29 September
Practical Magic 2: A Nostalgic Return to Magic, Family, and Growing Up 
September 29, 2026 Practical Magic 2: A Nostalgic Return to Magic, Family, and Growing Up
September 28, 2026 An Art Story, From the Netherlands to Burgazada…
September 25, 2026 The Eggplant´s culinary journey woven into Jewish history
September 25, 2026 The Holiday of Sukkot
September 18, 2026 Gamze Terra and A Warm Gaze
Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath, who fought against antibiotic resistance, has passed away
Ada Yonath was born in Jerusalem on June 22, 1939, into a Jewish family that had immigrated from Poland. She studied chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before earning her PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She later continued her research in the United States at the University of Pittsburgh and MIT. In 1970, she established a protein crystallography laboratory, laying the foundation for her groundbreaking research. September 30, 2026
In the late 1970s, Yonath took on what many in the scientific community considered an impossible challenge: mapping the three-dimensional structure of the ribosome, the cellular machinery responsible for producing proteins. Inspired by how polar bears survive hibernation and by bacteria living in the extreme conditions of the Dead Sea, she developed a technique for rapidly freezing biological crystals. After approximately 25,000 attempts, she succeeded in producing the first ribosome crystals in 1980. Her research helped reveal how antibiotics bind to and target bacteria, contributing to the development of new drugs and a better understanding of antibiotic resistance.
In 2009, Yonath was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the structure and function of the ribosome, becoming only the fourth woman to receive the prize, and passed away on August 31, 2026, at the age of 87.
Beyond her scientific achievements, she became known for her distinctive curly hair. Following her Nobel win, the phrase “Curly hair means a head full of ribosomes” became popular, and people even dressed up as Yonath during Purim, wearing wigs inspired by her signature curls. She embraced the attention with humor, often ending her talks with cartoons depicting her famous hairstyle.
*Prepared with excerpts from Selin Kandiyoti’s article “Antibiyotik direncine karşı mücadele eden Nobelli Ada Yonath hayatını kaybetti”, published at salom.com.tr
