Neolithic site shows how villagers weathered drought, climate change 8,000 years ago
An archaeological excavation at a submerged Neolithic village off Israel’s northern coast has shown how a community successfully adapted to extreme regional drought conditions over eight thousand years ago.
First excavated only in 2020, the “Habonim north” site off the Carmel coast is an ancient village now submerged under 3 meters of water and seafloor. The excavation has provided “evidence for continuity of subsistence and economic strategies” as well as “the resilience of coastal communities in the face of significant climatic uncertainty,” according to a recent paper published by the University of Haifa-led team.
Scientists show that ancient village adapted to drought, rising seas
Previously, archaeologists believed that this abrupt shift in global climate, called the 8.2ka event, may have led to the widespread abandonment of coastal settlements in the southern Levant. In a recent study published in the journal Antiquity, researchers at UC San Diego, the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University share new evidence suggesting at least one village formerly thought abandoned not only remained occupied, but thrived throughout this period.
In Israel, a 3,000-Year-Old Purple Factory
The ancient history of Israeli grape pips and wine
Israeli scientists first to document scorpions ‘hitching a ride’
By: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich Published: January 23, 2024 They said this unique behavior sheds light on the intricate relationships of myrmecophile arachnids. Israeli scientists have discovered the first instance of a pseudoscorpion being carried by a larger scorpion, according to a publication on Tuesday. “Phoresy” refers to an interaction in which a phoretic animal (or phoront) latches […]
Unique lab uses AI to make a better world for animals
By: Abigail Klein Leichman Published: January 15, 2024 Tech4Animals Lab in Haifa develops AI-powered analysis of video, sensor and audio data to determine animals’ physical pain and emotional states. “Animals do speak. We train AI to listen.” That’s the motto of the Tech4Animals lab led by Associate Prof. Anna Zamansky at the University of Haifa’s Department of Information […]
Top US professor lands in Israel, volunteers in Gaza border communities
By: Ynetnews Published: December 20, 2023 Prof. Eugene Koonin arrives in Israel for academic conference at University of Haifa, but doesn’t miss opportunity to lend a hand in border towns; ‘We won’t let terrorism stop us,’ he says “I came here to declare proudly that I stand by Israel,” says Prof. Eugene Koonin, a member of […]
A surprising swarm of jellyfish has reached the Haifa shores in winter
By: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich Published On: December 20, 2023 Jellyfish have been thought only to be a summer phenomenon, however, a surprising appearance of jellyfish in December has raised new questions. After an unusually jellyfish-free summer, a swarm of the wandering filamentous kind has been seen off the coast of Haifa. “This swarm, unlike the ones that […]
University of Haifa scientists in Antarctica raise awareness for Israeli hostages
By: JNS Published: November 27, 2023 “Many of our colleagues, exposed to this reality for the first time, now comprehend our circumstances better,” say Dr. Tal Luzzatto Knaan and professor Tali Mass. Upon arriving in Antarctica, University of Haifa researchers posed for celebratory photos with the flags of Israel and their university. But then they […]
Discovery of soft coral species offers new evidence Mediterranean turning tropical
By: SUE SURKES | Published On: October 4 2023, 4:11 pm | Updated at 6:23 pm Due to global warming, coral species common in Red Sea are finding sufficiently warm waters in which to survive off Israel’s northern Mediterranean coast A soft coral, commonly found in the Indo-Pacific region and off the southern Israeli Red […]
