Feb 25 2010
February 25, 2010 ISRAEL21c
According to newly published research from Israel, humans aren’t the only ones addicted to nicotine and caffeine - so, possibly, are bees. A study conducted at the University of Haifa shows that bees prefer nectar with small amounts of nicotine and caffeine over nectar that does not contain these substances at all.
Feb 25 2010
Dr. Brenda Shaffer, of the School of Political Science and Department of Asian Studies of the University of Haifa, was guest lecturer at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Security Program Seminar on February 16, 2010, speaking on “Caspian Energy: Phase II”. Continue Reading »
Feb 25 2010
February 25, 2010 Haaretz
The incidence of asthma among children living in the Haifa metropolitan area is more than double the national average, apparently due both to growing obesity and to the heavy air pollution caused by industries in the Haifa Bay area, according to a new study whose findings were presented this week at a conference at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. The study, conducted by researchers from the Health Ministry, the Clalit health maintenance organization and the University of Haifa, examined 3,922 children aged 6 to 14 who live in seven towns in the Haifa area and are insured by Clalit. Of these, it found, 16 percent had asthma - more than double the national average of 7 percent, according to a study conducted in 2003.
Feb 24 2010
A unique event at the University featuring graduates of the Medical Clowning program who joined the rescue team in Haiti offered a riveted audience a moving and insightful account of their work in the quake-ravaged country. Continue Reading »
Feb 24 2010
The second “Give and Take” market organized by the Division of Human Resources drew hundreds of University employees to participate in donating and purchasing second hand goods. All proceeds of the market were donated to the needy. Continue Reading »
Feb 24 2010
February 21, 2010 Arutz Sheva (INN)
Researchers at Haifa University have discovered that non-native speakers of Hebrew understand the language best when it is spoken in their own accent. A study showed that among non-native speakers, accented Hebrew matching the listener’s own was more easily understood than Hebrew spoken with no accent. The study was conducted among 60 participants aged 18-26. Participants were split into three groups: native Hebrew speakers, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and Israeli Arabs who began learning Hebrew only in elementary school.
Feb 24 2010
March/April 2010 Foreign Policy
After Israel normalized relations with its neighbor Jordan in 1994, University of Haifa biologist Uri Shanas studied how the fauna on either side of the border differed. He found that rodents in Israel were much more cautious than their counterparts in Jordan — a distinction Shanas attributes to Israel’s more modern agricultural development.
Feb 24 2010
February 19, 2010 U.S.News
Learning a foreign language is easier if it’s taught in the accent of the listener, a new study finds. In most cases, second languages are taught to adults in the “original” accent of the new language. But researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel found that this method isn’t necessarily the best or quickest way to teach someone a new language.
Feb 24 2010
February 19, 2010 msn
Learning a foreign language is easier if it’s taught in the accent of the listener, a new study finds. In most cases, second languages are taught to adults in the “original” accent of the new language. But researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel found that this method isn’t necessarily the best or quickest way to teach someone a new language.
Feb 24 2010
February 24, 2010 The Jerusalem Post
Israel does not have much more ability to cope with a major earthquake than Haiti had, maintains Dr. Ephraim Laor of the University of Haifa. “I know the health system disagrees, but I suggest looking at the numbers rather than fooling ourselves,” said Laor, formerly head of the government steering committee for earthquake preparedness, on Tuesday. An expert in coping with disasters, he said many Israelis assume that if the country is able to send rescue workers and medical teams to the other side of the world and excel in saving lives, it must be highly capable of coping with a major earthquake, which according to scientists is overdue. But Laor, who has just returned from Haiti, said much more is needed.