What a week. High temperatures and Israeli dolphin spies made headlines. Iran and nuclear inspections are beginning to sound crazier by the day. Reggae and Rototom Sunsplash were trending.
It was a good time to go on holiday and be off line. However, a few of us are still around in Jerusalem, Israel. Maybe a little slow, but trying to get things done in the heat.
On Sunday, as the week was beginning, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin went back to first grade. With some schools starting the new school year and first day of classes, the President made classroom visits and took advantage of positive photo ops.
But, back at Beit Hanasi, the official Israeli President’s residence, First Lady Nechama Rivlin was receiving guests. It has been awhile since an Israeli First Lady has been involved in greeting visitors and attending official functions. First Lady Rivlin was gracious as she sat and talked with the guests.
A delegation of Tel Aviv University and NRGene scientists, mathematicians, twelve men and six women, shared the significance of the ground breaking work bringing Israel to the forefront of scientific agriculture. The First Lady received results of their ground breaking genome research.
An algorithm has been found to decipher the genome sequence of emmer wheat, the direct ancestor of cultivated wheat. This discovery will allow for the development of wheat varieties with improved properties. Working with major seed companies to breed seeds with higher yields, better disease resistance, and more adaptable to extreme growing environments, such as drought or extreme heat conditions has endless potential.
Early Israelis worked hard in agriculture, working the land. Now scientists are doing ground breaking work with DNA and Genomes, technical and scientific agriculture.
