Science

By Pesach Benson • January 15, 2026

Jerusalem, 15 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — An Israeli-Japanese breakthrough in quantum particles brings science one step closer to reliable quantum computers. A team of scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute and Japan’s National Institute of Materials Science found particles that can “remember” what happened in previous quantum interactions.

The research focused on non-Abelian anyons, exotic quantum particles that appear in ultra-thin materials under extreme conditions and can store information by “remembering” the order in which they move around each other, making them promising building blocks for error-resistant quantum computers.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, showed evidence of non-Abelian anyons in bilayer graphene, a material made of two ultra-thin layers of carbon atoms.

“For the first time, we have experimental evidence of particles that behave like non-Abelian anyons,” said Dr. Yuval Ronen, head of the research team. “This research takes us another step toward building quantum computers that are fault-tolerant and more useful beyond narrow research experiments.”

Anyons were first predicted in the 1980s, but only simpler “Abelian anyons” had been observed. Non-Abelian anyons are more complex: they not only change a quantum property called the wave function when swapped, they also change its shape, which encodes memory of previous actions.

Quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states at once. This gives them the potential to solve problems that today’s computers cannot. But qubits are very fragile: tiny disturbances can destroy the information they hold. Non-Abelian anyons could solve this problem because they store information across the entire system of particles instead of in a single particle, making them much less sensitive to errors.

“The replacement of non-Abelian anyons leaves a trace in the system’s wave function,” Ronen explained. “If we swap three of these particles in one order, we get a different result than if we swap them in another order. This ability to remember the sequence is exactly what allows them to store information.”

To study the particles, the team guided them along precise loop paths in bilayer graphene and measured the resulting patterns in electrical resistance — a method inspired by a 19th-century light experiment. Surprisingly, the scientists found the particles carried half an electron’s charge instead of the expected quarter, suggesting that two non-Abelian anyons were moving together.

“We haven’t been able to separate them yet, but this is an important step toward observing these particles directly,” Dr. Ronen said. “The next challenge is to see exactly how each order of particle exchanges produces a unique signature. That will bring us closer to fault-tolerant quantum computers.”

According to the researchers, even storing the state of just 300 qubits would require a classical computer to remember more than 34 quintillion numbers, showing just how extraordinary the potential of these particles is for the future of computing.

If fully harnessed, non-Abelian anyons could make quantum computers much more powerful and reliable. They could solve problems that are impossible for classical computers, from predicting chemical reactions for new drugs and materials to improving weather forecasts. They could also strengthen cybersecurity with new types of encryption and advance fundamental science by revealing new quantum behaviors.

By Pesach Benson • January 14, 2026

Jerusalem, 14 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Medical errors remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide, rivaling heart disease and cancer, yet healthcare systems continue to struggle to reduce preventable harm. A new perspective article by Prof. Mayer Brezis of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem argues that the persistence of medical errors reflects not a lack of medical knowledge, but a systemic failure to confront mistakes openly and learn from them.

Published in the peer-reviewed Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, the article examines why decades of patient safety initiatives have produced only limited results. Prof. Brezis contends that fear of legal consequences, institutional defensiveness and poor communication routinely push healthcare organizations to deny, minimize or conceal errors. This “deny and defend” culture, he argues, prevents meaningful learning and allows the same failures to recur, sometimes with fatal outcomes.

According to the article, communication breakdowns are among the most common causes of medical errors. In many clinical environments, doctors, nurses and technicians hesitate to raise concerns when something appears wrong, fearing blame, retaliation or professional damage. Research from healthcare and other high-risk industries, such as aviation, shows that systems lacking psychological safety are significantly more prone to catastrophic failures.

Brezis illustrates the human cost of this culture through a personal family tragedy. His grandson died after a complex congenital heart defect was missed during a routine pregnancy ultrasound. Only after the child’s death was universal pulse oximetry screening implemented nationally, a reform that has since helped identify similar conditions early and is believed to save dozens of infants each year.

“Mistakes become deadly when systems refuse to learn from them,” Brezis writes, stressing that acknowledging failure is not about assigning blame, but about preventing the next tragedy. Taking responsibility, he argues, is the only way to give meaning to harm that has already occurred.

The article calls for a fundamental shift in how healthcare systems respond when things go wrong. Rather than secrecy and legal defensiveness, Prof. Brezis urges a culture of transparency, humility and open discussion, where errors are disclosed, examined and addressed constructively. Leadership, he emphasizes, plays a decisive role in creating psychological safety and protecting staff who speak up.

Mandatory error disclosure and structured review are central to reducing preventable harm, but only if they are paired with strong psychological safety policies and targeted communication training.

Healthcare organizations must require clinicians to report errors and near-misses promptly, with clear processes for reviewing what went wrong and why, focusing on system failures rather than individual blame. At the same time, staff need explicit protections from retaliation, so that raising concerns is seen as a professional responsibility rather than a personal risk. Communication training should reinforce this culture by improving handoffs, escalation protocols and team-based decision-making, while empowering nurses, residents and other frontline staff to challenge assumptions and speak up when something does not seem right.

Equally critical is leadership accountability for how failures are handled and whether they lead to meaningful change. Senior executives and department heads should be assessed not only on clinical outcomes, but on transparency, follow-through and measurable safety improvements after adverse events. Serious incidents must trigger system-level fixes — such as new screening tools, standardized checklists or revised procedures — instead of being closed quietly through internal reviews or legal settlements.

Legal frameworks also play a role: separating learning and safety investigations from liability processes can reduce defensive behavior and encourage honest analysis. Without leadership commitment and supportive legal structures, disclosure risks becoming a formality rather than a driver of safer care.

Without openness and accountability, Brezis concludes, medical errors will continue to claim lives despite advances in treatment. Learning from failure, he argues, is not optional but essential to saving patients and restoring trust in healthcare.

By Pesach Benson • January 14, 2026

Jerusalem, 14 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel this week kicked off the “Sea the Future 2026” international conference on food security and aquaculture, bringing to Eilat some 400 researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry figures to discuss sustainable marine food production amid climate change and population growth.

The three-day conference, jointly led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, drew delegations from countries seeking research and technological cooperation, including the ministers of agriculture and fisheries of Ghana, India, and Azerbaijan, the deputy agriculture minister of Georgia, and professional teams from Romania and Morocco.

Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Vassaroff described the conference as part of a vision beyond Israel. “There is a shared vision here, not just for Israel but for the whole world,” he said. “What may look like a desolate desert becomes a competitive advantage. This region is a living laboratory, and Eilat is transforming from a tourism city into a hub of information and knowledge.”

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Avi Dichter said Eilat’s unique geography underscored the importance of innovation. “Here in the city of Eilat, where the desert meets the sea, innovation in aquaculture and desert agriculture is the key to strengthening food security in Israel and around the world,” Dichter said. “Our strategy is to increase local production several times over, while maintaining environmental sustainability and farmer welfare.”

The conference focuses on aquaculture as a rapidly growing source of sustainable protein, at a time when natural fishing resources face mounting pressure. Around 90 percent of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished, while aquaculture supplies more than half of global fish consumption and grows about 8 percent annually.

Sessions feature Israeli startup technologies, applied research, and panels on marine agriculture, seafood policy, and sustainable marine food systems. Yuval Lipkin, head of the Food Security Directorate, presented Israel’s National Food Security Program 2050, formulated with ministries, research institutions, and civil society.

Oren Lavie, director general of the Agriculture Ministry, said the international turnout reflected a shared understanding of the challenges. “Delegations from around the world came here with the understanding that the world needs high-quality, sustainable protein, and protein from the sea is a central part of the solution,” Lavie said. “Israel leads in knowledge, research, and startups in aquaculture, combining scientific innovation with practical application. This is the true face of Israel.”

Eilat Mayor Eli Lankari said the city’s location made it an ideal platform. “In an era of climate change and population growth, food security is a central component of global resilience,” he said. “Eilat, at the meeting point between sea and desert, provides an exceptional platform for developing advanced solutions in aquaculture, biotechnology, and renewable energy. The conference strengthens regional and international cooperation to deliver practical solutions to global food security challenges.”

By TPS-IL • January 13, 2026

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — For generations, divers and marine biologists have been captivated by the rhythmic, pulsating motion of certain corals, opening and closing their tentacles in perfect unison despite having no brain. A new Israeli study now explains how that is possible, raising potential applications for robotics and swarm technology, the researchers told The Press Service of Israel.

Scientists from Tel Aviv University and the University of Haifa have uncovered for the first time the mechanism that allows the soft coral Xenia umbellata to coordinate these movements without any central nervous system. According to the study, the coral relies on a decentralized neural “pacemaker” system in which each tentacle is controlled locally by its own network of nerve cells, yet remains synchronized with the others.

The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS.

“We discovered for the first time that corals carry out this movement, which is essential for their survival, without any centralized control system. Each tentacle operates independently yet in full synchronization with the others,” Professor Yehuda Benayahu, who supervised the research, told TPS-IL.

He added that the implications extend beyond marine biology. “This principle could inform engineering and robotics. If engineers want to avoid complete shutdowns of complex machines or robots, they should build them in a similar way, with control distributed across separate hubs rather than a single center. That way, damage to one part will not disable the entire system.”

According to Benayahu, corals from the Xeniidae family are known for their distinctive pulsing behavior, which plays a crucial role in feeding and survival. Until now, he said, scientists could observe the movement but could not explain how it was generated. To investigate, his team conducted a series of cutting experiments, separating tentacles from the coral and even dividing them into smaller fragments. They discovered that each detached piece continued to pulse on its own.

To better understand the biological basis of this coordination, the researchers also analyzed gene expression during different stages of tentacle regeneration and found that the coral uses genes and proteins involved in neural signal transmission that are also present in much more complex animals. These include molecular components associated with rhythmic activity in processes such as heartbeat and breathing in humans.

Benayahu said the discovery suggests that the origins of rhythmic movement in the animal kingdom predate the evolution of centralized brains.

“It is fascinating to reach the conclusion that the same molecular components that activate the pacemaker of the human heart are also at work in a coral that appeared in the oceans hundreds of millions of years ago,” he said. “The coral we studied allows us to look back in time, to the dawn of the evolution of the nervous system in the animal kingdom.”

He added that the findings also deepen scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems and underscore the need to preserve them at a time when coral reefs worldwide face mounting environmental threats.

By Pesach Benson • January 12, 2026

Jerusalem, 12 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A new Israeli research initiative is using cutting-edge scientific methods to solve one of archaeology’s oldest mysteries: where ancient pottery was made. The project, launched by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), aims to trace the origin of thousands of ceramic vessels even when the kilns where they were fired have long vanished.

According to a recent IAA announcement, thousands of pottery vessels uncovered at excavation sites across Israel will now be examined with advanced scientific methods and catalogued as part of a joint project led by Dr. Anat Cohen Weinberger of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Alexander Fantalkin of Tel Aviv University.

The work is designed to create a distinctive “fingerprint” for each ancient production kiln, based on the mineral and chemical composition of pottery known to have been made there. The organizers said they envision a national database that would contain what they described as the “genetic sequencing” of the kilns, allowing researchers to propose a pottery vessel’s origin even when the kiln itself is absent at the excavation site.

Cohen Weinberger said in the statement that this absence is common.

“In most excavations we find large quantities of pottery, but not the kiln where it was produced,” she said. Cohen Weinberger added that, without the kiln, archaeologists currently struggle to determine whether vessels were made locally or brought from elsewhere, calling that gap “one of the central challenges” in pottery research.

The IAA stressed that identifying a vessel’s origin is not merely technical. It describes provenance as a key to reconstructing cultural and economic links, trade networks, population movement, technological influence, and broader historical processes.

According to Cohen Weinberger, the first stage of the project focuses on pottery that can be tied to known kilns and analyzes it through two complementary scientific methods.

One method is petrography, in which an ultra-thin ceramic slice of the vessel — about 30 microns thick — is examined under a polarizing microscope to identify minerals and rock fragments. The method can help link raw materials to the geological environment they came from and illuminate what it calls the potter’s “recipe,” the Antiquities Authority said.

The second method is chemical analysis using neutron activation analysis, or NAA. The IAA described this as testing a tiny ceramic sample in a nuclear reactor to measure elemental composition, including rare trace elements. The sample’s origin can then be proposed by comparing the results to pottery samples whose production sites are already known.

According to the IAA, the combined approach produces a unique profile for each kiln and can later be used as a reference point for pottery found at sites “without a kiln.” In those cases, the announcement says, researchers would compare an unknown vessel’s profile to the database and, if a match is found, propose where it was made, even if it was discovered far from the production site.

Cohen Weinberger said in the announcement that many pottery vessels tested in past studies remained without a known production origin because researchers lacked comparative data, and that the emerging kiln profiles could help address that problem.

According to the announcement, the research is being developed as a wide-scale national project. As part of it, the IAA said it is building a digital “kiln atlas” to consolidate the accumulated knowledge and make it available to researchers through a platform being developed by the authority’s digital technologies division. The statement says the atlas is intended to serve as a long-term research infrastructure for studying production, trade, and regional connections in the past.

Dr. Mechael Osband, head of the Petrography Laboratory at the Zinman Institute, University of Haifa, told The Press Service of Israel that the project was promising. He is not associated with the IAA’s initiative.

“This is a unique project with no parallel in other regions. It will provide an infrastructure for many studies dealing with different periods and will make a significant contribution to understanding economic and social connections in antiquity,” he told TPS-IL.

By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky • January 12, 2026

Jerusalem, 12 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Some women’s breast cells may show signs of future cancer years before any tumor appears, potentially helping doctors detect breast cancer much earlier — or perhaps even prevent it from developing, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced.

On average, one in twenty women globally will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

A team of Israeli and U.S. scientists opened a previously hidden window into how breast cancer begins in women carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The research shows that even before tumors appear, breast cells in BRCA mutation carriers already exhibit a distinct pattern of DNA “damage spots” that closely resemble the DNA break patterns seen in cancer cells.

The study was led by PhD student Sara Oster Flayshman under the guidance of Professor Rami Aqeilan and Dr. Yotam Drier at Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Victoria Seewaldt and Dr. Mark LaBarge from the City of Hope research center in California. Using next-generation sequencing, the team mapped DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) across the genomes of non-malignant mammary epithelial cells from women carrying high-risk genetic mutations.

The team found that the pattern of DNA damage in these cells was very different from what they saw in healthy cells and, surprisingly, looked much like the patterns found in breast cancer cells. The most affected DNA regions were those linked to cancer, especially the ones that are normally very active in the cell, making them more likely to lead to cancer if damaged.

The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Death & Disease.

Professor Aqeilan told The Press Service of Israel that the study’s significance lies in the early, pre-cancerous cellular instability.

“Our main finding is that non-malignant mammary epithelial cells from high-risk women already show a distinct, non-random ‘breakome’ compared with average-risk controls and, importantly, this breakome partly resembles the pattern seen in breast cancer cells,” he said. A breakome refers to the complete pattern or map of DNA breaks across a cell’s genome.

“This suggests that genome instability–related processes are underway very early, before any tumor is present, and that these early weaknesses can reshape where DNA breaks accumulate,” said Aqeilan.

The researchers emphasized that the DNA break patterns are detectable in young, cancer-free donors, including women under 35. “That means the shift is detectable well before clinical cancer, and plausibly years, potentially decades, before diagnosis for carriers who develop disease later,” Aqeilan said. While the study does not provide a precise lead time to cancer onset, it challenges the traditional view that loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) events are the first step in malignancy.

The study opens potential avenues for early detection.

“This work provides critical insight into the earliest molecular changes that take place in breast cells of high-risk women,” Aqeilan told TPS-IL. “Understanding these initial events allows us to envision new strategies for identifying cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages.”

Drier noted that these patterns “could one day help us develop more precise biomarkers, so that high-risk women are not only monitored more effectively, but also offered interventions based on the actual biology of their cells.”

While the current study focuses on breast tissue, Aqeilan said the next steps will explore whether similar patterns emerge in other cancer-prone tissues.

“Testing ovarian and fallopian tissue is explicitly a logical next step,” he told TPS-IL.

In addition, his team plans to study larger groups of women over time to see whether early DNA damage patterns can predict who will eventually develop cancer, and to explore minimally invasive tests that could detect these patterns before tumors form.

Understanding these early DNA breaks may also shed light on why some high-risk women develop cancer while others do not. “It could guide new prevention strategies that target these vulnerable regions of the genome before cancer starts,” Aqeilan said.

By Pesach Benson • January 11, 2026

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A new study finds that people with social anxiety may feel less stressed and perform better in social situations when they believe first impressions are hard to change, Israel’s Bar-Ilan University announced. The finding challenges a long-standing assumption in psychology that thinking people can always improve how others see them is healthier in every case.

Social anxiety is a widespread condition marked by intense discomfort in social settings and persistent worry about being judged. For years, research has suggested that believing impressions can change encourages self-improvement. But researchers at Bar-Ilan University found that for people with high social anxiety, this belief can increase pressure and mental strain, making social interactions more difficult rather than empowering.

“For most people, believing that others’ opinions can change motivates growth,” said Prof. Liad Uziel of Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Psychology, who led the research. “But for individuals with high social anxiety, that constant possibility for change can feel overwhelming. Viewing others’ impressions as relatively stable may make the social world seem more predictable and less mentally draining.”

Published in the peer-reviewed Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the research unfolded in several stages, including a preliminary survey and three follow-up experiments. Across all phases, the researchers found a consistent pattern: participants with higher levels of social anxiety reported feeling less burdened and performed better when they adopted a fixed mindset about impression formation.

In one experiment, participants prepared a self-introduction ahead of an anticipated meeting. Those with high social anxiety made a poorer impression when they believed impressions were malleable, but this effect disappeared when they believed impressions were fixed. A second experiment involving a more stressful, video-recorded task produced similar results, again showing improved performance under a fixed mindset.

The findings were reinforced in a three-day field study in which participants applied these beliefs during everyday social interactions. Those guided to think impressions were stable described their experiences as less stressful and more satisfying than those encouraged to believe impressions could change.

The study suggests that predictability, rather than flexibility, can be calming for socially anxious individuals by reducing the pressure of constant self-evaluation. “For those who often worry about how they are perceived, believing that others’ impressions are stable can be both calming and empowering,” Uziel said.

The findings have direct implications for evaluative settings such as job interviews, academic assessments, and public speaking. For individuals with social anxiety, believing that impressions are formed early and unlikely to change based on minor mistakes can reduce self-monitoring and free cognitive resources, leading to clearer focus and stronger performance under pressure.

The research may also inform workplace and educational training, where constant emphasis on impression management and adaptability could unintentionally heighten anxiety. Tailoring training messages to emphasize stability and predictability for socially anxious individuals may reduce stress while maintaining performance expectations.

Researchers said the results point to potential low-cost interventions that better match mindset advice to individual psychological needs. The team plans to examine whether these effects extend to clinically diagnosed populations and how such beliefs influence other forms of social behavior.

By Pesach Benson • January 11, 2026

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Scientists have discovered a surprising feature in the teeth of the Atlantic wolffish that could inspire stronger bone prosthetics and body armor, and even more resilient vehicles, Israeli scientists announced.

At the heart of these teeth is a tissue called osteodentin, which shrinks in every direction when squeezed — a behavior almost never seen in natural, mineral-rich materials. This unusual property allows the teeth to absorb crushing forces, offering a blueprint for creating materials that are both tough and damage-resistant.

Normally, when materials are compressed along their length, they expand sideways. But osteodentin does the opposite, a rare property known as auxeticity, in which a material shrinks in all directions under pressure instead of bulging outward. In tests, when researchers applied force along the tooth’s axis, mimicking the wolffish’s powerful bite, the tissue contracted both sideways and lengthwise. Across all eight teeth studied, measurements fell in a range rarely seen even in man-made materials.

“This was astonishing,” said Prof. Ron Shahar of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at Hebrew University, who led the research. “Osteodentin behaves in a way that almost no other natural mineralized tissue does. Its structure allows the tooth to absorb heavy loads safely and efficiently. Nature has built a design that protects the fish from the extreme forces of its diet, and this could inspire new synthetic materials with similar toughness.”

The Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) is a marine predator with an eel-like body found in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its most striking feature is its powerful jaws and large, sharp teeth, especially the canines and molar-like teeth in the back of the mouth, which allow the wolffish to crush shells that many other fish cannot. The osteodentin tissue makes the teeth less prone to breaking.

The team used advanced X-ray scanning and 3D mapping techniques to see exactly how the teeth deform under pressure. They found that osteodentin contracts evenly in all directions during compression, a highly unusual response in natural materials.

The secret lies in the tissue’s tiny structure. Osteodentin has a dense network of vertical canals, 10–20 microns wide, running from the base to the tip of the tooth and curving outward near the surface. This arrangement causes the mineral columns between the canals to bend inward when squeezed, increasing the tooth’s toughness and reducing the chance of cracking, the scientists said.

Tests also showed that while the mineral in osteodentin is about as stiff as bone, it is this unique architecture that makes the teeth so strong. “Similar behavior has been seen only in a few invertebrates, like limpet teeth and nacre,” Shahar said.

The researchers believe this feature may exist in other fish as well, suggesting a wider role for osteodentin in nature. Beyond understanding how teeth survive extreme stress, the discovery provides a model for designing synthetic materials that are strong, durable, and absorb energy—qualities valuable in medicine, aerospace, and engineering.

Materials inspired by osteodentin could be used in bone implants, dental prosthetics, and joint replacements, making them more durable, crack-resistant, and able to absorb stress. The discovery raises the possibility of engineering helmets, body armor, sports gear, and even shoes or phone cases with lightweight materials that more effectively absorb impact.

The design principles could also benefit engineering, aerospace, and automotive applications. Vehicles, aircraft, and buildings could incorporate auxetic-inspired materials to withstand repeated stress, collisions, or vibrations while remaining strong and lightweight.

“Studying osteodentin gives us insight into how nature creates materials that are both tough and resilient,” Shahar said. “It’s a remarkable example of natural engineering that could help guide new technologies.”

The study was published in the peer-reviewed Acta Biomaterialia.

By Pesach Benson • January 8, 2026

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli scientists have developed a new 3D-printed solar panel that is both semi-transparent and color-tunable, offering a flexible alternative to conventional solar technology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced. The breakthrough could allow buildings to generate electricity without sacrificing natural light or aesthetic appeal, potentially transforming the way cities harness solar power.

The study, led by Prof. Shlomo Magdassi and Prof. Lioz Etgar from the university’s Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, introduces a solar cell design that produces electricity while allowing architects and designers to control both how much light passes through and the color of the panels.

“At the heart of the design is a pattern of microscopic polymer pillars created using 3D printing,” Prof. Magdassi explained. “Our goal was to rethink how transparency is achieved in solar cells. By using 3D-printed polymer structures made from non-toxic, solvent-free materials, we can precisely control how light moves through the device in a way that is scalable and practical for real-world use.”

The tiny pillars act like carefully shaped openings that regulate light transmission without altering the solar material itself. The method also avoids high temperatures and toxic solvents, making it suitable for flexible surfaces and environmentally friendly production — a key consideration for architects and urban planners looking to integrate solar technology seamlessly into buildings.

Prof. Etgar highlighted the design’s visual flexibility. “What’s especially exciting is that we can customize both how the device looks and how flexible it is, without sacrificing performance. That makes this technology particularly relevant for solar windows and for adding solar functionality to existing buildings.” By adjusting the thickness of a transparent electrode layer, the panels can reflect selected wavelengths of light, producing different colors while continuing to generate electricity.

Laboratory tests showed power conversion efficiencies, of up to 9.2 percent, with roughly 35 percent visible transparency. The cells also maintained performance after repeated bending and extended operation, demonstrating durability essential for real-world architectural use.

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to enhance long-term durability through protective encapsulation and barrier layers.

Beyond the laboratory, the team envisions a range of real-world applications that could bring this flexible, color-tunable solar technology into everyday architecture and urban design.

The semi-transparent, color-tunable solar panels could transform how buildings generate electricity. They can be integrated into windows, glass walls, and façades, allowing offices, homes, and commercial spaces to produce power without blocking natural light or compromising design. Their flexibility also makes them suitable for curved or unconventional surfaces that traditional rigid panels cannot cover, opening the door to more creative and functional architectural designs.

Beyond new construction, the technology could retrofit existing buildings, adding solar functionality without major renovations. Color customization lets designers seamlessly match panels to a building’s aesthetic, while lightweight and flexible construction could extend applications to temporary structures or even portable devices. Combined with environmentally friendly manufacturing that avoids high heat and toxic solvents, these solar cells offer a practical, scalable solution for sustainable energy in urban and architectural environments.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed EES Solar journal.

By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky • January 7, 2026

Jerusalem, 7 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Facial expressions may reveal more about human preferences than previously understood. A new study has found that the degree to which people unconsciously mimic the facial expressions of others can predict their choices, sometimes even before conscious decisions are made, Tel Aviv University announced.

The study — led by doctoral student Liron Amihai in the lab of Prof. Yaara Yeshurun, with collaborators Elinor Sharvit, Hila Man, and Prof. Yael Hanein — challenges the long-held view that facial mimicry functions primarily as a social tool for politeness or empathy, showing instead that it is an integral component of preference formation and decision-making.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Communications Psychology.

In the study, participants engaged in pairs where one person described two films while the other listened and later indicated which film they preferred. Using specialized technology to track subtle facial micro-movements, the researchers found that listeners consistently favored the option during which they had mimicked the speaker’s positive expressions most strongly. This effect occurred even when participants were explicitly instructed to make a choice based on personal taste rather than the speaker’s behavior.

“Facial mimicry between people — not just a person’s facial expression on its own — can predict what someone will prefer in a realistic social interaction,” Amihai told The Press Service of Israel. In pairs where one participant read aloud two movie synopses to the other, “the listener’s mimicry toward the reader predicted her eventual choice, whereas the listener’s facial expressions per se did not predict which synopsis she chose.”

The study demonstrated that this mimicry occurs automatically, before conscious evaluation. “Participants are not simply listening to a story — they are being ‘swept’ toward the speaker through facial mimicry, and this muscular feedback can influence decisions,” Amihai explained. “This mimicry often happens without awareness and can predict which option will be preferred long before it is articulated verbally. Facial mimicry, therefore, is not merely a polite gesture but also a component of the decision-making system.”

In a second phase, participants listened to an actress reading movie summaries using audio only. Remarkably, even without visual cues, listeners still exhibited facial responses corresponding to a “smile in the voice,” and this mimicry predicted their choices. “This indicates that voice-only settings — such as phone calls, podcasts, or voice agents — can elicit subtle embodied responses that shape preferences,” Amihai told TPS-IL.

The research team explained that facial mimicry functions as an internal signal that the brain uses to evaluate options and form preferences. “It likely serves as an implicit ‘agreement’ signal — a fast, embodied response that accompanies evaluation while preferences are still forming,” Amihai told TPS-IL.

Insights from the study could have practical applications in marketing and user experience. By tracking subtle facial mimicry, companies and designers can better understand consumer preferences and emotional responses to advertisements, products, or interactive content. This approach could inform the design of campaigns, websites, or apps, helping creators craft experiences that naturally resonate with audiences without asking direct questions.

The research also has potential applications in social development, particularly for autistic children. The team is developing platforms to help children recognize and practice mimicry skills, which are essential for forming friendships, navigating social interactions, and understanding others. Strengthening these skills may support improved social engagement and emotional understanding in contexts that can otherwise be challenging.