’t have to be thrown in the trash. A new project helps University workers find new homes for old equipment, and in just the past year dozens of items were saved from landfills or from becoming further sources of pollution.

Recycling right: A waste separation project led by the Faculty of Exact Sciences is making possible the correct disposal of plastic containers, paper waste, packaging waste, and more across campus. The project led to an impressive 30% increase in recycling on campus.

Difficult disposals: Some waste is harder to dispose of safely. To help curb improper disposal of materials that can cause disproportionate harm to people and the environment, TAU set up special collection stations. These include electronic waste depositories and even laboratory waste disposal and recycling.

National Pride: Sustainability and Community

The shared purpose of a greener University environment has brought together many passionate partners and gained recognition for TAU.

Rising in the ranks: The many projects on campus were recognized by the prestigious QS Global University Sustainability Rankings for 2026. TAU rose a whopping 150 places in the list, launching to the top spot in Israel last year! These efforts also received recognition from the Tel Aviv Municipality.

Collaboration is key: Real change happens thanks to the combined efforts of many individual people, and this is incredibly clear in the dedicated cooperation of numerous campus groups. Strategic partners such as the Student Union, the TAU Student and Faculty Green Cell, the TAU Climate Initiative, the New Environmental School, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, the Yehuda Naftali Botanical Garden, and the Dean of Students – all worked together to advance this vision.

A place to come together: A broad community of changemakers needs a physical space to meet, learn, brainstorm, plan, and advance their vision. For this purpose, a new Sustainability Center was established on campus where students, faculty, staff, and other partners can gather to work towards a greener future together.

Sharp Rise in Antisemitic Violence, Highest in Over Three Decades

Written by Hilary on 12 April 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

In the shadow of the war in Gaza, there was a surge in the number of cases of severe violence against Jews in the West in 2025, according to the annual report on the state of antisemitism in the world published this morning by Tel Aviv University. During 2025, 20 Jews were murdered in four different attacks.

This is the highest number of victims of antisemitic attacks in more than three decades.

In many countries, 2025 saw an increase compared to 2024 in the number of Jews who were victims of physical harm, such as beatings or stone-throwing. The data regarding the overall number of incidents in different countries is more complex (a figure that also refers to vandalism, verbal threats, and harassment on social media). In several countries, 2025 saw a moderate increase compared to 2024, while in others, a moderate decrease was recorded. However, in every Western country, the total number of incidents remained dozens of percentage points higher than in 2022, the year preceding the war in Gaza.

“A normalized reality” of antisemitism

According to Prof. Uriya Shavit, the editor-in-chief of the 152-page report, “The data raise concern that a high level of antisemitic incidents is becoming a normalized reality.

He continues, “The peak in the number of incidents was recorded in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack, after which we began to see a downward trend – but unfortunately, that trend did not continue in 2025. The steep increase in the number of cases of severe violence is not surprising. The rule that applies to all types of crime applies here as well: when law-enforcement authorities are indifferent to small crimes, the result is big crimes.”

A global benchmark for tracking antisemitism

Tel Aviv University’s annual antisemitism report has been published since 2001. The report is considered the most important document of its kind and is cited in hundreds of media outlets worldwide. The report is based on data originating from dozens of law-enforcement authorities around the world, specialized commissions, Jewish communities, reports in the media, and interviews and fieldwork by the researchers, and it also includes extensive studies on causes, characteristics, and trends. The report is published by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice.

Alarming trends in Australia and Canada

According to the report, data for Australia in 2025 is particularly alarming. Alongside a high number of violent attacks, including the Hanukkah massacre near Sydney in which 15 Jews were murdered, the total number of antisemitic incidents increased from 1,727 in 2024 to 1,750 in 2025. This compares with 1,200 incidents in 2023 and 472 in 2022. Even more alarming is that the end of the war in Gaza brought a relative increase in the number of incidents: compared with 492 recorded in October–December 2024, in the corresponding period in 2025 there were 588 incidents.

In Canada, the total number of incidents grew from 6,219 in 2024 to 6,800 in 2025, a number more than three times higher than in 2022. In Britain, the total number of incidents increased from 3,556 in 2024 to 3,700 in 2025, compared with 4,298 in 2023 and 1,662 in 2022. As in Australia, in Britain, too, the end of the war in Gaza led to an increase in the total number of incidents: whereas between October and December 2024 there were 741 incidents in the kingdom, in the corresponding period in 2025 the number surged to 1,078. The number of cases of severe violence increased from two in 2024 to four in 2025, while the number of other violent incidents (for example stone-throwing) fell from 202 to 170, and cases of vandalism increased from 157 to 217.

Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia – December 2025

Complex trends across Europe and the United States

In France, which has the third-largest Jewish population after Israel and the United States, the total number of incidents declined from 1,570 in 2024 to 1,320 in 2025 (compared with 436 in 2022). However, the number of incidents involving physical violence rose from 106 in 2024 to 126 in 2025.

In Germany, a decline was recorded in the number of incidents – 5,729 in 2025 compared with 6,560 in 2024 (and with 2,811 incidents in 2022). However, in the number of incidents involving physical violence, a smaller decrease was recorded: 144 compared with 148. In Belgium, the number of incidents increased from 129 in 2024 to 232 in 2025, and the number of physical assaults increased from 27 to 32.

In New York, the largest Jewish city in the world, the number of incidents declined from 344 in 2024 to 324 in 2025; however, in the months of October–December, after the end of the war, the number increased from 68 to 80. In Chicago, the number of incidents declined from 79 in 2024 to 47 in 2025; however, the number of incidents involving physical violence in that period increased from eight to 10. The incident figures in the United States refer to complaints recorded by the police and not by commissions and monitoring organizations, and are less likely to include minor incidents and harassment on social media.

Criticism of government response

The report harshly criticizes the Israeli government’s role in the global fight against antisemitism. Its authors said that “the government did not carry out even a single significant and effective action and often caused harm. Israeli politicians at the highest levels steadily expanded the scope of the term ‘antisemitism,’ including through cynical and hasty declarations, drained it of meaning, and damaged the struggle against Jew-hatred.” The authors believe that the ministry for combating antisemitism, which failed in its mission, should be closed, “and its authorities and budgets transferred to Israel’s embassies and consulates, because only ongoing contact, on the ground, with Jewish communities, law-enforcement authorities, and educators, carried out by professionals and based on attentive listening and determined activity, can contribute to the security of the communities.”

Understanding the perpetrators

A comprehensive and first-of-its-kind study published in the report examined, through a review of thousands of legal and journalistic documents, alongside interviews with lawyers, the profiles of antisemitic attacks and attackers who were prosecuted in the four countries with the largest number of Jews: the United States, France, Canada, and Britain, between 2020 and 2025. Dr. Carl Yonker, the director of the research, noted: “The study makes clear why it is so difficult to prevent antisemitic attacks. An analysis of dozens of indictments and court rulings shows that many of the attackers are ‘lone wolves’ who do not operate within any organizational framework of direction. They come mainly from two entirely different political extremes – white Christians devoted to ‘white supremacy’ on the one hand, and anti-Zionist Muslims on the other. The attackers represent a wide variety of ages, geographical areas, and ethnic backgrounds. Among them is a high proportion of unemployed people and, more generally, of people to whom life has not smiled.” The pioneering study was prepared with the participation of the researchers Noah Abrahams, Elie Houé, and Antonio Peña.

Prof. Uriya Shavit

Trends beyond major Jewish communities

As every year, the TAU report also includes data on antisemitic incidents in countries with relatively small Jewish communities, and here too, the general trend is complex. In Mexico, 70 incidents were recorded in 2025 compared with 53 in 2024. In South Africa, 95 incidents were recorded in 2025 compared with 128 in 2024. In Italy, 963 incidents were recorded in 2025 compared with 877 in 2024, including 11 cases of physical assault compared with eight, respectively. In Chile, 27 incidents were recorded compared with 51. In Spain, 207 incidents were recorded compared with 193. In New Zealand – 143 incidents in 2025 compared with 131 in 2024, of which five were physical assaults compared with two respectively. In Bulgaria, 55 incidents were recorded compared with 50.

A global concern

Prof. Irwin Cotler, former Justice Minister of Canada, said: “We are witnessing not only an unprecedented global explosion in incidents of antisemitism since audits began in the 1970s, but most disturbingly, an unprecedented explosion of hate crimes targeting Jews, where, for example, Canadian Jews who are 1% of the country’s population, are the target of 72% of reported hate crimes and are 25 times more likely to be targeted than any other minority group.”

Dr. Yonker, whose comprehensive article on rampant antisemitism in the conservative movement in the United States is included in the report, noted that “the penetration of blatant antisemitism, including admiration for Hitler and Holocaust denial, into the mainstream currents of the Republican Party is cause for existential concern. Social media makes the fight against this phenomenon especially difficult, and perhaps impossible. There is currently in the United States a tremendous and dangerous drift against Israel, and antisemitism is flourishing as it has not since the Second World War.”

The report also includes a special interview with one of the leading Holocaust scholars in the United States, Prof. Christopher Browning, as well as a review of antisemitism in healthcare systems in the West.

See to the full report here.

A Performance 100 Years in the Making

Written by Hilary on 25 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

A TAU-led team is reviving lost popular Yiddish plays, starting with the TAU premiere of an original Hebrew adaptation of a buried classic

At Tel Aviv University’s theatre department, imposing ghostly white figures sing to an old woman on a stage designed like a surreal graveyard. This is the recent production of The Dybbuk, a comedic Yiddish play not performed since the turn of the century. The play is part of a sweeping inter-institutional project to restore popular Yiddish performance pieces and return them to the stage, led by TAU’s Dr. Ruthie Abeliovich. By bringing these plays into the 21st century, the researchers reveal truths about Jewish history and shed light on the critical cultural discussions that our modern Jewish community is still having today.

Laughter Before the Tragedy

Two lovers, an arranged marriage, and a demonic possession: many in the global Jewish community have heard of The Dybbuk, a Yiddish ghost story adapted to a famous play and even to a well-known kids’ movie (The Corpse Bride, Tim Burton). The play, by S. An-sky, is a tragedy about a doomed marriage and is considered an important piece of classical theatre. But not many know that decades before its creation, a comedy of the same title and themes, most notably made famous by playwright Joseph Latainer, swept through the Yiddish-speaking theatre world reaching millions of Jews.

Likely because of their mass appeal to common audiences, it and many other popular Yiddish shows were delegitimized by intellectuals as “shund” —trash—and effectively erased from the cannon. The devaluation of popular cultural art is a phenomenon we still see today, despite its broad influence.

“Studying these forgotten plays from the flourishing turn-of-the-century Yiddish theatre scene offers insight into the values, challenges and attitudes of the Jewish community at the time–and today.”

Now, in a years-long project supported by a prestigious grant from the European Research Council, an international team of Yiddishists led by TAU Dr. Ruthie Abeliovitch of the Katz Faculty of Arts is resurrecting these forgotten dramas. “Studying these forgotten plays from the flourishing turn-of-the-century Yiddish theatre scene offers insight into the values, challenges and attitudes of the Jewish community at the time,” she says. “These shows were often developed in the New York Yiddish community and made their way to Europe. Because they were so popular, they give a window into mainstream mentalities all over the pre-Holocaust Jewish world—as well as revealing how we Jews today are still dealing with many of the same communal issues.”

Instead of tragedy, Latainer’s show ends in a wedding. (Photo: Tami Shaham)

The research, fittingly dubbed “DYBBUK”, encompasses many different facets. The researchers have digitized hundreds of pages of handwritten performance notes through a newly-developed AI interface; begun creating a database of scripts for public use; and mounted an innovative Hebrew-language performance of The Dybbuk through TAU’s Department of Theatre Arts and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music.

100 Years Later, The Dybbuk Hits the Stage

Latainer’s The Dybbuk: in the Clutches of Fanaticism follows Amelia, a young Jewish woman in love with her French teacher, a secular Jew named Leon. Her religious grandmother, however, has promised her to the local rabbi in exchange for his blessings. With assistance from Leon’s servant, Falik, the couple makes a desperate attempt to elope but is soon apprehended by the rabbi and his followers. In the end, the rabbi is exposed as a fraud, and Amelia and Leon get married.

The show deals with themes that follow us to this day: tradition vs. modernization; duty to community vs. individual fulfillment; the gendered politics of marriage, and more.

Drawing from a number of different accounts of productions, TAU staged a truly one-of-a-kind musical theatre performance. In translating and adapting to modern Hebrew, the team aimed to incorporate Yiddish as a living language and culture. This meant designing sets and costumes, composing music, adapting scripts and directing actors all in a way that would be recognizable and entertaining to audiences both 100 years ago and today. Many of the artists and all of the performers were TAU theatre and music students; the department also worked with Yonatan Levy, a professional director, Noam Enbar, a musical composer, and Shirly Marom, the project producer.

In a dream, the ghost of Amelia’s mother tells her grandmother that she must let Amelia marry as she wishes. (Photo: Tami Shaham)

Going Digital

To recreate the show for adaptation, the researchers cross-referenced pages upon pages of notebooks recounting multiple different productions and versions of The Dybbuk. Since many were from over 100 years ago and not always well-preserved, these prompting notebooks—containing scripts, stage directions, musical cues, and annotations—presented a challenge. The team met that challenge with a modern solution: they created a new AI tool. Though handwriting recognition software is well established, no such deciphering model existed for Yiddish handwriting, especially on weathered pages.

“The plan is to make Yiddish plays, music, and art publicly available, so that these once-beloved works can live again.”

Through detailed, painstaking work, the team trained a new machine-learning model that could digitize the prompting notebooks. To date, they have digitized over 700 pages of notes and made their software available to other Yiddishists for other restoration projects. Their data has also become the basis for the development of other Yiddish handwriting recognition programs. The digital project was led by Dr. Sinai Rusinek.

In addition to The Dybbuk, nearly 15 other plays have been transcribed and uploaded to an open database so that anyone can access and perform them. “The plan is to continue growing the database and making plays, music, historical insights, recordings and other aspects of Yiddish art publicly available,” says Dr. Abeliovitch, “so that these once-beloved works can live again.”

The Electronics of the Future

Written by Hilary on 24 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

TAU researchers develop ultra-efficient graphene switch at the nanometer scale

A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with colleagues from Japan, has taken an important step toward the next generation of electronics. The scientists achieved highly precise control of the internal structure of graphene — an exceptionally thin and strong material — using a minute, nearly negligible amount of energy.

The study was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Moshe Ben-Shalom of the School of Physics and Astronomy, together with Prof. Michael Urbakh and Prof. Oded Hod of the School of Chemistry. The experiments and calculations were led by Dr. Nirmal Roy and Dr. Pengua Ying, supported by Simon Salleh Atri, Yoav Sharaby, Noam Raab, and Dr. Youngki Yao. The findings were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Why graphene stacking matters

Graphene, which consists of a thin layer of carbon atoms, has long been regarded as a “star” in the world of materials. Yet it is not only the material itself that matters, but also how the graphene layers are stacked on top of one another. Different stacking arrangements create entirely different properties: different electrical conductivity, different responses to magnetic fields, and even conditions that enable the emergence of superconductivity.

Until now, controlled switching between these stacking arrangements has been a complex process that required a great deal of energy and was unsuitable for practical applications. In the new study, the researchers succeeded in overcoming this obstacle.

The solution they developed is based on an elegant concept: creating tiny “islands” of graphene — only tens of nanometers in diameter — where the layers remain in direct contact with one another, while the surrounding areas are separated by a layer that allows nearly frictionless sliding. Within these islands, one graphene layer can be shifted relative to another, thereby changing the stacking arrangement.

A striking result: structural change with minimal force

The result is striking: the material’s state can be changed using an extremely small force, with an energy input orders of magnitude lower than that required by existing memory technologies. In many cases, once the change is initiated, it continues on its own, without the need to apply additional force.

An illustration of the research: The Super-Lubric Array of Polytypes (SLAP) device in action. The bright and dark circles represent high and low electrical currents.

Toward brain-inspired computing

Beyond this, the researchers showed that neighboring islands can be connected so that a structural change in one island also affects its neighbors. This opens the door to creating systems in which different regions “communicate” with one another in a mechanical-elastic manner, similar to a neural network. Such a property may be particularly relevant to the development of neuromorphic computing — computers that mimic the way the brain operates.

According to the researchers, the new method opens promising avenues for the development of memory components, sensors, and tiny electronic devices that are both fast and exceptionally energy-efficient. In the future, it may enable the creation of smart electronic systems on the nanometer scale — systems that consume less energy, generate less heat, and can perform complex operations in ways that until now seemed purely theoretical.

Prof. Moshe Ben-Shalom concludes: “This is a breakthrough that has the potential to transform the way electronic components are designed at the nanometer scale. We show that it is possible to control the structure of graphene and other layered crystals in a precise, reversible, and extremely energy-efficient manner. Instead of breaking and rebuilding chemical bonds, we simply slide atomic layers over one another — a natural process that is much faster and more efficient. The ability to design interactions between different regions within a material opens up new possibilities, not only for advanced electronics but also for brain-inspired computing systems. This is another step toward turning physical phenomena that until now were considered purely academic into practical, working technology.”

World-Scale Discovery in Northern Israel Reveals Early Humans’ Sense of Aesthetics

Written by Hilary on 23 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

Rare archaeological findings in the Sakhnin Valley suggest that Homo erectus attributed meaning and visual significance to natural features hundreds of thousands of years ago

A Tel Aviv University Archaeologist and a resident of the Arab city of Sakhnin recently led an exceptional archaeological discovery in Lower Galilee Sakhnin Valley, shedding new light on the cultural and cognitive world of our early ancestors. A surface survey revealed a series of Paleolithic sites containing hundreds of handaxes — large, carefully crafted stone tools — identified with Homo erectus, the early human species that lived in the region hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Beyond the impressive quantity, however, the most noteworthy and unique find is an unprecedented concentration of handaxes shaped deliberately around fossils and distinctive geological features — a phenomenon almost unknown from other sites around the world. The study appeared in the prestigious journal published by the Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, Entin Faculty of Humanities: Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University.

A Discovery That Began in the Field

The sites in the Sakhnin Valley were identified by Muataz Shalata, a self-taught nature enthusiast from the city of Sakhnin, who noticed unusual knapped stones scattered across the terrain. He contacted Prof. Ran Barkai of the Elkov Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, an expert in the study of early Paleolithic cultures. Together, they are leading an innovative study focusing on human behaviors that evolved in the Sakhnin Valley hundreds of thousands of years ago.

A Hub of Human Activity

Prof. Barkai: “Handaxes served as the main tool of early humans for more than a million years, and are known from Africa, Asia, and Europe. In the Sakhnin Valley, many hundreds of handaxes were found, indicating that the area served as an important hub of human activity over long periods of time. Providing early humans with all their needs – water sources, game, and an exceptional abundance of high-quality flint nodules — the area probably attracted human groups repeatedly over hundreds of thousands of years”.

“The Valley is also very rich in geodes – rounded, brain-like geological concretions containing sparkling crystals, as well as flint nodules embedded with fossil remains. Early humans who came here hundreds of thousands of years ago must have been astonished by this exceptional richness of stones, leaving behind them an extraordinary phenomenon: we have discovered more than ten handaxes fashioned from flint nodules containing fossils or special geological formations, with these natural features deliberately preserved in a prominent position at the center of each handaxe. Since such features make precise and symmetrical knapping difficult, we can conclude that the selection of these specific stones was not accidental. On the contrary — the knapping process highlighted the natural feature and kept it at the center of the tool.”

A handaxe shaped around the imprint of a fossil from the Sakhnin Valley

Beyond Survival: Early Signs of Aesthetic Thinking

According to the researchers, this unique phenomenon clearly demonstrates aesthetic and conceptual intention among early humans, beyond functional considerations of tool production. Embedded fossils and geological formations do not improve the tool’s performance and may even impair it, yet such stones were repeatedly preferred as raw material. The conscious choice to invest effort in shaping a tool around an exceptional natural feature indicates that beyond survival needs, humans attributed special value to the stones’ appearance and meaning. Knapping served as a means for framing, highlighting, and enhancing intriguing natural phenomena, reflecting advanced perceptual and cognitive abilities.

The researchers also note that the Sakhnin Valley is located near presumed routes of early elephants, which were a primary food source for humans during this period. Thus, as at other prehistoric sites such as Gesher Bnot Ya‘akov, the handaxes were probably used to cut up elephants and extract calories from their fat and meat. However, such a high concentration of special handaxes is unknown in any other site worldwide, exceeding all comparable finds documented to date.

Prof. Barkai concludes: “The unique landscape of the Sakhnin Valley led early humans to behave in a distinctive manner. Apparently, they attributed great significance to the fossils and special geological features they found in the Valley, regarding them as manifestations of the potency, primordiality, and wonder of the cosmos. The integration of fossils and geological features endowed the handaxes with added potency and meaning, connecting them primeval elements. The findings from the Sakhnin Valley open a rare window into the inner world of early humans, indicating that already at the dawn of human history they were sensitive to aesthetics, attributed meaning to nature, and had complex relationships with their world. The discovery places the Sakhnin Valley and the Lower Galilee at the heart of the international scholarly discussion on the origins of cognition, aesthetics and meaning in human life.”

* Prof. Ran Barkai is a prehistoric archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, specializing in the study of early human evolution and cultures. He is known, among other things, for his excavations at Qesem Cave and his research on the links between diet, animals, and the development of human consciousness.

Statement by the Senate of Tel Aviv University

Written by Hilary on 23 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

For a long time now, we have been witnessing acts of violence by Jewish residents in the West Bank against Palestinian residents. These acts, which include severe harm to persons and property, intimidation, humiliation, and displacement, have in some cases escalated into shocking acts of murder. These phenomena have intensified over the past month, under the cover of the war with Iran.

As citizens of the State of Israel, we bear a heavy moral responsibility and feel deep shame in the face of this rampant Jewish terrorism. We protest the failure of the government and security forces to act with the necessary resolve against this phenomenon by using all means at their disposal. Terror directed against innocent civilians does not change according to the identity of the perpetrator or the victim; terror is terror, and it must be eradicated.

The State of Israel, as the authority responsible for the territories, bears a clear obligation under both international and Israeli law: to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, Jews and Palestinians alike. Beyond this legal duty, the government bears a paramount moral obligation: not to permit the shedding of blood in the West Bank, whether by action or by failure to act. As a people who have experienced pogroms and persecution driven by racism, we are bound to remember where such a path may lead. We must not stand idly by.

History teaches us that in times of war, human rights are often pushed to the margins in the name of the demands of the moment or the pursuit of victory. We refuse to accept this reality. Jewish terrorism serves no legitimate purpose; on the contrary, it erodes the very foundations of our existence. Silence in the face of terror from within is a moral stain that cannot be erased, for the strength of the State of Israel is measured not only by its military power, but first and foremost by the integrity of its values.

Most Cited: Tel Aviv University Ranked No. 1 in Israel in the International Webometrics Ranking

Written by Hilary on 12 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University was ranked 152nd worldwide and first in Israel in the Webometrics Ranking, which evaluates the web presence of more than 32,000 higher education institutions across 263 countries.

The ranking is published twice a year and was created to promote the online dissemination of academic research and support open access to knowledge. Unlike other university rankings that focus solely on academic publications, Webometrics incorporates additional indicators reflecting the online activity of faculty members and researchers, such as impact (content quality), accessibility of research files, and excellence (the number of publications included in the top 10% of most-cited studies in their respective fields).

According to the January 2026 edition, Tel Aviv University ranked No. 1 in Israel and 152nd worldwide. The University’s position is strongly influenced by its high performance in quality indicators — including citations per faculty member ranking among the global top ten, as well as the number of citations received by leading researchers.

Key Highlights from the Ranking (January 2026 Edition)

National Leadership: Tel Aviv University ranks first in Israel, ahead of all other research universities in the country.
Asia Ranking: The University is ranked 49th in Asia.
Research Stability: Despite increasing competition and the growing number of ranked institutions, the University maintains a stable presence among the global top universities, with a strong emphasis on excellence indicators and research transparency.

The Hebrew University is ranked 285th, followed by the Technion at 378th, and the University of Haifa at 645th worldwide.

Major Achievement: Tel Aviv Climbs to 4th Place Worldwide in the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking for 2025

Written by Hilary on 11 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University’s technology ecosystem has reached a historic milestone. According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2025 by Startup Genome, Tel Aviv has climbed to 4th place worldwide among the best startup ecosystems. This marks a one-place rise compared to last year, positioning the University and the city at the forefront of global innovation — ahead of major hubs such as Boston, Beijing, and Seoul.

Tel Aviv University, consistently ranked among the world’s leading institutions in producing entrepreneurs and founders of unicorn companies, continues to serve as a central engine behind this achievement. The report highlights that the University’s research strength and academic human capital are key factors enabling Tel Aviv’s ecosystem to maintain resilience and growth, even during challenging periods.

Key Findings from the GSER 2025 Report

Ecosystem Value: Tel Aviv’s ecosystem generated an impressive $198 billion in economic value (between July 2022 and December 2024), driven by company valuations and successful exits.
Performance Leadership: Tel Aviv ranked 4th globally in the Performance indicator, which measures the value creation of technology companies.
Top 10 Worldwide in Knowledge & Talent: The city ranked among the global top 10 in the Knowledge indicator (measuring innovation and patents), as well as in Talent & Experience.

Scientific Drivers: AI, Cyber, and Life Sciences

The report emphasizes that Tel Aviv’s growth is fueled by three major sectors in which Tel Aviv University is considered a global research leader:

Artificial Intelligence (AI): The leading sector in both number of startups and funding rounds.
Cybersecurity: A field where Tel Aviv maintains an undisputed global leadership position.
Life Sciences: Recorded a 25% increase in total ecosystem value, reaching $2.7 billion.

“The Highest-Quality Entrepreneurs in the World”

Senior figures in the venture capital industry also praised the quality of Israeli entrepreneurship in the report. Jeff Horing, Co-Founder of Insight Partners, was quoted as saying:

“I have no doubt that Israel is home to the highest-quality entrepreneurs in the world, period. The combination of intelligence, diligence, and determination is among the strongest you can find.”

Tel Aviv University — ranked 7th worldwide (and first outside the United States) in the PitchBook ranking for producing entrepreneurs — continues to demonstrate that the close connection between advanced academic research and the high-tech industry is the true secret behind Tel Aviv’s success.

Read the full report >

Main Tel Aviv University Ranked in the Global Top 300 in the Shanghai Ranking 2025

Written by Hilary on 11 March 2026. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University continues to strengthen its standing as one of the world’s leading research universities. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) — widely known as the Shanghai Ranking — for 2025, the University was ranked in the 201–300 range worldwide. This achievement places Tel Aviv University within the global elite of academic institutions, among thousands of universities evaluated each year.

National and Global Leadership Across Academic Fields

Alongside the overall institutional ranking, Tel Aviv University recorded particularly impressive achievements in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. Most notably, the Department of Nursing maintains its status as the leading and highest-quality program in Israel, ranking among the top 101–150 worldwide.

In addition, the University achieved top positions in the Shanghai Ranking in the following disciplines:

Law and Mathematics: ranked 76–100 worldwide
Business Administration and Economics: ranked 101–150 worldwide
Computer Science and Psychology: ranked 151–200 worldwide

A Benchmark for Research Quality

The Shanghai Ranking is considered one of the most objective and rigorous rankings in the academic world, as it focuses on clear indicators of research output. The ranking incorporates data such as the number of Highly Cited Researchers, publications in the most prestigious scientific journals, and overall research quality relative to institutional size.

Tel Aviv University’s placement within the global top 300, along with its leadership in key academic disciplines, further reinforces its position at the forefront of Israeli research on the international stage. This achievement complements the University’s strong performance in other major global rankings this year, including 216th place in the Times Higher Education ranking and 223rd place in the QS ranking.