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Diana Bletter

Diana Bletter

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

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As US pares back research funds, Israel Prize winner sees chance to cure brain drain

With opportunities for Israelis in academia overseas drying up, top cancer researcher Yinon Ben Neriah says the government could be working to make...

thursday 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

8 cases of measles diagnosed in Israel in past week, Health Ministry says

Diagnosed patients from Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Emek Hefer and Modiin Illit, six of them are unvaccinated

30.04.2025 9

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Wartime volunteer midwife program, initiated in north, expands across the country

Magen David Adom and Israel Midwives Organization’s joint ‘First Contractions’ project now has 200 volunteers to help expectant mothers who...

27.04.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

At Israeli premiere, ‘Miss Holocaust Survivor’ director struts celebration of life

Holocaust survivors who star in award-winning documentary about controversial pageant attend Haifa screening with Polish-born filmmaker; movie set for...

25.04.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

In shadow of Holocaust and war, Arab doctors find shared humanity in caring for survivors

Volunteering for nonprofit LeMa’anam, Christian Yosif Boulos and Muslim Fadi Badarna provide home visits for elderly who lived through horrors...

24.04.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli team uses tool that finds fake online profiles to detect abnormal protein activity

Ben-Gurion University scientists say their innovative algorithm, WGAND, can identify rogue protein behavior the same way investigators uncover...

22.04.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli scientists develop first-ever blood test for early detection of Parkinson’s

Hebrew University researchers say their innovative test can find tRNA fragments unique to the neurodegenerative disease before patients even have...

15.04.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

How often can you swallow? Israeli-improved test can screen for neurological disorders

Kaplan Medical Center researchers establish a baseline number of swallows for healthy people depending on their age, enabling more effective use of...

11.04.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli researchers develop AI tool to discover how cells react to drug treatment

Tel Aviv University team’s scNET algorithm combines data on cells with protein ‘social network’ to cut ‘high noise’ and shed light on immune...

04.04.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Jewish Princeton student cleared of assault at anti-Israel protest last year

Judge finds US Army veteran David Piegaro showed poor judgment but it did not amount to ‘criminal recklessness’

03.04.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

As north recovers from fighting, farmers bring war-ravaged fields back to life

Growers uprooted by months of rocket attacks and others who dug in despite the danger are salvaging their lands, but some fear a tense truce with...

03.04.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Christians in a northern Galilee village lean into their faith as they fear for the future

In times of peace or war, church bells sound in Fassuta every day, giving some residents a sense of hope while others worry about the next generation...

31.03.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Iran’s president officially rejects Trump demand for direct talks on nuclear program

Masoud Pezeshkian leaves door open for ‘indirect negotiations,’ a method that has so far failed over the past few years to revive curbs on...

30.03.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

In breakthrough, Israeli-led team activates dormant bone marrow cells for transplants

Using mRNA model made famous by COVID vaccine, researchers from Israel, US and Canada find protein to ‘awaken’ adult stem cells in mice; could...

30.03.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

In time for the equinox, Israel’s first solar observatory opens in northern Druze town

Solaris launches in Isfiya as part of a government program to increase space research in the Arab Israeli community

20.03.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

With new Gaza fighting, 4 IDF widows worry the bodies of their fallen husbands won’t return

Women from the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization whose spouses are among the 35 dead hostages in Gaza call for ‘the immediate release of all...

19.03.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli physicist sets national Pi memorization record

Yehuda Ashkelon of Ben-Gurion University recited 25,333 decimal places in Spanish, setting world record in language, new Israeli record and placing...

18.03.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli researchers use gene editing to eliminate 50% of head, neck tumors in mice

Tel Aviv University scientists say that they can inject CRISPR genetic ‘molecular scissors’ to shrink tumors by 90%; researcher...

17.03.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Oft-overlooked Druze see new NIS 3.9 billion plan as step to address old grievances

After a Haifa stabbing attack mislabeled as terrorism sent fear through the close-knit Druze community last week, Sunday’s government package sparks...

11.03.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

After doctors accuse Israel of shooting Gazan kids, experts see need for a second opinion

The evidence behind a New York Times op-ed suggesting troops targeted children is less clear-cut than it seems, and there is reason to question the...

08.03.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Breast milk protein’s superpowers lead to breakthrough for new class of oral drugs

Technion researcher Dr. Assaf Zinger says his team’s work shows that the proteins cover and protect nanoparticles as they pass through intestinal...

05.03.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Bedouin and Jewish residents who evacuated from north return home to mourn and rebuild

With schools now open, the communities of Arab al-Aramshe and neighboring Kibbutz Adamit in the Western Galilee rethink their ‘naivete’ about...

04.03.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

The sky is no limit: Reserve soldier with cerebral palsy summits Mt. Kilimanjaro

Walking with crutches through the ice and snow, Maayan Gabai ascends Africa’s tallest mountain with a group of 30 Israelis, helps raise NIS 1...

28.02.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

As northerners sent home, hard-hit Metula says more time needed to heal war wounds

With main street a construction site, the school in ruins and most residents still reticent to return, Mayor David Azoulay wants the government to...

24.02.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

With his brother still captive, freed hostage Iair Horn sent home from hospital

Five days after he was released from Gaza, family says ‘the journey to recovery for Iair and our family will be long, and will not end until...

20.02.2025 7

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Researcher names potent lifesaving virus after soldier boyfriend killed in Gaza War

As antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose growing health risk, Hebrew University scientists search for ‘good’ viruses and name them after...

19.02.2025 9

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Traumatized and tortured: Freed hostages face arduous road to recovery

While many trauma experts say humans have a remarkable capacity for resilience, studies show that the psychological damage of captivity endures a...

15.02.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Groundbreaking study: People with intellectual disabilities can get smarter as they age

Debunking a myth, Bar-Ilan researcher says adults with Down syndrome and nonspecific intellectual disabilities improve their cognitive functioning...

14.02.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

With physician shortage ‘urgent,’ 2 new medical schools to open in Israel

University of Haifa’s medical school aims to strengthen healthcare in the north; Weizmann Institute’s school is tuition-free, combining scientific...

13.02.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Trump, envoy Witkoff secure release from Russia of detained US citizen Marc Fogel

Teacher, deemed wrongfully detained, had been held since 2021; White House says development ‘sign’ of heading in right direction to end war in Ukraine

12.02.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

State Comptroller says 3 million Israelis suffering from trauma since October 7

Engelman faults Health Ministry for ‘collapsed’ health care system; Health Minister Uriel Buso set to double the scope of mental health services

12.02.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

‘Fear is now in our DNA’: With pause in Hezbollah attacks, two border towns regroup

The 15-month war took its toll ‘not only physically but also emotionally’ on residents evacuated from Mattat, and those who stayed put in the...

05.02.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

As Alawite village on Israel-Lebanon border reopens, locals fear for relatives in Syria

After enduring decades of isolation amid border disputes, residents of Ghajar are focused on their Syrian kin, who face retribution for belonging to...

03.02.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

For second time, Shamir hospital readies to treat Thai hostages ‘like family’

Armed with hard-won experience from first release, central Israel medical center preps rooms and staff amid speculation that 10 foreign nationals...

28.01.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Guidelines for hospitals set to receive hostages include STD checks, pregnancy tests

Ministry official says new protocols differ ‘significantly’ from November 2023 hostage release, as captives return from over 15 months in...

17.01.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli scientist in peer-reviewed study: Immunotherapy treatment could slow aging process

Israel Prize winner Prof. Michal Schwartz says her team’s work fighting Alzheimer’s can lead to treatments that boost immune system to slow down...

14.01.2025 70

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Ants have more ‘group smarts’ than humans, Israeli study finds

A Weizmann Institute of Science team has found that ants have better group smarts than people when maneuvering a large load through a maze. Prof....

06.01.2025 80

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Fish embryos decide when they want to be born, Israeli researchers find

Hebrew University researchers say they have discovered that fish embryos are able to decide when they want to be born. Dr. Matan Golan from the...

15.12.2024 5

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

‘History repeats itself’ as South Lebanon Army veteran, Israeli killed side-by-side

Friends Shamoun Najm, 54, and Ziv Belfer, 52, didn’t have time to reach a nearby shelter before impact of lethal Hezbollah rockets, say Nahariya...

14.11.2024 6

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Israeli researchers identify protein that stops immune cells from attacking tumors

Tel Aviv University team finds Ly6a protein ‘puts the brake’ on the immune system, in discovery that points to a cure for cancers, including those...

05.11.2024 50

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Resolutely rooted war-time farmers work together to douse Hezbollah rocket flames

At an agricultural village 15km from the Lebanon border, after a Soviet Grad directly hits a Western Galilee house, residents race to put out fires...

26.10.2024 4

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

‘Overlooked’ grief: October 7 massacre left 2,185 bereft siblings, first study shows

Hebrew University researcher says there’s a ‘hierarchy of grief’; urges government to give mourning siblings the same benefits as widows,...

15.10.2024 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

In first, doctoral candidate enlists foragers across Israel to help map mushroom DNA

There are over 1,000 species of fungi in the Holy Land; what started as one scientist’s hobby has mushroomed into a collective effort on a scale...

15.10.2024 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Toronto Jewish school targeted by gunfire during Yom Kippur, in 2nd attack in months

Trudeau says he’s ‘very disturbed’ by incident, which comes amid dramatic rise in antisemitic attacks in the country as war rages in Middle East

13.10.2024 7

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

For the Southern Lebanese Army’s second generation, Nasrallah’s death is a ‘breakthrough’

Former SLA members refuse to speak in the face of reprisals, but these young Lebanese-Israelis believe it’s their mission to raise the curtain on...

13.10.2024 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Fortitude under fire: Farmers along the northern border stay planted despite the war

Undaunted by Hezbollah’s rockets and drones, a group of war-hardened farmers refuses to evacuate from Moshav Liman, a long-standing cooperative...

01.10.2024 20

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Young kids, parents still face heightened stress a year into the war, think tank says

Taub Center for Social Policy Studies urges more support for spouses and kids of reservists, displaced families and Arab parents of young kids,...

30.09.2024 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

On World Lung Day, Israeli groups highlight plight of hostages who ‘lack even air’

Medical assocations seek to bring attention to captives held in Hamas tunnels under Gaza, where a freed hostage recalled ‘we didn’t have oxygen… we...

26.09.2024 10

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

Fear and uncertainty: As war escalates, northern residents feel there’s nowhere to go

Mateh Asher Regional Council head says he is worried about the war’s emotional toll on residents; ‘This isn’t normal life,’ says one evacuated...

23.09.2024 6

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

North under siege: Rockets cause hospitals to nix procedures, schools and beaches to close

‘Most people live in stress and worry,’ one Safed resident says with cities on war footing; ‘My blood pressure goes up every time I hear a siren...

23.09.2024 30

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter