Science History

Two years after her death, we revisit the Holocaust survivor, Haganah veteran and pioneering sex therapist who used every platform available to insist that sexuality is a natural part of life and nothing to be ashamed of

This month marks 121 years since Albert Einstein published his groundbreaking paper on the photoelectric effect — for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize.

More than a century ago, observations of a solar eclipse confirmed one of the key predictions of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The results helped establish the theory’s credibility and sparked one of the greatest scientific revolutions in history.

Celebrating the television personality who did more than anyone else to shape the modern nature documentary — blending cinematic spectacle with the wonders of the wild and inspiring generations to fall in love with the animal world.

Dr. Lilia Gurevich-Vasilkovsky, a senior researcher at a biotechnology start-up and a mother of two, was murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, cutting short a promising scientific career.

From a tent in a kibbutz to the Israel Prize in Chemistry, the path of Weizmann Institute scientist Reshef Tenne has been shaped by obstacles, as well as by curiosity, creativity, and deep expertise in two-dimensional materials.

Curiosity, creativity, and a deep appreciation for his colleagues and companions along the way have rightfully earned Prof. Benjamin Weiss the Israel Prize. A special interview.

David Baltimore, who discovered that certain viruses produce DNA from RNA – reversing the usual direction of genetic information flow – a finding that reshaped the study of genes and viruses and revolutionized molecular biology, has recently passed away

For thousands of years, humans gazed at the sky without understanding what lay behind the points of light above them. The invention of the telescope opened a window for humanity to distant worlds. But whom do we have to thank for the device that can transform a tiny speck in the night sky into a breathtaking image of Saturn?

Marking 50 years since the Apollo–Soyuz mission — the first space collaboration between the United States and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War

Fritz Strassmann, who took part in one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century, risked his life to save a Jewish woman.

Daniel Kahneman, who passed away a year ago, revolutionized our understanding of economic behavior by demonstrating that our decisions are often guided by intuition and bias rather than pure rationality—a breakthrough that earned him the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Marking 90 years since Fritz Haber’s death, the scientist who helped prevent world hunger with a method for producing synthetic fertilizers but also spearheaded chemical warfare for Germany in World War I.

Marking a year since the passing of physicist Arno Allan Penzias, who fled Nazi Germany as a child and co-discovered cosmic background radiation, a breakthrough that solidified the “Big Bang”.

Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most renowned physicists, revolutionized our understanding of black holes and the universe, all while living with ALS and being confined to a wheelchair.

Marking 63 years since the passing of Otto Loewi, the neuroscientist who, in a dream, found the experimental setup to discover how signals are transmitted between nerve cells.

Marking 90 years since the birth of Carl Sagan, a trailblazer in planetary science and astrobiology, who became an iconic advocate for science in the media and the public sphere through popular books and a successful TV series.

Israel’s first president was not only a statesman but also the chemist who discovered how to harness bacteria to produce acetone. Chaim Weizmann skillfully leveraged his scientific achievements and prestige to advance the founding of the State of Israel.

Marking 135 years since the birth of Edwin Hubble, who revealed that the universe is much larger than the Milky Way, showed that it is steadily expanding, and laid the foundation for the Big Bang theory.

Long before electronic computers came to be, the young mathematician Ada Lovelace was already crafting algorithms for an early calculating machine. Today, her legacy is celebrated through initiatives that promote women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Acclaimed physicist Sergey Gredeskul and his wife Victoria, also a physicist, immigrated to Israel from Ukraine. Sergey was once a leading figure in the theoretical field of disordered systems. Their rich world of knowledge and culture was abruptly cut short when Hamas terrorists brutally murdered them in their home in Ofakim, southern Israel, on the morning of October 7, 2023.

This month marks 110 years since the birth of James Van Allen, the American researcher who discovered the magnetic radiation belts and led numerous pioneering studies in space exploration.

Physicists who set out to debunk the theory of evolution for religious reasons ended up revolutionizing the field of geology.

Élisabeth and Eugène Wollman worked together for many years on groundbreaking research in microbiology, until the Nazis came.