On the other hand
As we stand on the cusp of a new year with all its challenges we can take comfort in the knowledge that Israel’s commitment to advancing and improving lives at home and abroad will remain constant…writes Michael Kuttner.
The Jewish commitment to repair humanity is truly alive and well.
BREATHTAKING PROGRESS
A team of researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology has developed a device they say can detect the early onset of Parkinson’s disease by analysing the breath of users.
Because people with Parkinson’s start experiencing symptoms only later in the course of the disease, when a substantial number of neurons have already been damaged, scientists are trying to find ways to identify bio-markers that can lead to an earlier diagnosis and hopefully more tailor-made treatments to help slow down its progression.
The breath analyser developed by the Technion multidisciplinary team, which included electrical and chemical engineers and medical researchers, consists of miniaturised sensors that can help detect the early onset of the disease and help with follow-up treatment.
DROUGHT RESISTANT CROPS
An Israeli company is working to make the world’s most important crops more drought-tolerant by adding specific genes found in the parched regions of Israel.
Israel has plenty of places to look for that, in particular the ever-parched Dead Sea area and the southern Negev and Arava deserts.
The solution to some of the world’s greatest environmental and political threats, it seems, may very well start in a genetic “soup” found at the lowest spot on earth, courtesy of an Israeli startup.
TOP GRADES FOR ECONOMY
Despite challenges not faced by most other countries Israel’s economy shines. Although there are still inequalities to overcome, the latest survey shows stunning achievements.
SAVING BABIES IN MYANMAR
Two top Israeli gynecologists spent two weeks in Myanmar this month helping local doctors in a rural hospital improve their treatments for common, easily-prevented and dangerous medical conditions.
The Israeli team’s mission was not to bring cutting-edge tech to Myanmar’s peripheries, but the sort of simple, widely available and cheap equipment and techniques that can make a huge difference without requiring a steep learning curve for local medical staff or vast costs to deploy in the field.
The Israeli effort to bring Western obstetric know-how to developing areas is part of broader global initiatives to combat high infant mortality rates in the world’s poorer regions.