The “Baron de Rothschild’s Ship” was one of three ships used to carry raw materials from France to a glass factory established by the baron at Tantura. The ship vanished without a trace in the late nineteenth century. Has it now been found more than a century later? In a new study, researchers from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies seek to show that a shipwreck discovered at Dor Beach in 1999 may be identified as the missing Baron’s Ship. “We know that two of the baron’s three ships were sold, but we have no information concerning the third ship. The ship we have found is structurally consistent with the specifications of the Baron’s ships, carried a similar cargo, and sailed and sank during the right period,” explained Dr. Deborah Cvikel and Micky Holtzman, who are investigating the shipwreck.

A new study at the University  has used “big data” analytical methods to reveal the “social character” of genes – a phenomenon in certain diseases whereby genes operate jointly rather than independently. “The problem is that the possible number of combinations of different genes is enormous, and it is almost impossible to examine them all effectively and reliably,” the researchers explain. “Our study offers a solution to this problem.” The study, which was undertaken as part of a master’s thesis by Pavel Goldstein from the Department of Statistics, and was headed by Dr. Anat Reiner-Benaim from the department in cooperation with Professor Abraham B. Korol from the Department of Evolution and Environmental Biology, proposes a new method for discovering complex and rare genetic effects that form part of the mechanism of creation of complex diseases, such as autoimmune diseases.