Very Good News Israel

·        Israeli researchers can turn adult cells into stem cells in 8 days.

·        Haifa scientists have developed a handwriting test to detect early-stage Parkinson’s.

·        Brazilian farmers use Israeli technology to “grow” fuel.

·        An Israeli app shows which financial analysts make the best predictions.

·        An Israeli infrared light device can recharge mobile devices wirelessly.

·        The World Bank has invested in its second Israeli company in a fortnight.

·        Two derelict Ottoman palaces in Acre have been restored.

·        Thousands of non-Jews come to Israel to celebrate the most inclusive of Jewish festivals.

·        Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary

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Speeding up stem cell production.  (Thanks to Israel21c) Weizmann scientists have discovered removing the protein MBD3 from cells reprograms them into stem cells within 8 days instead of the current 4 weeks.  Stem cells have the potential to become any cell in the body and are able to regenerate damaged tissue and organs.

See Israel’s stem cell experts.  Speakers at Jerusalem’s 5^th International Stem Cell conference in October include 22 Israeli professors and six Israeli specialist doctors.  Oh yes, and there will also be eight international professors speaking.

Another Israeli non-invasive glucose monitor.  In June I highlighted Integrity Application’s GlucoTrack that takes readings from your earlobe.  Now I’ve come across Cnoga’s TensorTip Combo Glucometer which measures the effect of infrared light passing through a finger.  Diabetics now have a choice of Israeli devices.

Israel’s Teva teams up with UK Cancer Research.  Cancer Research UK’s technology development arm, and Teva Pharmaceuticals have signed a multi-project alliance agreement to research and develop first-in-class cancer drugs that modulate DNA damage and repair response (DDR) processes in cancer cells. The US FDA also approved two of Teva’s cancer medications – for secondary cancers and for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Brainsway treatment improves OCD patients.  Trials of Deep TMS treatment by Israel’s Brainsway at Sheba Medical Center have shown a 27 percent improvement in patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  These were OCD patients that had previously failed to respond to both pharmacological and psychological therapy.

Handwriting test detects early stage Parkinson’s.  A non-invasive handwriting analysis technique developed at the University of Haifa and Rambam Medical Center can detect the onset of Parkinson’s disease.  Changes in handwriting occur years before a clinical diagnosis can be made. – Much safer than current tests.

Injured Syrian brought to Nahariya hospital for treatment.  The wounded man was in moderate to critical condition and was receiving treatment at the Naharyia Medical Center. The Nahariya Hospital has treated 87 Syrians since the beginning of the internal Syria conflict.

Charity brings Israeli technology to Kenyan farming (Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli brothers Gilad and Yonatan Shilo founded Israel for Africa (IFA) to promote better sustainable agriculture in Kenya.  IFA uses the knowledge and technological advances achieved in Israel to empower the people of Kenya.

Training US police bomb squad.  (Thanks to Eli) A special team of bomb squad members from the Southwest Border was recently in Israel. They worked alongside their counterparts from the Israeli Police in an effort to improve the techniques and tactics that they use along the US-Mexico border.

Fuel from castor bean seeds.  Israel’s Evogene has successfully completed three years of field trials in Brazil to develop castor beans into bio-diesel and other industrial uses.  The crop is sown after the soybean harvest, when rainfall is insufficient for other crops.  It provides farmers with a high value crop and vital extra revenue.

Tal-Ya trays go into production.  Tal-Ya’s product is a unique tray that surrounds the base of a tree, vine or other crop. It saves farmers over 50% in water and 30% fertilizer resources, while preventing weed-growth.  The tray also achieves a dramatic increase in crop yield.  The company is now selling trays internationally.

Learning to dare.  A case study that highlights how the IDF implants technical skills in young recruits that equip them later to build hi-tech companies.

Israelis touch the stars.  (Thanks to Israel21c) Space exploration was the theme for this year’s “Night of the Scientists when research institutions and science museums around Israel opened to the public.  2013 is the tenth anniversary of the flight of the first Israeli astronaut – Ilan Ramon.

Greek student at Hebrew U wins top dental prize.  Georgia Kotantoula, a Greek biomedical masters’ student at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, won first prize in a European Association of Orthodontists’ competition.  Georgia’s dental bacteria remedy has been patented by the university and will commence trials shortly.

Should you trust the tipsters?  Tel Aviv-based TipRanks, a financial start-up that aggregates and ranks stock recommendations, was one of the “Best of Show” winners at this year’s Finovate competition in New York.  TipRanks measures how well financial analysts’ stock tips have performed historically.

You’re never lost with Israeli indoor GPS.  There are now at least four Israeli start-ups offering customers free applications to help them find their way around giant shopping malls.  I reported WiseSec’s Wiseby in March.  Now Mally from GeniusMatcher has hit Spain and NavIn and IndoorGo are beginning to move in.

Information at your fingertips.  (Thanks to Israel21c)  The plug-in from Israeli start-up Curiyo will display a subtle link to instantly available details about interesting subjects in any web page you visit.

And typing now fits your fingers.  (Thanks to Arlene) Israel’s “invisible touchscreen” maker SnapKeys has updated its SI Revolution keyboard app to allow you to position the keys anywhere on the screen.  Say goodbye to the QUERTY keyboard.  One-finger typing just got even easier.

Re-charge your battery through the air.  Israel’s Wi-Charge will recharge mobile devices via a power “transmitter” suspended from a high point in the room. The transmitter, connected to an existing electrical outlet, generates a narrow beam of infrared light to a light receiver installed on your mobile device.

Samsung TVs are getting cleverer – with Israeli technology.  (Thanks to Mike G) The world’s top “smart TV” manufacturer has bought Israel’s Boxee (in July).  The Israeli technology will help Samsung integrate cable / satellite / terrestrial TV with Internet streaming services and record / playback capability.

F5 buys out Israeli security company.  US giant F5 Networks has made its 4th Israeli acquisition with the purchase of Versafe.  Versafe is a provider of web anti-fraud, anti-phishing, and anti-malware solutions.

World Bank invests in another Israeli company.  The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $5 million in Tel Aviv-based DiViNetworks, a supplier of cloud-based broadband solutions to the world’s least developed countries.  Two weeks ago, the World Bank invested in Israeli seed company Kaiima.

Israel shines at IBC 2013.  Almost 53,000 visitors attended IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) 2013 in Amsterdam and the Israeli pavilion was a constant hub of activity.  Over 140 countries were represented and more than 100 meetings took place between Israeli exhibitors and UK representatives alone.

Israel has changed since 1987.  Monty Munford was a scruffy, money-less itinerant when he attempted unsuccessfully to enter Israel in 1987.  He has since smartened himself up and held no grudges when visiting last month.  Instead, he was very impressed with how smart Israel has become with all its successful start-ups.

Israeli start-ups in San Francisco.  Four start-ups in the Israeli pavilion at TechCrunch Disrupt SF include EventWith, Numbeez, Peer2 and Navin (mentioned above).  Watch the video to see what they have to offer.

Botticelli arrives safely.  The 15th-century fresco “The Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala” is now on display in Jerusalem.  Regarding earlier rumors that the 130 kg Italian masterpiece might be withdrawn from exhibition, Israel Museum director James Snyder said to the media, “don’t always believe what you read”.

Ruined Ottoman palaces restored.   Two conjoined abandoned Ottoman palaces in Acre have been reconstructed and converted into a beautiful boutique hotel.  The Efendi Hotel even has a Turkish bathhouse.

Zubin Mehta receives honorary Technion doctorate.  Maestro conductor Dr Zubin Mehta received the honor for his “contribution to the betterment of Israel and the entire world with the magic of music”.  Israel’s Nobel Prize laureate Dan Shechtman conducted the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra as Dr Mehta was escorted in.

The largest sukkah decoration.  Youth groups from Haifa hope to qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records with the world’s longest paper chain – 88 km, consisting of pieces of recycled paper folded and stapled together. Decorated paper chains are a popular feature of the booths built for the Jewish festival of Sukkot.

Things to do during Sukkot.  Activities for the family include illusion at the Israel Museum, the Holon theatre music fest, kids operas in Tel Aviv, Gilboa’s Hot-Air Balloon festival and Bible reenactments in Samaria.

Discover “Jewish” art.  Five Jerusalem venues will host the inaugural Jerusalem Biennale, a six-week contemporary art festival that seeks to combine the best in Jewish and contemporary art.  More than 50 artists share a single goal: To show that Jewish art reaches far beyond Kiddush cups and menorahs.

Time favors Israel.  Efraim Inbar, Professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University, writes about security, economy, society, democracy and international relations and concludes, “At age sixty-five, Israel is a great success story, and if it can continue to inculcate the Zionist ethos into new generations, its future looks bright.”

Eilat’s corals have external protection.  (Thanks to Israel21c and Hebrew U) The world is losing its coral reefs due to vital algae being expelled when water temperatures rise.  However a “warm-water barrier” at the southern Red Sea, allows in only heat-tolerant genotypes of corals to the Gulf of Eilat.

Thousands of Christians visit Israel for Tabernacles.  Over 5,000 Christian pilgrims from around 100 nations will take part in the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem’s (ICEJ) annual Feast of Tabernacles this week.  The festival is the largest annual tourist event in Israel.

The Jewish festival for everyone.  Sukkot / Tabernacles is the most inclusive of Jewish festivals.  The Sukkah (booth) itself can be of infinite width, in order to accommodate as many people who wish to celebrate.  And in Israel, the last time we saw more representations from nations of the world, was in King Solomon’s time.