Articles by Allison Tawil

Miracles in Traditions: Nissim Tawil’s War Story

By Allison Tawil • Published: October 19, 2015 • Comment ()

After watching Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ powerful new video on Jewish identity titled “Why I am a Jew,” I am reminded of a time when I wasn’t alive in a place I’ve never been to. Echoes of the past sound softly in my ears, words that I have heard told over so many times that it […]

Not Another Silly Science Article

By Allison Tawil • Published: May 12, 2015 • Comment ()

In the year 2000, Jimmy Fallon, current host of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, was a cast member of Saturday Night Live. He was the co-host of the segment Weekend Updates, a sketch that parodies recent news and events. On December 9th of that year, one of the parodied news stories went as follows: […]

Unboiling an Egg

By Allison Tawil • Published: February 11, 2015 • Comment ()

Ever think you’d be able to “unboil” an egg? Once again, science has helped to make the seemingly impossible, possible. With recent breakthroughs in protein research, scientists have found a way to unboil a hardboiled egg; and counterintuitively, it was not accomplished by placing it in a freezing pot of water. A major component of […]

Interview with Dr. Alyssa Schuck, Department of Biology

By Allison Tawil • Published: December 11, 2014 • Comment ()

Dr. Alyssa Shuck is a Stern College graduate (class of 1999). She completed her M.S. and PhD at New York University and now teaches microbiology at Stern College. Her research interest is in vitro toxicology of nutraceuticals. Dr. Shuck currently resides in West Hempstead, NY with her husband and children. Observer: Can you tell us […]

SkyTran: The Future of Flying Cars

By Allison Tawil • Published: November 13, 2014 • Comment ()

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… flying car? Well, close enough. Tel Aviv is in the process of testing a new system of transportation, SkyTran, which was developed by a California company and supervised by NASA. The system allows a two-person vehicle to be suspended in mid-air from a magnetic levitation, or a […]

The Iron Behind the Dome

By Allison Tawil • Published: October 1, 2014 • Comment ()

During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge this past summer, the Iron Dome defense system was responsible for saving countless lives, homes, and infrastructure throughout the Holy Land. Thanks to this missile defense system, in 2014 alone, over 1,000 missiles aimed for Israel were intercepted, with a 90% success rate. While it is simple to understand the […]

The Future of Personalized Medicine

By Allison Tawil • Published: August 19, 2014 • Comment ()

Ever since 2001, the year that the Human Genome Project was completed, personalized medicine has been a dream waiting to be turned into a reality. Personalized genomic medicine promises to do something that most drugs cannot do: instead of targeting a specific disease, these drugs are designed to target a specific disease-causing-mutation based on information […]

The Increasing Incidence of Autism

By Allison Tawil • Published: April 9, 2014 • Comment ()

The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has hit a record high. A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrated that 1 in 68 children are affected by the disorder, a 30% increase from just two years ago, when the number of children affected was 1 […]

Live and Let Brain Die

By Allison Tawil • Published: March 17, 2014 • Comment ()

There has always been a very fine-line differentiating the role of religion and law in America, an especially true statement with regard to medicine. Rulings relating to abortion and contraception are almost never free of controversy, and in many instances, religious groups are the main influence on whether such laws are passed or not. The […]

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Male

By Allison Tawil • Published: March 13, 2014 • Comment ()

Perhaps there is a scientific basis to the shidduch crisis: the end of the male gender. But you know what, who needs men anyway? They just might not be around in about a million years anyway. So the countdown is on. First, let me explain. Although this is a Purim article, it’s not completely a […]