More than two-thirds of cancer patients who were prescribed medical marijuana to combat pain are reportedly satisfied with the treatment. The study - conducted recently at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, in conjunction with the Israel Cancer Association - involved 264 cancer patients who were treated with medical marijuana for a full year. Some 61 percent of the respondents reported a significant improvement in their quality of life as a result of the medical marijuana, while 56 percent noted an improvement in their ability to manage pain.

There's a brand new Israeli development -- the black tomato. The new tomato, called the "Black Galaxy," was developed by Technological Seeds DM. The company says that the color is the produce of a special pigment, which was derived from blueberries and introduced into the new species. The pigment is photosensitive and the longer the tomato is left on the vine, the darker it gets. The unique pigment also carries health benefits, such as a high concentration of antioxidants and Vitamin C.

Researchers at the Technion Institute of Technology who have for years been working on the miniaturization of satellites, plan to build and dispatch for the first time into space a fixed formation of three nano-satellites weighing up to six kilograms each. If the experiment succeeds, these satellites could be applied to locating missing persons or individuals in distress. The project is aimed at proving that it is possible to hold tiny satellites in formation for a year as they pass 600 kilometers above the Earth.

The European Union's research and development program aims to further Europe's industrial competitiveness in the world, and they want Israel to be a part of the action, Israel has been considered a European country for this purpose since 1996. Robert-Jan Smits, the European Commission's general director, DG Research and Innovation, presented the outline of the new program to Israeli entrepreneurs during a conference held last week at Jerusalem's Science Museum. The Israeli government now must decide whether it wishes to take part in the program.

Israeli medical researchers say they have developed a new technique for blasting cancer tumors from the inside out which reduces the risk of the disease returning after treatment. Tel Aviv University Professors Yona Keisari and Itzhak Kelson are about to start clinical trials of a pin-sized radioactive implant that beams short-range alpha radiation from within the tumor. The university said that the process takes about 10 days and leaves behind only non-radioactive and non-toxic amounts of lead.

Israeli researchers have managed for the first time to repair damaged tissue using components produced by embryonic stem cells. The experiment involved tissue regeneration in mice, but the researchers said the method might be usable in the future to repair human tissue and organs that were damaged due to insufficient blood supply. The researchers were from Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and the Technion's medical school. The team used fertilized human eggs that had been donated for research purposes, as well as skin and hair samples from older adult patients.

The satellite Amos 5, operated by the Israeli company Spacecom, has been launched into space from Kazakhstan. The apparatus is meant to expand the company's services to Africa, as well as Europe and the Middle East. Amos 5 was produced by the Russian company NPO PM, and cost $157 million. It is the biggest of Spacecom's satellites and is the only not to be produced by the Israel Aerospace Industries. The satellite is carrying sophisticated communication equipment that allows it to function as a remote transmission and broadcast hub.

Israeli professor Dan Shechtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in Stockholm on Saturday, and said that scientists have many duties, including keeping an eye on politicians. Shechtman, a professor at Haifa's Technion Institute, received the prize, valued at approximately one million Euros for cutting-edge work he did during the 1980s in the field of crystallography (the study of crystals). The prize was given for his discovery of atom patterns called quasicrystals, chemical structures previously thought impossible.

Within a month, Israel will be signing an agreement with China to build a train track to Eilat. Beijing will build the 170-kilometer double line (one track in each direction ) from Nahal Zin to Eilat. The cost is estimated between NIS 6 billion to NIS 10 billion. The government approved a track to Eilat as part of its 10-year infrastructure plan. But it didn't budget money for the project.

Israeli researchers are laying the groundwork for a spray which they say will make it easier to get rid of the antibiotic-resistant germs that plague hospitals around the world. If used on a large scale, their method could change the nature of hospital-acquired infections "toward being more susceptible to antibiotics rather than more resistant," Lead researcher Dr.

In a breakthrough development, the Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics has formulated a therapeutic cancer vaccine, now in clinical trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. If all goes well, the vaccine could be available about six years down the road, to administer on a regular basis not only to help treat cancer but in order to keep the disease from recurring.The vaccine is being tested against a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma.

Bezeq International announced Sunday that it will install 'cloud model' biometric location transmitters in every Israeli elementary school.

This is the third year the Cleantech Group, an industry market intelligence company which provides Fortune 1000 global corporations, among others, with industry analysis about cleantech innovation, has presented the Global Cleantech 100, a list of the top 100 private companies in clean technology. This year Israel has been well represented by eight companies, four of which are based in Israel and four which were founded by Israelis but with operations in the United States. The awards were split into three regions (North America, Europe and Israel, and Asia Pacific), with 16 countries providi

Computer scientists at Tel Aviv University are using artificial intelligence to gather the fragments of the world's largest collection of medieval documents, the legendary Cairo Genizah, to tell the story of 1,000 years of Jewish history and culture. They have reconstructed more than 1,000 documents from 350,000 individual items found in the Cairo storage room: more in the past few months, than in 110 years of conventional scholarship. Several scholars believe that in some ways, the contents of the Cairo Genizah are more important than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Quixey, an Israeli startup company has raised $3.8 million in capital in addition to an investment fund received by Google CEO Eric Schmidt earlier this year. The Palo Alto based company was founded in 2009 by Israelis Tomer Kagan and Liron Shapira who came up with the idea to build a search engine designed specifically for apps, regardless of platform or device. Quixey works with manufacturers, carriers, search engines and platforms to build custom app search solutions The company leverages its technology to help partners drive downloads and revenues.