JOE SCHWARCZ, SPECIAL TO THE MONTREAL GAZETTE JUNE 6, 2014

 

The number of scientific discoveries made by Israeli scientists is astounding, especially when the size of the population is taken into account. They range from the Pillcam, a capsule equipped with a camera that when swallowed records images of the digestive tract, to Copaxone, an immunomodulator drug for treating multiple sclerosis. Agronomists have bred a special spider that is a highly efficient enemy of the spider mite, a devastating agricultural pest. Waze, a GPS-based navigation system for smartphones that was acquired by Google for a reported $1.1 billion, is an Israeli invention, as is a system that uses plastic trays to collect dew from the air, reducing the need to water crops by up to 50 per cent. And necessity has also led to the development of the Iron Dome, a mobile air defence system capable of intercepting short-range rockets and artillery shells.

 

Of course, you don’t have to visit Israel to learn about these developments. But you do if you want to experience the 35-per-cent salt content of the Dead Sea, or wander through the ancient aqueducts built 3,000 years ago in the times of King David, or explore the tunnels excavated by archeologists under the famous Western Wall where you’ll find the Western Stone, one of the heaviest objects ever lifted by humans without powered machinery. The stone weighs more than 500 tons and was placed with the use of ramps, pulleys, ox power and a wealth of human ingenuity.