The Weizmann Institute of Science evolved from the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, which was established in 1934 by Rebecca and Israel Sieff of the United Kingdom, in memory of their son. The driving force behind the initiative was Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a noted chemist who later became the first President of the State of Israel. Dr. Weizmann had already made several significant discoveries in the fields of organic chemistry and industrial fermentation, and had built a reputation as an innovative, versatile scientist, Based on his international standing, he gathered a staff of ten and immediately began working on projects of critical importance to the region's economy in areas such as medicine, the citrus industry, and dairy farming. In 1944, in honor of Dr. Weizmann's 70th birthday, a major drive was launched to expand the Sieff Institute into a high-quality multidisciplinary research center. In May 1948, when the State of Israel was established, Chaim Weizmann was elected President. In November of the following year, with the agreement of the Sieff Family, the Institute was renamed and formally dedicated as the Weizmann Institute of Science. Since its inauguration in 1949, the Weizmann Institute has grown from its modest beginnings to rank among the top scientific research institutions in the world. Located in Rehovot, 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Tel Aviv, its 300-acre landscaped campus now houses a community of 2, 400 scientists, engineers and scientists-in-training engaged in more than 1, 000 projects across all areas of modern science. Weizmann scientists have published thousands of research papers and many of these have left their mark both on the scientific community and on the quality of life and standard of living of millions of people worldwide.

Weizmann Institute researchers discovered a group of five genes, named DAP (death-associated protein), which are connected to cell death. One of these genes is responsible for the production of a specific enzyme (kinase), whose structural and compositional defects are associated with the development of cancerous growths. Proteins which are products of these genes and their retardants may provide important medical uses for treating many diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases (diseases that occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue and substances essential for the body), and Altheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as preventing the death of immune system cells in AIDS patients.

A team of Weizmann Institute scientists is developing an innovative photodynamic approach to destroy tumors. This technique is based on a non-toxic chemotherapy drug, a water soluble derivative of the green plant pigment chlorophyll, that is injected into the blood stream or directly into the tumor. When the drug is illuminated by light in a controlled fashion in the tumor it becomes toxic, destroying tumor blood vessels and cells while having a minimal effect on healthy tissue. This new "green" photodynamic material was found to be efficient in curing melanoma with a success rate of 85 percent. It clears faster from the body than the materials used in standard photodynamic therapy, which tend to leave patients with a heightened sensitivity to strong light. This technique is being developed for future therapeutic applications through Yeda.

For many years it was thought that damage to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) of higher animal species, including humans, could not be repaired. Injury to this system, for example, to the spinal cord, often results in irreversible paralysis. In contrast, lower animal species, such as fish and amphibians, can renew damaged nerve fibers and recover any function lost as a result of injury. Weizmann Institute researchers, after examining the differences between lower and higher animals, suggested that evolutionary processes related to the interaction between the central nervous system and the immune system may have ended the ability to regenerate nerve fibers in the central nervous system. This new concept raises hopes for developing innovative methods, involving treatment by the body's own immune cells, to achieve regeneration of injured nerve fibers in the central nervous system. In the future, these cell therapies may be used to treat people with injuries to the central nervous system, particularly in the spinal cord.

The sun is the primary source in the Earth's food and energy chain. Sunlight energy is trapped by the tiny organelles in green plants and used in photosynthesis to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars and other organic energy-rich materials which we use for food and fuel. Photosynthesis produces the oxygen in the air, without which there is no life on this planet. Weizmann Institute scientists contributed to the study of the various aspects of the complex process of photosynthesis. In some of these studies, they developed a unique method to measure photosynthesis, based on the detection of sound arising from within the plant leaf when light is rapidly shone on it. These sounds are the leafs photosynthetic "exhalations," expelling oxygen in rationed portions, according to the rhythm of the flashing light. Part of the light energy shone on the leaf is converted to heat and is also expelled at periodic intervals, according to the tempo of the flashing light. Thus, thermal waves are formed and cause cyclical expansions and contractions that also produce sounds. Weizmann Institute scientists listened to these sounds, measured their strength and rhythm, and then calculated the scope of the photosynthetic process.

Silicon semiconductors are sensitive to light and this characteristic is being used in a wide range of industrial applications, including the storage of optical information, microelectronics, and the production of electricity in photovoltaic cells (which produce electricity from light). The semiconductors are also used in sensors for various types of radiation, such as visible light and X-rays. Weizmann Institute scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), have developed a novel technique to improve the efficiency of these processes. The new technique is based on etching and roughening the semiconductor's surface, then illuminating it and immersing it in an electrolytic solution while passing an electric current across it. This solves two main problems which reduce the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. One is the tendency of the electrons carrying the electric current (which have a negative charge) to bind to any positive electric charges, thereby canceling out the particles' electric charge and reducing the overall current. This problem is exacerbated by pollutants on the surface of the semiconductor which disperse the electrical charges produced by the illumination, impairing their flow. The new technique enables the selective removal of these pollutants. The second problem stems from the reflection of light hitting the interior of the semiconductor, which cuts the amount of electricity produced by about a third. The new method creates a minute rough inner surface (at the submicron level) that significantly diminishes light reflection. In fact, almost every photon (light particle) in the new system that hits a cell produces an electron— and that means electricity.

Weizmann Institute scientists are developing methods to use solar energy for converting solid organic materials, such as charcoal and wood, into gaseous and liquid fuels. Small-scale preliminary experiments have demonstrated the viability of the process. In another study, Weizmann Institute scientists are developing a method for generating hydrogen, which is an efficient fuel with few polluting by-products. Using hydrogen for running vehicles and industrial machinery would contribute greatly to solving the energy crisis while protecting the environment. The system is based on the thermal decomposition of water at a high temperature using concentrated solar radiation. Hydrogen is one of the components of water (each water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). The hydrogen is separated immediately upon being produced, using a special ceramic filter.

Another method for exploiting the sun is to concentrate its energy to achieve the high temperatures required for the reduction of metal oxides (for example, the production of zinc from zinc oxide). Zinc is used in zinc-air batteries which generate electric energy efficiently, while producing zinc oxide which is recycled to recover the zinc. Another use: When zinc reacts with water to release hydrogen, it creates a clean, efficient and environmentally-friendly fuel. The feasibility of this process, developed at the Weizmann Institute, was demonstrated in laboratory experiments.

Galaxies and galaxy clusters are giant stellar structures that appear to contain too little mass (in the form of stars, interstellar dust and gas clouds) to generate enough gravity to hold themselves together. This phenomenon has led to the hypothesis that there exists in the universe a kind of "dark matter" which enables these objects to exist. But because it gives off neither light nor radiation, we cannot see it or measure it directly. Today, most of the world's scientists have accepted this view. But a Weizmann Institute scientist is proposing an original, revolutionary theory which says it is not necessary to hypothesize the existence of any dark matter. He suggests changing Newton's laws of gravitation or motion—something already done twice in the past, with the introduction of the theory of relativity and quantum theory. When the proposed change is made, and the behavior of galaxy clusters and galaxies is reexamined, they behave completely in keeping with the mass of material that appears to be contained within them. Recent astronomical data have provided an initial corroboration of this theory.

How can you carry out an identity check without the person concerned disclosing any information about himself? How do you allow personnel in economic, legal, political and other circles to identify themselves and log into a database, gain access and carry out operations in it—without their operations leaving behind any trail or documentation? The answer lies in a method for proving mathematical arguments, called interactive proofs with zero knowledge, developed by a Weizmann Institute scientist. The method allows identification to be carried out via a form of dialogue between the persons identifying themselves and the person carrying out the check. The examiner asks random questions, and it is this randomness that foils any possibility of reconstructing the identification questionnaire. If the person being checked out answers all the questions successfully, his or her identity has been demonstrated. In contrast, if someone is trying to pass himself off as an authorized user, it is very likely that the imposter would fail to give the correct answer to at least one of the random questions. The system is also applied to data security in decentralized computer systems, where it enables a number of individuals or parties to contribute information to a specific database, while limiting their ability to extract data. Specific examples include counting votes accurately, reliably and honestly in an election, without being able to identify individual voters or how they voted; deciding who has won an economic tender, without revealing to unauthorized parties the details of the bids submitted; and calculating the average wage without revealing the salaries of individual employees.

Weizmann Institute scientists developed a method to simultaneously transfer two-dimensional images via a single optical fiber (a task that was previously thought to be impossible). This method is based on exploiting two out of three factors that are needed to transfer data through optical fibers: the wavelength of the light transmitted, the angle of the incident light beam at the point of input to the optical fiber, and the time differences for transmitting different points of the image. In follow-up studies, Weizmann scientists developed ways to calculate and predict the effects of nonlinearities that occur in optical fibers. (These nonlinearities lead to "noise" and disturb and limit the flow of information signals.) Their calculations and predictions enabled the scientists to find ways to decrease this undesirable noise, thereby increasing the transfer of information via optical fibers.

A Weizmann Institute scientist, with colleagues from research institutes in other countries, developed several original methods for encrypting and decrypting information based on multiplying two very large prime numbers (a prime number can only be divided by one and itself). This encryption method is very safe because the person who is performing the encryption determines how long it would take to crack the code. For example, the use of specific parameters can mean that the time it would take to crack the code would probably be a few thousand years. One of the present day applications of this method is in "smart cards," which are installed in home television sets to prevent anyone who is not a paid-up customer to receive and decode commercial satellite broadcasts. The smart card enables the company operating the satellite to charge customers solely for the programs and movies they actually watch. This encryption and decryption method is also applied in economic, banking, and governmental communication.