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Can AI Really Decode Animal Language?

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A new TAU study using toddler vocalizations reveals a fundamental challenge: AI can recognize patterns in sounds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it understands what those sounds mean.

In recent years, numerous attempts have been made to use artificial intelligence to decipher the communication of bats, whales, birds, and other animals. However, a new study led by a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University points to a fundamental problem with this approach: AI models focus on the physical properties of a sound, but this does not mean that they understand the meaning attributed to it by animal listening.

According to the researchers, sounds that are acoustically similar do not necessarily carry similar meanings, while sounds that appear different may convey the same information to the receiver. Therefore, classifying sounds according to their acoustic similarity, as is done in most studies, may create a misleading picture of the communication system and the meaning of the messages it conveys.

The study, published in the scientific journal Current Biology, was conducted by Mor Taub, Inbal Arnon, Amiyaal Ilany, Mirjam Knörnschild, Yoav Ram, and Prof. Yossi Yovel. The research team included scientists from Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Edinburgh, the Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

What Can Toddlers Teach Us About Animal Communication?

To investigate the problem, the researchers used a unique communication system: the vocalizations of human toddlers who have not yet fully developed speech. Unlike animal vocalizations, in this case the researchers can determine, at least to some extent, how the humans to whom the vocalizations are directed interpret them. The recordings included vocalizations made in three contexts: distress, calling to a specific person, the mother or the father and requesting food.

The researchers analyzed the recordings using a classical acoustic method and two deep state-of-the-art neural networks: one trained on animal vocalizations and another trained on adult human speech. The models were asked to group the vocalizations according to their characteristics.

Hearing a Pattern Is Not the Same as Understanding It

The results showed that the deep neural networks performed better than the classical acoustic method, but even they failed to classify the toddlers’ vocalizations according to their meaning. In some cases, they grouped together vocalizations carrying different messages; in others, they separated different vocalizations intended to convey the same message. The models also failed to identify how a sequence of vocalizations expressed increasing urgency, a distinction that the human ear perceives naturally.

According to the researchers, reliably deciphering animal communication will require combining AI tools with behavioral observations, playback experiments, and sometimes measurements of brain activity. Every species has its own unique perceptual world, and understanding what animals are “saying” therefore requires more than analyzing sound alone: it also requires examining how they hear the sound and respond to it.

Seeing Communication From the Animal’s Perspective

Prof. Yossi Yovel concludes: “In recent years, there has been growing excitement about the possibility of using artificial intelligence to decode animal communication, but our study shows that these promises should be treated with caution. Identifying acoustic patterns is not necessarily the same as deciphering meaning: to understand what an animal is ‘saying,’ we need to know how the animal receiving the message perceives it and responds to it. The path toward truly deciphering animal communication will require a combination of AI, behavioral observations, experiments, and research into the nervous system. Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but it is no substitute for the perspective of the animal itself.”

Through Foreign Eyes: How Filmmakers Captured a Young Israel

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

What were international filmmakers searching for in the young State of Israel, what did they find here, and what can their films teach us about the Israel of then and today?

“A chosen people, a wandering people, a tormented people, a murdered people, a people reborn. Israel has known struggle in all its forms.”

With these words, French filmmaker Chris Marker opens his 1960 documentary Description of a Struggle (Description d’un combat).

Marker came to Israel not to provide clear answers, but to try to understand a young country in the process of shaping its identity—and, in doing so, to reconsider some of his own perceptions. Yet seven years after the film was released, following the Six-Day War, Marker sought to limit its screenings. In his view, the political reality had changed so dramatically that the film no longer reflected his positions.

The film, which was barely screened in Israel for decades, became the starting point more than 60 years later for research by Dr. Ohad Landesman of the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF). Landesman’s research led to his book, Brief Encounters: Documentary Visits to an Imagined Israel, published this year by SUNY Press.

This story led Landesman to search for other filmmakers who visited Israel during the 1960s and 1970s, among them Pier Paolo Pasolini, Susan Sontag, and Claude Lanzmann. In their films, he found not only documentation of a young Israel, but also the perspectives of outsiders who came here to explore questions that preoccupied them personally.

These films returned to the screen at the 2026 Docaviv Film Festival as part of Imagined Land, a program curated by Landesman. The four films screened drew large audiences, with some screenings completely sold out. The response surprised Landesman somewhat—but also demonstrated just how relevant the research remains today.

From Location Hunting in Palestine, 1963. (Credit: Cineteca Nazionale)

Who Were the “Brief Encounters” and Why Israel?

They were some of the most prominent names in the cultural and cinematic world of their time. They came to Israel for short periods—sometimes just a few weeks—and were not attempting to conduct lengthy anthropological journeys. They arrived with questions, expectations, and sometimes a preconceived image of the country. They filmed, observed, and returned home.

But why Israel? For these filmmakers, Israel was far more than a place to make a film. The young country was perceived as a kind of “laboratory of ideas”: a place where major questions about the Holocaust and rebirth, Zionism, religion, nationalism, war, and socialism converged.

Some arrived with sympathy for and curiosity about the Zionist project, while others sought to examine the gap between the image of Israel and the reality they encountered. For all of them, to varying degrees, Israel became a place through which they could explore larger ideas—and sometimes their own personal positions as well.

Landesman describes these works as “essay films”: films that do not claim to present a complete, objective picture, but instead use documentary filmmaking as a way to think, question, and deliberate. “They are primarily films about the relationship between the filmmaker and the destination, rather than about the destination itself,” Landesman explains.

What You See From Here, You Don’t See From There

Most of the films examined in the research were made between 1960 and 1974, when Israel was still a very young country. The filmmakers arrived with powerful images of the country in mind: a miracle that had emerged from the ruins of the Holocaust, a unique Zionist project, and a society attempting to create a new model of life.

The kibbutz particularly captured their imagination. They saw it as a kind of democratic and socialist bubble—an expression of the new Israeli vision. But their encounter with reality proved more complicated.

Again and again, the films document the gap between the expectations the filmmakers brought with them and what they actually encountered: contradictions, tensions, social and economic disparities, and a reality that did not always correspond to the idealized picture they had imagined.

Precisely because they came from outside, these filmmakers were often able to notice developments that local society—and Israeli cinema at the time—still struggled to see.

Susan Sontag: Seeing the Trauma

From Promised Lands, 1974. (Credit: Cineteca Nazionale)

One striking example is Promised Lands (1974), by Susan Sontag, the prominent American intellectual and cultural figure.

Sontag arrived in Israel immediately after the Yom Kippur War. Rather than documenting the war itself, she became interested in its effects on Israeli society.

One of the film’s most difficult moments takes place at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where she documents an experimental treatment being given to a soldier suffering from combat trauma. Sontag remains in the room and observes the treatment, which includes a chilling audio reconstruction of the battle played beside the soldier’s bed.

For Landesman, the scene demonstrates the power of an outsider’s perspective: Sontag did not simply document a wounded soldier. Through the experimental treatment of his trauma, she identified something broader—an allegory for a country itself experiencing paranoia, panic, and trauma.

“Not Time Capsules”: Why Do These Films Still Speak to Us Today?

From Description of a Struggle, 1960. (Credit: Cineteca Nazionale)

These films are not “time capsules” that tell us only about the Israel of the 1960s and 1970s. Precisely because they do not offer unequivocal answers, they allow us to reconsider questions that still occupy us today: What does Israel look like from the outside, and how does that differ from the way we see it from within? What are we unable to see that an outsider’s perspective makes visible?

According to Landesman, part of the films’ relevance lies in the fact that some of them still sound prophetic today. At the end of Chris Marker’s 1960 film, for example, the camera focuses on a 12-year-old girl—the same age as the State of Israel that year—as she paints on a canvas. The narration turns to the dangers facing the young country and emphasizes:

“Justice on the soil of Israel will be worse than injustice anywhere else.”

It is a chilling and prophetic moment, and like other moments in the films discussed in the book, it invites viewers to look at Israel through different eyes—and perhaps to look at themselves again as well.

Landesman argues that these films deserve to be revisited in 2026 and remain highly relevant to our present. In the 1960s and 1970s, Israel enjoyed broader international “credit” than it does today, at a time when Israel is perceived as an “outcast” and feels like a “pariah” in the world.

While today’s discourse tends to be dogmatic and polarized, the films Landesman studied offer a more complex perspective. Their creators display considerable intellectual curiosity toward Israel and underscore the need to see the country beyond a one-dimensional political “casting.”

Ultimately, the films made by these “brief visitors” do not provide clear answers about Israel. Instead, they do something else: they formulate questions and bring back a perspective that still allows us to ask those questions anew.

Five Researchers, Five Questions, Five ERC Starting Grants

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University leads Israeli universities in 2026 ERC Starting Grants, with five researchers receiving funding to explore questions ranging from quantum materials and a heart-on-a-chip to the limits of computation and AI

Tel Aviv University leads Israeli universities this year in the number of ERC Starting Grants awarded, with five researchers receiving the prestigious grants from the European Research Council (ERC).

The grants are awarded to researchers at the beginning of their independent academic careers, enabling them to establish research groups and pursue ambitious ideas over several years.

But what exactly are they trying to discover?

The Big Question
Can we create a quantum material that has never existed before?

Dr. Ran Finkelstein is developing a new quantum processor based on atoms that can be controlled and measured with high precision.

Using this system, he aims to create and study new states of quantum matter that could advance our understanding of the quantum world and contribute to the development of future quantum technologies.

 
The Big Question
Can we build a “heart-on-a-chip”?
 

Dr. Fleischer develops miniature models that mimic the activity of human organs in the laboratory.

In her new research, she will create a model of a human heart with a “biological clock” to understand how day-night cycles affect heart function and the development of disease—knowledge that could ultimately help develop more personalized treatments.

 
The Big Question
How does the brain create emotions like fear, desire, and motivation?

Dr. Vinograd studies how the activity of nerve cells creates and regulates our emotional states.

Using advanced brain research technologies and computational models, he aims to understand what causes an emotion to arise, what determines its intensity, and how it influences our behavior.

 
The Big Question
Where is the boundary between a problem that can be solved and one that cannot?

Dr. Chapman studies questions at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and quantum physics.

In his new research, he uses ideas from quantum information to solve open mathematical problems and investigate the limits of what can be computed and proven.

 
The Big Question
How much faster can we make the solution to a difficult problem?
 
 

Dr. Zamir studies the limits of computational capability—in other words, how much time a computer actually needs to solve complex problems.

His research could help us better understand how to improve algorithms and may also contribute to fields such as cryptography and the safety of artificial intelligence systems.

A New Home for Jewish Heritage

Written by Raphael on . Posted in Newsroom, Student News.

Eva Selwyn’s latest gift to Tel Aviv University will transform a prominent campus building into a world-class centre for Jewish learning, scholarship and research – and help preserve Jewish heritage for generations to come.

A significant new chapter in the preservation of Jewish heritage at Tel Aviv University will begin with the transformation of a prominent campus building into a world-class centre for Jewish learning, scholarship and research, made possible through a generous gift from Australian philanthropist and Tel Aviv University Governor Eva (Evi) Selwyn.

The Eva Selwyn Building for Jewish Heritage, a 4,500-square-metre facility located in the heart of the campus near ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, will become a vibrant home for the study, preservation and celebration of Jewish heritage, culture and identity.

Originally constructed in 1980, the building will undergo a comprehensive renovation to create a contemporary centre for teaching, research and community engagement. Its ageing lecture halls and classrooms will be remodelled and equipped with modern audiovisual facilities, while lighting, electrical systems, air conditioning and interiors will be upgraded. The result will be an environment better suited to the needs of today’s students and researchers, with spaces in which teaching, collaboration and intellectual exchange can flourish.

The project extends well beyond the physical redevelopment. It also includes an endowment and scholarships within the Faculty of Humanities, helping to sustain the academic work undertaken in the building and ensuring that its impact is both immediate and enduring. By supporting students as well as scholarship, the project will benefit generations of students and scholars.

Recognised internationally for excellence in Jewish Studies, Tel Aviv University is home to one of the world’s leading centres for the exploration of Jewish history, civilisation and thought. The renewed building will bring together scholars and students across disciplines including Jewish history, Bible, Hebrew and Semitic languages, Talmud and rabbinic literature, Jewish philosophy, Israel Studies, Zionism and biblical archaeology.

Around 55 scholars teach and conduct research across these fields. Their work enables students to understand the richness and complexity of Jewish civilisation and the culture of the Land of Israel, while approaching the Jewish past with academic rigour and bringing new perspectives to the way it is understood.

This scholarship is not confined to the past. The University’s programs also examine issues of profound contemporary importance, including Jewish identity and peoplehood, Israel-Diaspora relations, antisemitism, racism and the relationship between tradition and modernity. These are questions with direct relevance to Jewish communities navigating rapid social change and increasing pressure around the world.

Through its close partnership with ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, the University continues to strengthen Jewish identity and foster connections with Jewish communities throughout the world. The renewed building will support that shared purpose, creating a setting in which heritage is not only preserved, but continually examined, interpreted and renewed.

For Eva, the project represents the continuation of her family’s enduring relationship with Tel Aviv University, spanning more than five decades, and reflects a lifelong commitment to education, philanthropy and the future of the Jewish people.

Her late parents, Alan and Ada Selwyn, were devoted supporters of the University. Alan Selwyn, who also served as a Governor of Tel Aviv University, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contribution. He was one of the most active and dedicated members of the University’s Board of Governors and Australian Friends, a tireless fundraiser for important projects, and a strong supporter of educational, cultural, medical and welfare initiatives in Israel.

Alan’s commitment to Israel extended across more than 50 years. It began with his involvement in establishing a textile mill in Ashdod and included his role as a founder of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Together, he and Ada gave generously to medical research and student scholarships at Tel Aviv University, establishing a family tradition of service and philanthropy that Eva has carried forward.

Their legacy continues through the Alan and Ada Selwyn Chair in Clinical Infertility Research and Molecular Medicine, now held by Professor Ariel Hourvitz. The Chair created an enduring connection between the Selwyn family and research directed towards improving human health.

Eva has developed a substantial philanthropic legacy of her own. Her support for Tel Aviv University has included the Selwyn-Cameron Laboratory for Neuro-Engineering, pioneering artificial retina research, student scholarships, post-October 7 recovery initiatives and an auditorium within the University’s Azrieli School of Architecture.

Although these initiatives span very different fields, they share a consistent purpose: expanding knowledge, creating opportunity and translating research into practical human benefit. The Eva Selwyn Building for Jewish Heritage adds another dimension to that legacy by investing in both the physical home of Jewish Studies and the scholarship that will take place within it.

Eva says:

“This building represents far more than the transformation of a physical space. It is a commitment to preserving our Jewish heritage.

At a time when antisemitism is increasing around the world and the Jewish people face unprecedented challenges, investing in Jewish education and heritage has never been more important.

I am grateful to my dear friend Rosie Potaznik, Ambassador and Governor of Tel Aviv University, whose encouragement and longstanding commitment to the University played an important role in bringing this project to fruition.

It is a privilege to dedicate this building and continue those values of giving back instilled by my parents. My hope is that it will stand as a lasting legacy, inspiring generations of students and scholars with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to carry that heritage forward with pride and dignity, whilst strengthening Jewish identity and continuity worldwide.”

President of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Ariel Porat, says:

“Tel Aviv University is deeply grateful for Eva Selwyn’s generous gift to the Faculty of Humanities. This significant donation will enable us to create a world-class home for Jewish learning and scholarship, while strengthening our ability to preserve, explore and pass on the richness of Jewish heritage to future generations.”

The Eva Selwyn Building for Jewish Heritage will stand as a lasting expression of Tel Aviv University’s commitment to academic excellence, Jewish scholarship and cultural continuity. More than a building, it will be a place where history is preserved and where a new generation can explore the Jewish past, engage with the questions shaping Jewish life today and carry that knowledge forward.

Through education, research and the enduring partnership between philanthropy and the University, it will help ensure that the richness of Jewish culture continues to inform, strengthen and inspire Jewish life for generations to come.

The formal groundbreaking for the project will take place in May 2027 during Tel Aviv University’s Board of Governors meeting.

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Can Antibodies Reach Inside Brain Cells?

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A new masking technology could expand the potential of antibody-based therapies for diseases such as Parkinson’s

Over the past few decades, antibody-based therapies have revolutionized modern medicine and are now widely used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and even infectious diseases. Despite their success, however, antibodies have a significant limitation: they struggle to penetrate cells and are therefore largely limited to targeting molecules located on the cell surface or outside the cell. In addition, antibody-based drugs have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier, restricting their use in treating diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Now, researchers at Tel Aviv University, together with colleagues, have developed a new technology that could overcome these barriers, enabling antibodies to reach the most important targets, those located inside the cell itself.

The technology was developed through a collaboration between research groups from Cornell University in the United States, Tel Aviv University, and the Technion. The study was led by Prof. Chris  A. Alabi and Prof. Matthew P. DeLisa from Cornell, collaborating with Prof. Avi Schroder from the Technion and TAU’s Prof. Ben Maoz of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Sagol School of Neuroscience and Prof. Uri Ashery of the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, together with Prof. Christopher Alabi of Cornell. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

A Temporary “Mask” for Antibodies

In the study, the researchers developed an innovative approach based on temporarily “masking” the antibody using a synthetic molecule called SL4. This masking alters the antibody’s chemical properties in a controlled manner, allowing it to be encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), similar to the technology used to develop mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. Once the nanoparticles enter the cell, the antibody is released and regains its original structure and activity.

According to the researchers, this represents a significant breakthrough because approximately 80% of the proteins involved in human disease are located inside cells, making them inaccessible to most antibody-based therapies. The ability to deliver active antibodies into the cell cytoplasm opens new possibilities for treating diseases that have long been considered inaccessible to drug-based interventions.

The study demonstrated that the masking process significantly improves the efficiency with which antibodies can be encapsulated within lipid nanoparticles. Whereas unmodified antibodies were incorporated into the nanoparticles with relatively low efficiency, the masked antibodies achieved substantially higher encapsulation rates while retaining their stability and their ability to recognize the molecular target associated with the disease.

Reaching Targets Inside the Cell

The researchers tested the technology using a series of therapeutic antibodies targeting key biological pathways involved in disease development. The antibodies successfully entered cells and altered important signaling pathways associated with various types of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Following treatment, the activity of these pathways was significantly reduced, indicating that the antibodies had reached their intended targets and remained active inside the cells.

One of the study’s most promising findings emerged from a research model of Parkinson’s disease. The researchers used an antibody targeting alpha-synuclein, a protein whose accumulation in the brain is one of the hallmarks features of the disease. Following delivery of the antibody via the nanoparticles, they observed a significant reduction in the pathological aggregates of the protein in nerve cells, a finding that suggests that the technology could pave the way for new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

Beyond the Brain

The technology was also evaluated in a model of acute inflammatory lung injury. The researchers found that delivering antibodies via the lipid nanoparticles reduced inflammatory markers and improved pathological features of lung tissue. These findings highlight the potential for developing targeted therapies for severe inflammatory conditions.

Prof. Ben Maoz said: “For many years, delivering antibodies into cells has been considered one of the greatest challenges in the field of biologic therapies. We have succeeded in developing a system that enables antibodies to cross the cellular barrier and reach targets that were previously beyond their reach. We believe this is an important step toward expanding the therapeutic toolbox of modern medicine and paving the way for more precise treatments for complex diseases that still lack adequate therapeutic solutions.”

Toward a New Generation of Biologic Therapies

The researchers emphasize that the technology is still at the preclinical stage. Nevertheless, they believe the platform could lay the foundation for a new generation of biologic therapies. If it successfully progresses through development and clinical trials, it could, for the first time, enable the widespread use of antibodies against intracellular targets,  a goal widely regarded in the pharmaceutical industry as the next frontier of personalized medicine.

Engineered Spinal Cord Moves One Step Closer to Human Implantation

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A technology developed at TAU is entering a new stage, as preparations begin to identify patients for a potential first treatment in 2027

A year after we first reported on a technology developed at Tel Aviv University that could one day help people with spinal cord injuries walk again, the research is moving closer to its first potential use in a human patient.

The technology, which emerged from TAU’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Medicine, is being developed by biotech company Matricelf as a biological neural implant for treating spinal cord injuries. The company has now signed a collaboration agreement with Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center of Clalit Health Services to begin preparations for what is intended to become the world’s first implantation of an engineered spinal cord in a person with paralysis following spinal cord injury.

Under the agreement, Loewenstein will soon begin identifying and evaluating patients who may be suitable for the treatment and collecting blood samples needed to produce personalized neural implants. According to Matricelf, this represents a significant step toward bringing the technology into humans and eventually testing whether it can help people with paralysis stand, walk, and regain greater independence.

The scientific breakthrough is based on organ-engineering technology developed at Tel Aviv University by Prof. Tal Dvir of the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, who also serves as Matricelf’s Chief Scientist.

Prof. Tal Dvir in his laboratory at Tel Aviv University

Preparing a Personalized Implant

Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, Israel’s largest rehabilitation center and one of the world’s leading centers for the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries, will be responsible for the clinical aspects of the collaboration. This includes identifying and evaluating potential patients and supporting them throughout the process.

Once a suitable patient is identified and agrees to participate, a blood sample will be collected to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

These cells will form the cellular component of an autologous neural implant—an implant produced individually for each patient from their own cells. According to Matricelf, beginning this process marks an important transition from scientific development toward preparation for clinical implementation and helps build the infrastructure required for the first implantation in a human patient.

Because producing each personalized implant takes several months, collecting blood samples at this early stage will allow production of the implant and the regulatory process to move forward in parallel. Matricelf estimates that, if everything proceeds as planned, the process could be completed and treatment of the selected patient could begin in the first half of 2027.

The agreement with Loewenstein complements Matricelf’s collaboration with Sheba Medical Center, where the first implantation procedure is expected to be performed.

Researcher in the Matricelf laboratory. (Photo: Matricelf)

A Biological “Spare Part” for the Spinal Cord

Matricelf’s technology originated in Prof. Dvir’s laboratory at TAU’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Medicine. The approach uses the patient’s own cells and tissues to produce a personalized neural implant—a kind of biological “spare part” designed to replace damaged tissue—which is then implanted at the site of the spinal cord injury.

By using cells and tissues from the patient’s own body, the researchers aim to reduce the risk of implant rejection and improve its integration into the body.

The ultimate goal is to test whether the engineered implant can help restore function following spinal cord injury, with the hope of enabling people living with paralysis to stand, walk, and regain greater independence.

What Happens Before the First Implantation?

Matricelf has also reached understandings with the Israeli Ministry of Health that will allow some preparations for the first treatment to begin while the regulatory review continues. According to the company, this is expected to streamline preparations for treatment, subject to receiving all required approvals.

Matricelf emphasizes that the collaboration with Loewenstein and the beginning of the patient identification process do not constitute approval to begin the clinical trial or perform implantations in humans.

Treatment can begin only after all scientific and regulatory milestones have been completed and final approval has been received from the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Dr. Dianne Michaeli, Deputy Director of the Orenstein Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Department at Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, says:

“The Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Department at Loewenstein is a leader in this field in Israel, with extensive experience in treating people with complex spinal cord injuries. Our in-depth familiarity with the patients and their rehabilitation processes enables us to contribute to the identification and evaluation of suitable candidates for the study.

The collaboration with Matricelf connects Loewenstein’s clinical and rehabilitation expertise with innovative regenerative medicine technology, in the hope that in the future it will be possible to offer new treatment options to people living with paralysis due to spinal cord injury.”

If the implantation goes ahead, it would mark a major milestone for a technology that began in a Tel Aviv University laboratory and is now moving closer to its first potential application in the human body.

Why Do Men and Women Walk Differently?

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A new TAU study of Neandertal and modern human pelvises suggests that the male pelvis evolved a natural shock-absorbing mechanism that may make long-distance walking more efficient.

A new study at the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology of Tel Aviv University, and published in Scientific Reports, offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development of the modern human pelvis. By comparing Neandertal pelvises with those of modern humans, the researchers reached a surprising conclusion: the unusual structure of the pelvis may not be that of the Neandertal, as has been assumed for decades, but rather that of the modern human male. According to the researchers, the male pelvis evolved into a unique biomechanical shock absorbing mechanism that stores energy and makes long-distance walking more efficient.

Led by Professor Yoel Rak of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University, and conducted in collaboration with researchers from Spain, the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, and Ono Academic College, the study is based on a comparison of two nearly complete male Neandertal pelvises, one from Kebara Cave in Israel  and the other from the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain, with dozens of modern human pelvises. Surprisingly, despite their large size and robust construction, the Neandertal pelvises were found to resemble those of modern human females in most measurements and proportions rather than those of modern human males.

Rethinking the Neandertal Pelvis

For many years, the Neandertal pelvis has been regarded as an anatomically unusual structure requiring a functional explanation of its own. The new findings, however, require a new look at Neandertal pelvises. The ancestral configuration may have been retained in Neandertals and in modern human females, while the modern human male pelvis underwent substantial evolutionary modification, giving rise to a distinctive anatomical configuration.

The central finding of the study is that the hip joints of modern human males are positioned farther forward on the pelvic ring than those of both modern human females and male Neandertals. According to the researchers, this shift created a new mechanical system in which the anterior thigh muscles, attached to the front of the pelvis, function much like a spring, while body weight acts on the posterior part of the pelvis .

The Neanderthal pelvis

A Natural Spring in Every Step

Professor Rak explains that during every step of bipedal walking, the body’s center of mass drops downward. This drop traumatizes  the joints and requires energy to raise the body again in preparation for the next step. According to the new model, the distinctive geometry of the male pelvis enables the thigh muscles to cushion the drop of the body’s center of mass, store potential energy during the step, and then release that energy immediately afterward- effectively “springing” the body upward into the next step.

In this way, the pelvis functions as a natural shock-absorber and energy-return system. It may reduce energy expenditure, improve walking efficiency, and thereby provide a significant advantage during long-distance travel on foot. The change in the position of the hip joints also required additional structural adaptations, including the thickening of the pubic bone and deepening of the anterior portion of the pelvis to withstand the new mechanical loads.

Why Did Male and Female Pelvises Evolve Differently?

Modern human females, by contrast, could not adopt the full suite of these modifications. According to the researchers, the constraints imposed by childbirth require a relatively shallow pelvis and a sufficiently wide birth canal. As a result, the female pelvis remains closer to the ancestral configuration—the same general configuration found in male Neandertals.

Professor Ella Been of Ono Academic College, a co-author of the study, adds: “This study demonstrates that questions about human evolution are not confined to the distant past. Understanding the evolution of our walking mechanism can contribute to contemporary research in biomechanics, musculoskeletal medicine, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. The perspective provided by the Neandertals helps us better understand the modern human body.”

 

A reconstruction of the skeleton

The Evolutionary Innovation May Be Us

Professor Rak emphasizes that the findings of the study change the way we understand the evolution of the human pelvis. It is not the Neandertal pelvis that is the anomaly requiring explanation. Rather, it is the pelvis of the modern human male. The mechanism that evolved within the human male represents the evolutionary innovation.

The researchers note that the study presents a new biomechanical model that may explain a substantial part of the human pelvis’s sexual dimorphism, the anatomical differences between females and males. The research also demonstrates that even in human macroscopic anatomy, a field that might appear to have been thoroughly explored, there is still potential to uncover previously unrecognized structures, geometries, and mechanisms of biological significance.

 

The Classics Are Not Finished With Us

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

At Tel Aviv University, three actors dismantle one of theatre’s best-known tragedies and reconstruct it as a new encounter with Sophocles’ classic.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has turned one of the oldest works of Western literature into a global box-office phenomenon. Its scale, technological ambition and immersive spectacle offer one model for bringing an ancient story into the present.

At Tel Aviv University, another Greek classic is being reinvented through almost the reverse process: not expansion, but compression.

The TAU Theatre’s new production of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, adapted and directed by Ariel N. Wolf, places the entire tragedy in the hands of three graduates of the acting track: Rea Deshe, Hagar Zander and Amit Lasri. Using Aharon Shabtai’s Hebrew translation, they move rapidly between the play’s characters, its narrators and their own presence as performers.

Reconstructing a Familiar Tragedy

Because Oedipus the King is already so familiar, the production does not depend on suspense. Instead, it asks how a story told for more than two thousand years can come alive again. “In our Oedipus the King, we are not looking for the grand, heroic characters, quite the opposite: we are looking for the small, ordinary people,” says Hagar Zander. 

The three performers share the entire text, constantly “jumping” from one character to another, while also wearing the narrator’s hat. Roles are assumed, interrupted and passed between them, allowing the audience to watch both the drama and the process through which it is created. The performers must therefore work as what Rea Desheh calls a “three-headed monster”: three individuals functioning as extensions of one another, sharing text and movement while shifting between tragedy, irony and grotesque humour.

The production presents the 2000-year-old play in a new light. (Photo: Simcha Barabiro)

“All of this serves the director’s [Ariel Wolf’s] interpretation, according to which Oedipus was not the victim—the people are. Oedipus does not want to see or investigate the truth, and the people pay the price,” Hagar explains.

By placing its theatrical machinery in full view, the production dismantles the classic only to rebuild it. One actor can contain several characters; narration can become dialogue or commentary; three bodies and voices can evoke a much larger world. Where Nolan’s The Odyssey magnifies an ancient epic, Tel Aviv University’s Oedipus the King compresses Sophocles to the essentials of performance and storytelling, forcing the audience to discover the work anew.

A Laboratory for Classical Works

Oedipus the King is the inaugural production of “The Lab,” a new framework within the TAU Theatre that brings together graduates of the Department of Theatre Arts, current students, faculty members and theatre professionals.

TAU Theatre Director Alon Tiran describes The Lab as “a platform for professional, contemporary and innovative creation,” based on the active participation of the department’s graduates alongside its academic and professional staff and students.

Its purpose is to create a space in which academic study and professional theatre-making can develop together. As Prof. Yair Lipshitz. Head of the Department of Theater Arts,  and Yonathan Beck, the Theater’s Director of Education & Dramaturgy Department, write in the production’s program, the project seeks to “connect theoretical research with artistic practice, ancient classics with contemporary theatrical interpretation, and academia with schools and the education system.”

“The Lab” therefore treats the university not only as a place in which theatre is studied, but also as a place in which it can be tested through rehearsal and performance. Oedipus the King is The Lab’s inaugural production, and it is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Nurit Yaari, the former head of the Department of Theatre Arts and a leading scholar of classical Greek drama, whose work emphasized the connection between research and theatre as a living art.

Oedipus the King upcoming performances at TAU Theater are August 17&18 (in Hebrew). For tickets, please press here. 

 

Tel Aviv University Ranks 3rd Worldwide for Producing Unicorn Founders

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

12 TAU research master’s graduates are among the founders of U.S.-based Deep Tech unicorn companies

Twelve research master’s graduates from Tel Aviv University are among the founders of U.S.-based Deep Tech unicorn companies — an achievement that places TAU 3rd worldwide among universities outside the U.S., following Cambridge and Oxford.

Tel Aviv University in numbers: 12 research master’s graduates of Tel Aviv University are among the founders of Deep Tech unicorn companies. Tel Aviv University ranks third in the world among universities outside the United States. The study identified 347 research master’s graduates and 270 unicorn companies founded by them.

12
Unicorn Founders
Tel Aviv University Graduates
3
Tel Aviv University’s
World Ranking Outside the U.S.
347
Research Master’s Graduates
Identified in the Study
270
Unicorn Companies
Founded by Them

Tel Aviv University by the numbers: 12 research master’s graduates from TAU are among the founders of Deep Tech unicorn companies. The University ranks 3rd worldwide among universities outside the U.S. The research identified 347 research master’s graduates and 270 unicorn companies founded by them.

What Makes a Company a “Unicorn”?

A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at more than $1 billion. The term was coined to reflect just how rare such companies were considered to be — much like the mythical creature.

The data, published by Prof. Ilya Strebulaev of Stanford University, place Tel Aviv University 1st in Israel and 3rd worldwide among universities outside the U.S. for the number of research master’s graduates — excluding MBA graduates — who are among the founders of Deep Tech unicorn companies.

Ranking of universities by the number of research master’s graduates who are founders of unicorn companies: University of Cambridge ranks first with 19 founders, University of Oxford ranks second with 16, Tel Aviv University ranks third with 12, Hebrew University of Jerusalem ranks fourth with 8, Technion ranks fifth with 7, and Bar-Ilan University ranks sixth with 4.

 
University Unicorn Founders
University of Cambridge
 

19
University of Oxford
 

16
Tel Aviv University
 

12
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 

8
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
 

7
Bar-Ilan University
 

4

University ranking by number of unicorn founders. Tel Aviv University ranks third in the world outside the United States, with 12 founders.

The connection between research, technology, and entrepreneurship is also reflected in the numbers: 12 research master’s graduates from Tel Aviv University are among the founders of Deep Tech unicorn companies.

Among them is TAU alumnus Yuval Tal, founder of Payoneer, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering.

Which Universities Lead in Unicorn Founders?

Among universities outside the U.S., the University of Cambridge ranks first with 19 unicorn founders, followed by the University of Oxford with 16. Tel Aviv University ranks third with 12, followed by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with eight, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology with seven, and Bar-Ilan University with four.

Prof. Moshe Zviran, Head of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tel Aviv University, says:

“The research findings place Tel Aviv University among a select group of leading academic institutions worldwide and demonstrate the international impact of the University’s graduates. Alongside excellence in research and teaching, the University works to foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, providing students and researchers with the tools to turn knowledge and ideas into real-world impact.”

Prof. Noam Eliaz, Dean of Tel Aviv University’s Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, adds:

“I am proud to lead a faculty whose graduates do not simply join the forefront of global innovation — they create it. This ranking demonstrates the unique connection between research excellence, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to turn deep knowledge into technologies.”

 

Simple Blood Test on a Chip Could Help Diagnose Lung Cancer

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A new TAU technology identifies lung cancer’s biological fingerprint with more than 90% accuracy, without DNA sequencing, and could also help monitor patients’ response to treatment.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a new method for diagnosing lung cancer: a simple, fast, low-cost blood test that does not require DNA sequencing. The method identifies a chemical fingerprint of cancer cells in the blood, by analyzing cell-free DNA originating from those cells. In the study, the test distinguished between lung cancer patients and healthy individuals with a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 90.3% for patients with stage 2-4 disease.

The study was led by Prof. Yuval Ebenstein of the School of Chemistry at the Faculty of Exact Sciences, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Zimin Institute at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with researchers from JaxBio Technologies, Bnai Zion Medical Center, and Sheba Medical Center. The paper was published in the journal Nature Precision Oncology.

A Different Approach to Lung Cancer Detection

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. At present, early diagnosis relies primarily on CT scans, but these tests generate a high rate of suspicious findings that ultimately prove to be benign, sometimes leading to unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. At the same time, existing liquid biopsies are generally based on DNA sequencing, a costly and complex process requiring advanced computational infrastructures.

The new method bypasses the need for DNA sequencing. After extracting cell-free DNA from a blood sample, the researchers label it with a light-emitting marker and bind it to a DNA chip they have developed. The chip is then scanned with an optical scanner, and the resulting light patterns are analyzed, enabling rapid identification of the biological fingerprint of lung cancer.

More Than 90% Diagnostic Accuracy

The study included 103 participants: 51 lung cancer patients and 52 healthy control subjects. Following a model-training phase, the researchers developed a signature of 170 genomic regions, and tested it on a separate validation cohort using blinded analysis, achieving high diagnostic accuracy. In addition, they were able to distinguish between the two main subtypes of lung cancer – adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – based on distinct DNA signatures.

Could the Same Test Help Monitor Treatment?

Beyond diagnosis, the researchers also examined the novel test’s potential for monitoring patients’ response to treatment. Among the patients evaluated, changes in the DNA’s chemical fingerprint corresponded to imaging findings: in patients who responded to treatment, the chemical fingerprint shifted toward the profile of healthy individuals, whereas no significant change was observed in patients who did not respond to treatment. The researchers emphasize that this is only a preliminary finding and that large-scale studies are needed to confirm the method’s monitoring capabilities.

According to the researchers, the technology’s main advantage lies in combining simplicity, low cost, and speed. At present, the test can be completed within two to three days at a cost of approximately $60 per sample. They hope that in the future it will serve to complement imaging tests, assist in the early diagnosis of lung cancer, and enable more effective monitoring of treatment effectiveness.

Prof. Ebenstein concludes: “Our goal is to make blood tests for cancer diagnosis more accessible, simpler, and less expensive without compromising accuracy. We have developed a new approach that does not require genetic sequencing but instead identifies the tumor’s chemical ‘fingerprint’ with light, using a technology that can be implemented in standard clinical laboratories. This is a significant step toward developing a tool that can complement imaging tests and help physicians diagnose lung cancer and monitor treatment effectiveness.”

Watch to learn more:

 

 

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