This week I am focusing on how Israeli technology, innovations and humanitarian work touches the lives of young and old and everyone in between.
A new report published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics states that the average life expectancy in Israel, has increased by 2.6 years over the last decade. Israeli males can now expect to live to the age of 80 and females to 82.6 - both being two years longer than the OECD average. Almost every day there is news of another Israeli treatment that promises to extend life even further.
Cancer is now the biggest threat to longevity. The IceSense3 tumor-freezing technology from Israel’s IceCure is already destroying breast cancer and clinical trials will test if this can be extended to lung cancer tumors New treatments for blood clots and strokes will also save millions of lives, so we eagerly await the outcome of new Phase II tests of THR-18 from Israel’s D-Pharm. In a groundbreaking development, scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have effectively reversed time by being the first in the world to transform adult cells into the earliest form of stem cells. Stem cells have been re-engineered previously but those were limited to be specific to certain parts of the body. The new Israeli stem cells have been completely “reset” and have the potential to be grown into any organ whatsoever.
Wounded Syrians of all ages have been brought to Israeli hospitals for treatment. Ziv Medical Center in Safed treated a 9-year-old boy injured in his eyes as the result of an explosion. Also two Syrians were brought to Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya in moderate and critical condition, with head, chest and limb injuries. Also in the Galilee, Israelis are fostering coexistence between young Arab and Jewish citizens. Nazareth is to be the site of a new campus of Texas A&M University to be known as the "Peace University". Meanwhile, Israel’s Technion is a key member of the iPodia Alliance, which is implementing a new age of learning. This new video describes the aims of “Classrooms without borders” – i.e. learning together for a better world.
Israel is full of young talent. One of the latest innovations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has just been commercialized. It is a clay-based mineral developed by Dr Yael Mishael. The mineral is modified with polymers to absorb organic polluting chemicals and is even better than active carbon. Multinational companies have been quick to recognize Israeli business opportunities. Facebook’s Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn told Israel’s President Peres, “It was a momentous decision for Facebook to open its first Research & Development center outside the US. We chose Israel in the knowledge that the best talent is found here.” AOL is also hiring employees for its Israeli development center. And IKEA is assembling its 3rd Israeli site, near Haifa. No wonder Israel’s unemployment rate fell again to 6.1% in the third quarter, from 6.8% in the second quarter. Participation in the workforce went up, as did the percentage of full-time employees.