Category: Science and Health

Israel entered the coronavirus crisis with the highest number of people dying from infectious disease per capita in the developed world – some 73% more than the No. 2 country, Greece, according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report at the time. It also had the highest hospital occupancy rate of any […]

In winter the days get shorter and we have the sudden plunge into early darkness when the clocks change. There are some positives, like saving energy and making it easier for people to get up, but it has a negative effect on the mental state of many people and several studies have found that there’s […]

A 38-year-old woman from Qinzhou in southeastern China died after being infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the first death due to the strain in China since 2015, Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection announced on Wednesday. The woman developed symptoms on September 22 and passed away on October 18. Largest ever bird […]

The Bible offers many details about how Jewish holidays are to be celebrated and, in some cases, explanations for how they came about (the Exodus giving us Passover, the victory of Mordechai and Esther giving us Purim). But there’s one holiday missing entirely from the Hebrew scriptures: The story of Hanukkah is found nowhere in […]

My childhood classrooms were crammed with motivational posters, including a seemingly-ubiquitous image of an oversized lightbulb emblazoned with the words “Knowledge Is Power!” (Electric power specifically, I suppose.) Indeed, many parents and teachers are persuaded that a proper education will propel their children to a life of happiness and material comfort. It’s easy to slip […]

It’s a common practice for hospitals to designate specific times during which visitors are allowed to visit patients under their care. Today we learn that this idea did not originate in the modern era: Rav Sheisha, son of Rav Idi, said: Let one not visit a sick person, neither during the first three hours (of […]

The number of Israelis newly infected with AIDS/HIV in 2021 was 367, according to the Health Ministry, which released its statistics for World AIDS Day on December 1. This is a 0.8% increase in the number compared to 2020. The incidence rate here thus remained stable compared to 2020 and stands at 3.9 cases per […]

The brains of adolescent teenagers have been altered physically as a result of the stress they have felt that’s been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by Stanford University has shown. “We already know from global research that the pandemic has adversely affected mental health in youth, but we didn’t know what, […]

Human mucus covers vast areas inside the body. In the inner lining of our intestines –which are the size of a tennis court in an adult’s gut – a type of mucus keeps unwanted materials out of our internal organs while letting through the nutrients and fluids we require. Another type of this “smart slime” […]

The Bukharian Jewish community, while little known by the world’s broader Jewish population, is certainly no stranger to the kitchen. With historical exposure to multifarious global influences, from Central Asia to Eastern Europe to everything picked up along the Silk Road, Bukharian cuisine reflects profound cultural fusion while maintaining its own unique flare. Here are […]