Dr. Michael Lazar (right) and Naama Sarid install a sonar device in the Kinneret. Credit: Luca Gaspirini 

University of Haifa geologists prepared the first-ever geological map of young faults (fractures) in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), marking the locations prone to earthquakes. “Until now researchers believed that most of the tectonic activity takes place in the eastern part of the Sea of Galilee,” explains Dr. Michael Lazar. "Now we know that the fault splits and passes in the middle of the lake.” Twelve newly installed seismic monitoring stations around the lake will register all minor earthquakes occurring during the year and analyze the geochemical composition of the springs around the lake. The study, led by Dr. Lazar of the Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Italy, Switzerland and Norway. The findings were recently published in Scientific Reports. READ MORE

(l-r) Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley and Dr. Tali Mass. Credit: Hagai Nativ

The NSF-BSF Joint Funding Research Program recently awarded a grant totaling $820,000 for coral reef research led by Dr. Tali Mass of the Department of Marine Biology and Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringely, Research Director of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute. The study aims to better understand coral reef resilience and adaptation to extreme environments. “Using advanced molecular and imaging techniques, we will examine the mechanisms that enable corals to thrive across broad depth gradients,” explains Dr. Mass. “As a US-Israel binational project, we will promote diversity and create new international collaborations through student participation, training workshops and academic exchanges.” READ MORE

Most animal species lost their ability to synthesize cholesterol over the course of evolution, according to a recent study led by Dr. Amir Sapir and Prof. Yoram Gerchaman of the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology. The research identified a unique genetic signature in animals that do not synthesize cholesterol – such as the fruit fly and the soil worm – and applied it to study the evolution of cholesterol synthesis across the animal kingdom. “The implications of our findings are widespread and self-evident in our daily life, for example, the molting of a butterfly, the stinging of a jellyfish, diversity of coral reefs, and the honey of the bees all rely on the conversion of plant and fungal sterols to cholesterol using the pathway we identified,” explains Dr. Sapir. The research was recently published in Current Biology. READ MORE

Scientists from the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station recently documented the first incident of fatal Streptococcosis in sandbar sharks following an autopsy on a female shark whose carcass was found on Israeli shores. “As this type of bacterium can be transmitted from fish to humans, we believe that fishermen and researchers working with sharks should be aware of the transmission potential of the disease,” explained Dr. Danny Morick of the Department of Marine Biology The findings were recently published in Animals and featured in Forbes magazine. READ FULL ARTICLE

Dror Angel extracts a sample from a jellyfish’s stomach. Credit: Yehudit Ilani

Dr. Tamar Lotan, Prof. Dror Angel and Dr. Dor Edelist of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences and the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, educate the public about the potential benefits of jellyfish: "Their mucus can trap microplastic particles to clean up the oceans, and their body contains collagen that cosmetics companies are already applying in anti-aging products." READ MORE

Nineteenth century representation of the Battle of Arsuf by Éloi Firmin Féron (1802-1876). Credit: Wikipedia

A cutting-edge study led by Dr. Rafael Lewis of the Zinman Institute, combined evidence from medieval sources with a meticulous reconstruction of both local landscape and environmental conditions to zero in on the location of a famous 12th century Crusader battle in the Holy Land. Artifacts found at the site date to the Crusader period, and include arrowheads and pieces of armor at the ancient battlefield in Apollonia–Arsuf where the Crusaders, led by Richard the Lionheart, defeated the Muslim army of Saladin.The findings appear in the latest issue of Tel Aviv University Sonia and the Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology’s Monographic Series. READ MORE

Credit: Wikipedia

As Lebanon grapples with the aftermath of the recent devastating port blast, Middle East experts are weighing in on the political consequences and potential military fallout of the disaster. Col. (res.) Anan Wahabi of the School of Political Science and former chief instructor at Israel’s National Defense College, calls the explosion a potential “game-changer” and strategic turning point. While Lebanese citizens unite in grief and heroic rescue efforts, the fury and revulsion they feel toward the country’s leadership is unmistakable. Wahabi points to a possible scenario that officials in Israel would be delighted to see--the gradual reigning in of Iranian involvement in the country and “a possible demand by the Lebanese public of Hezbollah to give up its military arm.” READ MORE

*Prof. Rear Admiral (ret.) Shaul Chorev, Head of The Ezri Center for Iran & Persian Gulf Studies and The Maritime Policy and Strategy Research Center (HMS) was interviewed by a number of Israeli media outlets. "Israel would be wise to learn some important lessons from the Beirut tragedy. The Israeli government needs to consider moving hazardous infrastructures to artificial islands offshore," said Prof. Chorev. Hebrew article HERE 

(l-r) Prof. Yuval Shaked, Head of the School of the Arts, Mrs. Irit Altshuler Zamani, and Prof. Taiseer Elias, Head of the Department of Music.

A new exhibit of rare and ancient musical instruments from the collection of the late Amiram Zamani is now on display at the Dr. Reuven Hecht Arts Center. Irit Altshuler Zamani donated the collection to the Department of Music in memory of her late husband. Zamani's collection offers a wide selection of flutes, mandolins, guitars as well as lesser known instruments - like koto, biwa, bodhrán and sitar - from all over the world.

In the latest webinar series hosted by The Charney Forum for New Diplomacy, Chairman of the Charney Forum Ambassador Ido Aharoni spoke with Dr. Chuck Freilich, Former Deputy National Security Advisor in Israel, about major security threats facing Israel and its citizens. The fascinating discussion covered extending Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, military strategy, Iran, and the US-Israel relationship. Dr. Freilich is an award-winning author, senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center and a recipient of the Chaikin Prize by the Chair in Geostrategy of the University of Haifa. WATCH IT HERE

Professor Emeritus Avi Sagi-Schwartz, founder and director of the International MA in Child Development program reunites with Program alumni, Sahilu Baye, Nana Esi Gaisie and Allan Rousselin, along with special guest Jane West, LPC, ECSE, Founder of The Two Lilies Fund, to discuss the impact of education and child development initiatives in improving the status and wellbeing of children. Since its establishment, the International MA Program in Child Development has received generous support from the Two Lilies Fund. The webinar was coordinated and hosted by the American Society of the University of Haifa. WATCH IT HERE

With virtually all of our daily interactions and information on the Internet, the digital age has left us extremely vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity and digital marketing expert Dr. Yaniv Levyatan, a University of Haifa alum and lecturer, discussed new and evolving Internet dangers to individuals and organizations with Justin Wu from Crosswords Taiwan at a recently held webinar tuned into by audiences in Taiwan and Israel. According to Dr. Levyatan, the individualization of content provide hackers with a means through which to attack trusting and naïve groups including school-aged children and mature audiences, who tend to be more easily manipulated. He also stressed that a silver lining exists if states cooperate on social media regulation for social giants including Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, and educational programs teaching about the dangers of social media are increased. Crossroads Taiwan hosted the event in cooperation with Anemone Ventures and the University of Haifa’s Asia Pacific Desk. WATCH IT HERE 

In a recent webinar hosted by the American Society of the University of Haifa, Dr. Manfred Green, Director of the International Master’s Program in Public Health, discussed the challenges governments continue to face in handling COVID-19 restrictions. According to Dr. Green, as governments begin the reopening process they struggle with quantifying risks of infection and control measures including safety precautions and social distancing. WATCH IT HERE

Dr. Eli Cook, an American historian at the Department of General History recently participated in a University of Chicago’s Promarket webinar tracing the composition, strengths, and weaknesses of different US anti-monopoly pressure groups. WATCH IT HERE

*Dr. Cook’s award-winning book, The Pricing of Progress: Economic Indicators and the Capitalization of American Life, roots the rise of economic indicators in the emergence of modern capitalism and the contested history of English enclosure, Caribbean slavery, American industrialization, economic thought, and corporate power.