New TAU study suggests the answer lies not in human intelligence alone but in the disappearance of giant animals
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Research
May 20th, 2026
Why Did Early Humans Stop Using Massive Stone Tools?
- Archeology
A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers offers a novel explanation for a longstanding mystery in prehistoric research: why the heavy-duty stone tools used by early humans for more than a million years disappeared and were replaced by smaller, more refined tools. According to the study, published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, this shift was not driven solely by cognitive development that enabled technological progress, but rather by changes in the composition of mammal populations living in the region — most notably the disappearance of animals weighing over a ton (megaherbivores) such as prehistoric elephants, hippopotamuses, and rhinoceroses, on which humans depended for survival.
The study was led by doctoral student Vlad Litov, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor, and Prof. Ran Barkai of Tel Aviv University’s Alkow Department of Archaeology, Entin Faculty of Humanities. Prof. Barkai is a leading authority on ancient Paleolithic cultures. The findings were published in the academic journal Quaternary Science Reviews.
From Giant Animals to Smaller Prey
Vlad Litov: “During the Lower Paleolithic period (approximately 2 million to 200,000 years ago), humans routinely used heavy-duty tools such as handaxes, cleavers, and massive scrapers. These tools were particularly well suited for butchering and processing the very large animals that served as a primary food source for humans throughout this period. However, with the transition to the Middle Paleolithic period, around 200,000 years ago, heavy-duty tools almost completely disappeared and were replaced by smaller, lighter, and more sophisticated tools. Until now, this shift has been attributed to advances in human cognition. In our new study, we propose a different interpretation: the dramatic decline in the prevalence of megaherbivores was the key driver of this technological change.”
Prehistoric Stone Tool Types
The researchers analyzed dozens of archaeological sites in the Levant and compared the types of tools with the composition of the animal remains found at the sites. The findings show that in earlier periods, large animals dominated both in biomass and in species prevalence and diversity, while in later periods their presence sharply declined, alongside an increase in the hunting of small and medium-sized animals.
According to the researchers, heavy-duty tools were essential for high-intensity tasks such as butchering large animals and breaking bones in order to extract substantial quantities of meat and marrow. As these animals disappeared, the need for these types of tools diminished, and humans shifted to lighter, smaller tools better suited to processing smaller prey. In the absence of large game, early hunters were forced to target greater numbers of smaller mammals, such as fallow deer, which yielded less meat and fat. The smaller tools enabled more efficient processing of large quantities of smaller animals, while the heavy-duty tools, such as the handaxe, lost their functional relevance.
Environmental Change May Have Driven Human Evolution
The researchers note that the study offers a broader perspective on human evolution: technology is shaped not only by cognitive abilities, but also by environmental conditions and the animals that coexisted with humans. In fact, environmental changes may have driven cognitive and technological development — and not the other way around.
Prof. Barkai concludes: “The findings shed new light on the relationship between early humans and their environment, highlighting how profound ecological changes can shape human culture, technology, and ways of life over time. Our study suggests that the dramatic technological shifts of prehistory were not the result of a sudden leap in human cognitive abilities, but rather a direct response to major environmental change. As the megaherbivores — a key source of food — gradually diminished, humans were forced to adapt to a new reality of hunting and processing smaller prey. The transition to lighter, more precise tools reflects this adaptation. In this sense, the environment not only influenced early humans, but directly shaped their technology, and perhaps even their cultural and cognitive development.”
Research
May 18th, 2026
Why Exercise Alone Often Isn’t Enough for Weight Loss
New TAU-led study reveals how the body adapts to physical activity by conserving energy elsewhere
- Life Sciences
Many of us invest considerable time and effort in physical exercise with the goal of losing weight, yet the results often fall short of expectations. A new and groundbreaking international study, led by researchers from Tel Aviv University in collaboration with colleagues in the United States, provides a comprehensive scientific explanation for a question that troubles many: Why doesn’t physical activity alone lead to significant weight loss, despite sustained training efforts?
The answer: As exercise increases, the body becomes more energy-efficient. Key energy-consuming organs, such as the liver and kidneys, shrink in size, while energy expenditure in other daily activities declines.
The study was led by Dr. Tzachi Knaan as part of his doctoral research in the laboratory of Prof. Yftach Gepner of the School of Public Health and the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute at Tel Aviv University. It was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Ed Melanson of the University of Colorado, Prof. Gal Dubnov-Raz, Prof. Carmit Levy, Prof. Chen Luxenburg, and additional students from the participating laboratories. The findings were published in the journal Communications Medicine.
The Body Burns Less Energy Elsewhere
Participants who were overweight were recruited for the study and completed a supervised aerobic walking program (4–5 times per week) over a 12-week period. Throughout the study, energy expenditure, activity levels, dietary intake, and even changes in body composition were precisely measured using advanced technologies. Despite burning hundreds of calories per week through physical activity and improving their overall fitness, participants did not lose weight. However, they did show improvements in body composition, with reductions in fat and increases in muscle mass.
So why didn’t their body weight change? According to the researchers, the body simply adapted to the new situation. Among other findings, they observed a decline in resting metabolic rate, indicating that the body offset the increased activity by burning fewer calories at rest. In addition, participants became more efficient in their movements, expending less energy while performing the same daily activities.
Another surprising finding concerns the body’s internal organs: the researchers found a decrease of about 5 percent in the volume of the liver and kidneys — major energy consumers — while the brain remained unchanged. The implication is that the body reduces its internal energy expenditure in order to compensate for the increased demands of physical activity.
However, contrary to common assumptions, the researchers found no significant increase in food intake. In other words, the observed compensation does not stem from eating more, but from physiological and metabolic adaptations that reduce total energy expenditure.
“The Human Body Is Extremely Sophisticated”
Dr. Tzachi Knaan explains: “The human body is extremely sophisticated — it knows how to adapt itself to maintain balance. Physical activity is very important for good health, but when it comes to weight loss, it is not always sufficient on its own. The implication for the public is clear: exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle — it improves fitness, reduces fat, and improves health indicators — but to see significant weight loss, it must be combined with the appropriate nutrition.”
The researchers note that the new study sheds light on one of the major questions in health and fitness and may even change the way we think about weight loss. Instead of relying on exercise alone, the most effective approach is likely to involve a proper combination of physical activity, nutrition, and an understanding of the body’s mechanisms.
Prof. Yftach Gepner concludes: “This study offers a window into an evolutionarily rooted mechanism of energy compensation. In the past, when food was not available near the tribe, hunters and gatherers had to travel considerable distances, necessitating a reduction in energy expenditure in order to successfully return to the tribe with food. The central message is that physical activity alone is not designed to reduce weight. For years, science has shown that weight loss resulting from exercise is more limited than commonly expected, and in this study, for the first time, the mechanism of organ shrinkage that explains this phenomenon was observed. It is important to emphasize that physical activity has unique and substantial health benefits — but it is not intended, on its own, to lead to weight loss.”
Research
May 18th, 2026
New TAU Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries Shows Dramatic Recovery Results
Researchers developed an innovative therapy that reduces nerve cell damage after spinal cord injury and restored up to 80% of motor function in animal models
- Medicine
A new study led by Tel Aviv University offers real hope to millions worldwide affected by spinal cord injury (SCI), a devastating condition in which damage continues to spread after the initial trauma, often resulting in long-term and irreversible disability.
The study, recently published in the scientific journal Inflammation and Regeneration, presents an innovative therapeutic approach that reduces post-injury damage to nerve cells, reduces inflammation and scar formation, and therefore significantly improves functional recovery. The study was led by Dr. Angela Ruban from TAU’s Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, together with Dr. Yona Goldshmit and students Josef Levin, Rosemary Lavender, Alexander Yakovchuk, Evgeny Banyas, and Ruth Baltovska. The findings were independently validated by a CRO as part of NeuroHagana’s preclinical development program, led by Dr. Amit Benbenishty.
Stopping the Damage Before It Spreads
The researchers explain that one of the main problems in SCI is a process occurring within minutes of the injury: the accumulation of a neurochemical called glutamate that further damages nerve cells, generating a local inflammatory response, degeneration that leads to scarring and extensive progressive damage. To date, no treatment has been approved by FDA/EMA to stop this process and prevent a permanent disability. This is where the new method comes in, introducing a novel therapeutic approach: Instead of attempting to block harmful activity in the brain, the researchers found a way to remove excess glutamate through the bloodstream in the first hours after injury.
In experiments using animal models, the new treatment dramatically reduced post-injury glutamate levels, minimizing inflammation and nerve cell death, and preserving the structure of neural tissue, such as axons and synapses. Perhaps most impressive was the functional outcome: the treated animals showed marked improvement in walking and movement abilities within two days, achieving up to 80% of normal motor functioning two months after treatment - compared to around 30% in the untreated group.
The spinal cord treatment process in mice
A Treatment Designed for Real Emergencies
Another important advantage is the wide therapeutic time window: the researchers found that the treatment remains effective when given as long as eight hours after injury - a timeframe considered realistic in real-world medical emergencies. Administered via a simple intravenous injection, the treatment may feasibly be provided by first responders in the field, thereby halting the damage cascade in its earliest stages.
Dr. Ruban notes that the importance of the study “is not only the functional improvement, but the very ability to impact secondary damage — for which no effective treatments have been discovered so far. This suggests a potential for halting the ‘chain reaction’ that aggravates patients’ condition, thereby preserving neural functions that would otherwise be lost. If we are able to confirm our results in humans, the new approach will represent a true paradigmatic shift - from supportive care alone to treatment that actually reduces and maybe even completely prevents the extent of the damage.”
Beyond Spinal Cord Injuries
Dr. Goldshmit, an expert in SCI treatment and rehabilitation, adds that this novel method can revolutionize treatment not only for SCI, but also for other brain injuries, caused for example by stroke or trauma. Significantly reducing neural damage, the new treatment can enable much more successful rehabilitation later on.
According to Dr. Ruban, the events of October 7 and the ensuing war have created an additional target for the study: head injuries resulting from blast waves. Equipped with encouraging preliminary results in head injury models, the researchers will now test the treatment for blast-induced head injury in lab models through collaboration with the Neurotechnology Department of Israel's Ministry of Defense and TAU Professor Chaim Pick of the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute, Sagol School of Neuroscience, and Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
Meanwhile, Ramot, TAU's Technology Transfer Company, has established a commercial company to implement the breakthrough technology that redefines the treatment of both SCI and traumatic brain injuries (TBI): a simple intravenous injection with a wide therapeutic time window that reduces disability, improves quality of life, and significantly lowers costs for healthcare systems.
Dr. Ruban concludes: “Our main findings show that it is possible to intervene in the harmful process occurring immediately after injury — not just try to deal with its consequences after the fact. By reducing excess glutamate, we were able to protect nerve cells and significantly improve motor/cognitive functions in multiple preclinical models. If we can obtain similar results in humans, this study can potentially revolutionize the therapeutic approach to SCI and other neurological conditions. Together with other advanced medical and rehabilitation technologies being introduced into clinics, our innovation can help create a future in which SCI no longer condemns individuals to life in a wheelchair."
Research
Apr 29th, 2026
When Does a Liquid Become Solid?
TAU Researchers Offer a New Way to Observe the Elusive “Glass Transition”
- Physics
A scientific discovery by researchers at Tel Aviv University’s School of Chemistry offers a new perspective on a long-standing scientific mystery: how does a flowing liquid suddenly become a rigid, almost frozen material, without changing its structure? This phenomenon, known as the “glass transition,” has puzzled physicists for over a hundred years. The study proposes a new experimental approach to observing this elusive process — by tracking the motion of tiny particles that serve as microscopic “sensors” within the material.
The study was conducted by Prof. Haim Diamant and Prof. Yael Roichman of the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, together with the research group of Prof. Stefan Egelhaaf at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. The findings were published in the journal Nature Physics.
Using colloids to model the transition
The research focuses on colloidal materials — suspensions of microscopic particles dispersed in a liquid — which are considered an ideal model for studying the glass transition. When particle concentration is low, the system behaves like a regular liquid. But as density increases, the particles increasingly restrict each other’s motion, until the entire system becomes “jammed” and acquires the properties of an amorphous solid, similar to glass.
Tiny particles, big insight
The researchers’ key innovation is the use of particularly small and highly mobile particles embedded within a system of larger particles undergoing the glass transition. While the larger particles gradually lose their ability to move, the smaller particles remain mobile, allowing the team to measure how the surrounding medium changes.
Using advanced microscopy, the researchers measured the coordinated motion of pairs of small particles, examining how the movement of one affects the other, along different directions and at varying distances. The results paint a clear picture: in the liquid state, motion spreads over long distances through the fluid. But as the system approaches the glassy state, this propagation is suppressed, and the system begins to behave like a solid that absorbs momentum instead of transmitting it.
Colloidal Glass
Clear signatures of transformation
The researchers identified three clear signatures of the transition: a pronounced change in how the decay of correlations varies with distance; the emergence of a new characteristic length scale that grows with the material’s viscosity; and even opposing motions between neighboring particles — evidence of the development of resistance to shear, a fundamental property of solids. The experimental findings precisely confirmed theoretical predictions made by the same team several years ago.
Beyond glass: broader implications
The research team notes that, beyond their importance for a deeper understanding of the glass transition, the findings have broad implications. The new method may be used to study gels, soft materials, active systems, and even biological tissues — areas in which it is difficult to pinpoint when a system stops “flowing” and begins to solidify. In this sense, the tiny particles serve as microscopic witnesses to the moment a liquid loses its fluid character.
Prof. Haim Diamant concludes: “The significance of this research lies not only in identifying new signatures of the glass transition, but also in offering a fresh perspective on the phenomenon as a whole. Our findings show that the glass transition is not merely a gradual slowing of particle motion, but is accompanied by a profound change in the way momentum is transmitted from point to point within the material. The use of small tracer particles as hydrodynamic probes opens the possibility of examining the emergence of solid-like properties even before the system actually ceases to flow, and may provide a new tool for studying soft materials and complex systems in which the transition from liquid to solid is difficult to measure.”
Research
Apr 29th, 2026
Why We Abandon Our Shopping Carts
TAU Study Reveals the Psychological Cost Behind Billions in Lost E-commerce Revenue
- Psychology
Shopping cart abandonment is one of the greatest financial challenges faced by the global e-commerce industry. According to recent estimates, more than 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before payment. This means that customers who have already reached an advanced stage in the online purchasing process ultimately don't buy, despite the vendor's considerable investment in advertising, operations, and user experience. In other words, the costs have already been incurred, and when the purchase is not completed, the expected revenue is not received. If this occurs on a large scale, it amounts to an annual revenue loss of billions of dollars.
A psychological explanation behind the behavior
A new study conducted by researchers from the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University and George Washington University offers a psychological explanation for the phenomenon: online shopping carts containing more 'indulgent' products and fewer basic utilitarian products generate stronger feelings of guilt and wastefulness in the buyer, increasing the likelihood of cart abandonment.
The study was conducted by Prof. Liat Hadar, Prof. Yael Steinhart, and Prof. Yaniv Shani from the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University, together with Dr. Gil Appel, an assistant Prof. of marketing at the George Washington University School of Business. Published in the prominent Journal of Consumer Research, the study is based on analysis of large-scale e-commerce data alongside controlled experiments, aiming to examine how psychological considerations influence actual purchase decisions in a digital environment.
What drives abandonment
The main finding is clear: the higher the proportion of 'indulgent' products – meant for pleasure or pampering, relative to practical, basic products, the greater the likelihood of cart abandonment. Indulgent products include, for example, chocolates and sweets, scented candles, luxury personal care products, home décor items, clothes with funny prints, or amusing gadgets. In contrast, basic functional products are items perceived as necessary or useful, such as basic food or cleaning products, sports equipment, work clothes, batteries, water bottles, or storage boxes.
The researchers analyzed two vast e-commerce databases encompassing nearly 15 million items that had been either purchased or abandoned and conducted four controlled experiments. Across all methods and contexts, a consistent pattern was revealed: even after controlling for total cart price, number of items, browsing duration, and user traits, the ratio between indulgent and practical products significantly predicted cart abandonment.
The Research Team
Guilt, justification, and decision-making
According to the researchers, the explanation is not technical but psychological. Carts perceived as 'indulgent' or 'non-essential' – like those consisting mainly of indulgence items - evoke guilty feelings and difficulty in justifying the expense to oneself. This guilt amplifies hesitation and delay, sometimes leading to complete abandonment of the cart. In contrast, the inclusion of utilitarian products, such as basic consumer goods or functional items, creates a sense of balance and reduces guilt, even when the cart also contains indulgent items.
The researchers note that the study generates immediate implications and suggestions for e-commerce websites and their managers. Recommendations to purchase utilitarian products, such as everyday equipment or useful complementary items, may reduce abandonment, even if the consumer does not actually add them. Such recommendations, claim the researchers, change customers' perception of their carts, reducing guilty feelings, and increasing conversion rates.
A small shift with a big impact
Prof. Liat Hadar concludes: “Our findings show that shopping cart abandonment does not stem only from technical considerations such as price or shipping, but from a deeper psychological process of purchase justification and guilt. When the shopping cart is perceived as too indulgent, consumers find it difficult to justify the expense to themselves and sometimes simply choose not to buy. The message for e-commerce companies is that small changes in the cart's composition or in how it is presented, such as recommending useful products, can reduce guilt, improve the shopping experience, and lead to a significant economic impact."
