Highlights

A new Weizmann Institute study shows that building solar farms in arid regions is a far more effective way to tackle the climate crisis than planting forests

A verdant forest is one of the most iconic symbols of the power of nature, from the abundance of plant and animal life that shelters among its thick vegetation to the positive impact it has on Earth’s climate, thanks in part to photosynthesis, which removes carbon dioxide from the air, thereby mitigating the effects of global warming. Cutting down tropical evergreen forests has played a significant role in exacerbating the climate crisis, and many environmental initiatives focus on rehabilitating destroyed forests or planting new trees. The problem is that, even if we were to cover the entire surface of the planet with trees, the resultant massive photosynthetic force would still not suffice to absorb the huge surplus of carbon dioxide – the major greenhouse gas – that has been pumped into the atmosphere during the past 150 years of human activity.

A secret alliance, concealed deep beneath the forest floor, has been unearthed: Intricate networks of fungi that connect the roots of different tree species with one another were discovered by Dr. Tamir Klein and former Phd student, Ido Rog, of the Plant and Environmental Sciences Department at Weizmann Institute. These networks enable the trees to exchange minerals, nutrients, water and carbon, while funneling carbon to the fungi in return.

The rapidly changing climate in recent and coming decades is one of the largest challenges of our time, and deserves immediate attention from science and policymakers. Motivated by this challenge, Dr. Rei Chemke's research focuses on understanding the physical mechanisms underlying human induced large-scale flow changes in the atmosphere and ocean, and their climatic impacts (e.g., changes in precipitation, temperature, ice, etc.). Large-scale climate phenomena play a central role in the distribution of the climate zones on Earth by transferring heat, moisture, and momentum across different regions.

The Brian Berkowitz lab is developing new catalytic methods and synthesizing new materials to transform persistent organic contaminants and heavy metals into less toxic compounds, involving both reduction and oxidation processes. It is also using laboratory experiments to investigate the feasibility and efficiency of emplacing various materials in permeable reactive barriers, and other configurations, for in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater.
 

A new study at the Weizmann Institute of Science reveals that bacteria can help trees survive water scarcity

When the going gets tough, we all need a helping hand, and trees are no different. Researchers in the Plant Sciences Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered that in drought conditions, cypresses get help from soil-beneficial bacteria in a kind of cooperation that enables them to survive and even flourish. “Our study might have supplied the best evidence so far that trees and bacteria can really coexist symbiotically,” says Dr. Tamir Klein, head of the research team. “This has huge ecological significance.”

A new artificial intelligence method could improve the accuracy of dust-storm forecasting around the world

Dust storms are not only a nuisance for anyone trying to keep their house spick and span, they also pose a very real health hazard and are a major ecological concern. Respiratory problems caused by breathing in dust and other airborne particles are one of the main causes of death worldwide. To make matters even worse, dust particles, which travel freely from country to country and from continent to continent, can spread pathogens, possibly contributing to the outbreak of pandemics. Moreover, dust clouds have a hugely significant impact on the climate: They absorb and distribute the sun’s rays, thereby altering the Earth’s temperature, and they also affect the properties of clouds and patterns of rainfall.

Why do parts of Earth become rainforests, whereas others turn into deserts? A new study exposes the far-reaching impact of human activity on a global airflow phenomenon that crucially affects Earth’s regional climates

In the tropics, above the equatorial rainforests and oceans, the strong solar radiation hitting Earth propels a stream of warm, moist air far upward. Once reaching the upper atmosphere, this stream moves in both hemispheres toward the poles; it then descends in the subtropical regions at around 20 to 30 degrees latitude, contributing to the creation of massive deserts like the Sahara in northern Africa. From there, the stream – known as the Hadley cell – returns to the equator, where it heats up and rises again, embarking on its circular journey anew.

Weizmann scientists revealed the step-by-step production of cannabinoids in a South African plant, pointing to new ways of manufacturing them for medical use

A South African plant called a woolly umbrella is completely unrelated to the cannabis plant, yet it makes a slew of the active compounds found in cannabis – cannabinoids – including some that may have new medical uses. In a study published today in Nature Plants, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers identified more than 40 cannabinoids in the woolly umbrella, and they revealed the series of biochemical steps the plant takes when it makes these compounds. The researchers also showed how these steps can be reproduced in the lab to synthesize or even engineer new cannabinoids.

Dr. Yael Kiro from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science focuses on historical records to learn about potential effects of climate change. By investigating the geochemistry of terrestrial records, such as lake deposits and accumulations of sediment, her group reconstructs the past climate over the past few hundred thousand years. The insights gained offer an important long-term perspective over a variety of conditions (e.g., atmospheric CO2, radiation, etc.) that can be applied to understanding and ameliorating our current climate crisis. Dr. Kiro’s research takes her to the Dead Sea region where she is examining thick layers of salt, reflecting extreme aridity in the region, to reconstruct changes in lake levels caused by changes in rainfall. Her group’s findings show the consequences of drying climate and high temperature in the sensitive region of the Middle East, providing important insights into the expected effect of the current warming.