The Saint Catherine region of southern Sinai Peninsula’s drylands encompasses a unique combination of geophysical conditions. These features have formed highly diverse habitats, which support extremely complex plant communities. Throughout history, the local Bedouin population has used many of these plants for therapeutic purposes. The objectives of this study were to document the medicinal knowledge for as many as possible plant species, evaluate this ethnobotanic knowledge against a modern biomedical database, and identify links between the two disciplines. On-site gathering of information, through structured interviews with two local key informants, revealed the traditional use of 90 native vegetation species for a range of therapeutic purposes. Surveying the modern biomedical uses of these plant species in the PubMed database revealed medicinal use for 41 of them, as well as other plant species without known traditional therapeutic uses. Of the 41 plant species, in-depth integration of traditional and modern knowledge was implemented for 20 species, for which sufficient information was found in the PubMed. The results highlight the common ground between the two disciplines, and propose bridges between traditional and modern medicines. The study stresses the need for additional research in ethnobotany, which may assist in developing new plant-based medications.

Seagrasses form oxidizing microenvironments around their roots, creating complex and strong redox gradients, thus affecting the rates of microbial carbon mineralization in their surrounding sediments. Since seagrasses are continuously being lost worldwide, a deeper understanding of the changes that occur within different seagrass sediments following the disappearance of the plants is of ecological and global importance. We conducted a slurry experiment with sediments that have different characteristics from the northern tip of Gulf of Aqaba; the different sediments included different compartments of the tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea (old and young leaves, rhizomes, and roots). We measured the changes over time in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), alkalinity, ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfate (SO4 2-), and sulfur isotopes ratio in sulfate within the water. These measurements were used to calculate the rate of remineralization of each seagrass compartment, allowing us to predict the potential effects of the disappearance of different H. stipulacea compartments on key microbial processes in the surrounding environment.We show that H. stipulacea's rhizomes had the fastest decomposition rates, followed by the young leaves, roots, and old leaves (which also indicates the preservation potential of old leaves). High concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were detected only in the slurries containing rhizomes and young leaves. High sulfide concentrations can lead to seagrass mortality and to cause a positive feedback loop where the loss of seagrass due to sulfide generates further sulfide accumulation. This positive feedback loop can also be further reinforced by the loss of burrowing fauna in the sediment. This emphasizes the importance of understanding the extent of different pathways of seagrass disappearance on the surrounding environment and other geochemical feedbacks.

Ancient stone terrace walls aimed at harvesting water runoff and facilitating crop production are widespread across the drylands of the Middle East and beyond. In addition to retaining the scarce water resource, the terrace walls also conserve soil and thicken its profile along ephemeral stream channels (wadis) by decreasing fluvial connectivity and mitigating erosional processes. In this study, we created hydrological models for three wadis with ancient stone terrace walls in the arid northern Negev of Israel, where the predominant geophyte species is Asphodelus ramosus L. A two-dimensional (2D) rain-on-grid (RoG) approach with a resolution of 2 m was used to simulate the rain events with return periods of 10, 20, 50, and 99 % (10-y, 5-y, 2-y, and yearly, respectively) based on the Intensity-Duration-Frequency rain curves for the region. To evaluate the effect of stone terrace walls on fluvial hydrology and geomorphology, the ground level was artificially elevated by 20 cm at the wall locations in a digital terrain model (DTM), using the built-in HEC-RAS 2D terrain modification tool. Our results showed that the terraced wadis have a high capacity to mitigate runoff loss, but a lesser capacity to delay the peak flow. Yet, for all rainstorm return periods, peak flow mitigation was positively related to the number of terrace walls along the stream channel. Field surveys in two of the studied wadis demonstrated that the A. ramosus clones were found in proximity to the stone terrace walls, presumably due to the greater soil–water content there. The results thus suggest that the terrace walls provide improved habitat conditions for these geophytes, supporting their growth and regulating their distribution along the wadi beds.

Recent excavations at Naḥal ‘Amram, a Nabataean copper mining center in the Arabah valley, Israel, unearthed for the first time four iron tips of mining picks. The present study undertakes a complex investigation of the picks, including metallographic, indentation hardness, slag inclusions (SIs), metal matrix, and osmium isotopic composition (Os-IC) analyses. The results indicate that the picks were manufactured via similar blacksmithing techniques, using two types of hard alloys: quench-hardened steel and phosphoric iron. A correlation was found between the composition of SIs, metal, and osmium isotopic signature, suggesting that three different ore sources were exploited to produce these picks. The quenched steel likely originated from a single ore source, whereas the two P-rich iron probably provenance from two different, yet geographically close or geologically similar ore deposits.

The undertaken study highlights the importance of an integrative provenancing approach, which relies on the analyses of siderophile/chalcophile elements of the metal, lithophile trace elements of slag inclusions, and osmium isotopic analyses. This approach allows the complete characterization of the ore provenance signature of an artefact. However, the final provenance assignment to a specific ore deposit is currently limited, as it depends on our knowledge and familiarity with potential ore sources and on the archaeological evidence of their exploitation.

Despite the significant global impact of oil spills on the environment, little is known about the effects of oil spills on animals in terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in desert environments. In contaminated areas, habitat selection can be a crucial behavior determining individuals survival as well as a potential indicator of an ecosystem’s condition. This is especially relevant for ground-dwelling insects, whose close interactions with the soil make them valuable bioindicators of soil quality.

This study aimed to determine the long and short-term effects of oil spills on the microhabitat selection behavior of ground-dwelling insects in a hyper-arid desert. Soil samples were collected from a nature reserve that experienced two oil spills, one in 1975 and another in 2014. We conducted microhabitat selection experiments in laboratory conditions using the ground-dwelling Mesostena angustata beetles and Myrmeleon hyalinus antlion larvae.

When given a choice between clean soil (control) and soil contaminated in 2014, both beetles and antlions selected the clean soil, with antlions exhibiting reduced movements and no pit-trap digging in contaminated soil. Surprisingly, both beetles and antlions selected the soil contaminated in 1975 over other soil types. However, the antlions kept relocating their pit-falls traps in the 1975 polluted soil, which may indicate they perceived this soil as less suitable for pit digging. When given a choice between three types of soil, the beetles clearly preferred dark, oil-contaminated soils and avoided the clean soil.

Our study highlights the complex and varied effects of oil spills on microhabitat selection behavior in ground-dwelling insects, indicating the importance of considering long-term effects in future restoration efforts.

Implications for insect conservation: This study shows that oil contamination impacts ground dwelling insects behavior even more than four decades after an oil spill. The attraction of both insect species to the contaminated soil from 1975 may be an indication of an ecological trap for these species in the field. We conclude in this study that the habitat selection behavior of the antlion larvae may be a good behavioral indicator for habitat restoration purposes.

Sun exposure is harmful to the skin and increases the risk of skin aging and skin cancer. Here we examined the effects of daily exposure to sun radiation on the skin microbiome in order to determine whether skim microbiome bacteria can contribute to protection from solar damage. Skin swabs were collected from ten lifeguards before and after the summer to analyse the skin microbiome. The results indicates that specific skin microbiome bacteria were enriched following the seasonal sun exposure. Especially interesting were two bacterial families - Sphingomonas and Erythrobacteraceae – which may have the ability to protect against UV radiation as they produce potentially protective compounds. We concentrated on a Sphingomonas strain and could show that it was highly resistant to UV irradiation and was able to reduce reactive oxygen species levels in human keratinocytes. These results provide a proof-of-concept for the role of the skin microbiome in protection from solar radiation.

Seagrasses harbour different and rich epiphytic bacterial communities. These microbes may establish intimate and symbiotic relationships with the seagrass plants and change according to host species, environmental conditions, and/or ecophysiological status of their seagrass host. Although Posidonia oceanica is one of the most studied seagrasses in the world, and bacteria associated with seagrasses have been studied for over a decade, P. oceanica’s microbiome remains hitherto little explored. Here, we applied 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to explore the microbiome associated with the leaves of P. oceanica growing in two geomorphologically different meadows (e.g. depth, substrate, and turbidity) within the Limassol Bay (Cyprus). The morphometric (leaf area, meadow density) and biochemical (pigments, total phenols) descriptors highlighted the healthy conditions of both meadows. The leaf-associated bacterial communities showed similar structure and composition in the two sites; core microbiota members were dominated by bacteria belonging to the Thalassospiraceae, Microtrichaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Saprospiraceae, and Hyphomonadaceae families. This analogy, even under different geomorphological conditions, suggest that in the absence of disturbances, P. oceanica maintains characteristic-associated bacterial communities. This study provides a baseline for the knowledge of the P. oceanica microbiome and further supports its use as a putative seagrass descriptor.

Arid environments are characterized by rare rain events that are highly variable, as a result of which plant populations often exhibit episodic recruitment and mortality dynamics. However, direct records and observations of such events are rare because of the slow development of woody species. In this study, we described how a decrease in annual precipitation affected acacia tree population dynamics in two hydrological regime types: small wadis and salt flats. This study combines 15 years of continuous, yearly field monitoring of individual acacia trees and data from a historical Corona satellite image, which has extended the time scope of the research. Results indicate that the annual mortality of acacia trees in small wadis reflects the cumulative effective rain events in the preceding five years, whereas the population on the salt flats was not affected by annual rainfall fluctuations. Moreover, in small wadis, rain events of less than 8 mm did not increase acacia tree survival rates. The mortality pattern and dynamics of each plot was unique, suggesting unsynchronized mortality and recruitment episodes on a regional scale. Mortality in all plots was documented both in “old” trees (i.e., recognized in 1968) and “new” trees (not recognized in 1968), but varied highly between plots. More than 50% of the dead trees recorded at the sites had died during the previous dry period (2000–2010). Combining field monitoring and historical satellite image data provided a unique database of acacia population dynamics. This record revealed the response of the acacia population to climate fluctuations and a period of episodic mortality.

More than 50% of pre-clinical studies fail despite a long and expensive journey of drug discovery using animal models [1]. Currently, there is a human-specific replacement: human patient induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs)/human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and their counterpart corrected cells (using Crispr methodology), which enable the establishment of disease-in-a-dish models encompassing patients’ genetics, which were eluted in this issue. This Editorial review contains three parts: cellular models, three-dimensional models and reviews. Piera Trionfini et al. describe how allogeneic iPSCs and hypoimmunogenic iPSCs serve as new cost-effective and off-the-shelf opportunities for cell therapy in liver diseases. They achieved this goal by employing the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9) system to delete the β2-Microglobulin (B2M) and the Class II Major Histocompatibility Complex Transactivator (CIITA) genes [2]. LU PAN et al. employ a model of neural progenitor cell (NPCs) migration assay to answer the unsolved problem of the impacts of sevoflurane anesthesia on the impairment of NPC migration and, as such, on cognitive function. They were able to show that a sevoflurane-induced decrease in NPC migration is dependent on cyclophilin D (CypD) levels [3].

Abstract. One of the greatest threats to groundwater is contamination from fuel derivatives. Benzene, a highly mobile and toxic fuel derivative, can easily reach groundwater from fuel sources and lead to extensive groundwater contamination and drinking water disqualification. Modelling benzene transport in the unsaturated zone can provide quantification of the risk for groundwater contamination and needed remediation. Yet, characterization of the problem is often complicated, due to typical soil heterogeneity and numerous unknown site and solute parameters, as well as the difficulty in distinguishing important from non-important parameters, resulting in high uncertainty. Thus, the application of sensitivity analysis (SA) methods, such as global SA (GSA), is required to reduce uncertainty and detect important parameters for groundwater contamination, mitigation, and remediation. Nevertheless, studies devoted to identification of the driving parameters for fuel derivatives transport in the unsaturated zone are scarce. Here, we performed GSA on a problem of benzene transport in the unsaturated zone. First, a simple GSA ‘Morris’ screening method was used for a homogenous sandy vadose zone. Then, a more computationally-demanding ‘Sobol’ variance-based GSA was run on the most influential parameters. Finally, the ‘Morris’ method was tested for a heterogeneous medium containing clay layers. To overcome the problem of model crashes during GSA, several methods were tested for imputation of missing data. The GSA results found benzene degradation rate (λ_k) to be the utmost influential parameter controlling benzene mobility. The depth of aquifer followed in importance in the homogenous media, while in the heterogeneous media parameters related to the clay layers, such as clay adsorption coefficient and the number of clay layers, followed in importance. The study emphasizes the significance of λ_k and the presence of clay layers in predicting aquifer contamination. The study also strengthen the importance of heterogenous media representation in the GSA, since different parameters control the transport in different soil layers. Overall, GSA is demonstrated here as an important tool for the analysis of transport models. The results also show that in higher dimensionality models, the radial basis function (RBF) is an efficient surrogate model for missing data imputation.