Articles from Hebrew University of Jerusalem

UK/Japan/Israel, Aug. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It turns out that songbirds, humpback whales, and human babies may all rely on the same hidden mathematical rules when learning to communicate. A new study reveals that Bengalese finches organize their songs using the same statistical patterns found in human speech—an evolutionary solution that makes complex communication easier to learn and pass from one generation to the next. The discovery suggests that some of language's most fundamental building blocks may not be uniquely human after all, but a universal feature of learned communication.

Jerusalem, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scientists have identified a promising new strategy to tackle one of the biggest obstacles in treating glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive form of brain cancer: resistance to chemotherapy. The study shows that an experimental compound called BA-101 can restore the effectiveness of the standard drug temozolomide (TMZ) by blocking a biological process known as nitrosative stress, which helps tumors survive and resist treatment. In preclinical models, the combination therapy slowed tumor growth, reduced the cancer's ability to spread, and increased cancer cell death, opening the door to a potential new approach for treating drug-resistant glioblastoma.

Breakthrough treatment for rare and devastating epilepsy syndrome builds on years of research led by Hebrew University scientist Prof. Rami Aqeilan

New neuroscience study on how the brain generates social behavior. Using whole-brain imaging during live social interactions in zebrafish, researchers found that the brain enters a distinct neural state several seconds before an animal approaches another individual. The signal predicts not only whether an upcoming action will be social, but also how social the individual is overall. The team also identified neurons in the pallium that appear to promote social approach behavior, linking a specific neural population to social drive. The work offers a rare brain-wide view of how social decisions are formed, provide insight into why individuals differ in sociability , and open a window into the neural mechanisms underlying social deficits.

Jerusalem, June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new study identifies vgll3 as a key gene that promotes rapid growth and early reproduction while increasing the risk of aging and cancer later in life. The findings provide rare experimental evidence for the theory that evolution favors early-life advantages even at the expense of long-term health. Researchers say the discovery could open new paths for understanding, and potentially separating, the biological links between development, aging, and disease.

Researchers show that loss of WWOX disrupts p63 stability, driving tumor invasion and identifying potential biomarkers for aggressive disease

Jerusalem, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New study shows that modern AI systems don’t just process information, they systematically “judge” people in ways that resemble human trust, but with important differences. Like humans, they favor competence and integrity, yet they do so in a more rigid, rule-based, and often more extreme way. Crucially, their judgments can also be more consistently biased across demographic traits and vary significantly between models. The bottom line: AI can mimic the structure of human judgment, but it does not think like humans, and that gap matters when these systems are used to make real decisions about people.