News Brief

Technion researchers have put a full version of the Hebrew Bible on an area the size of a grain of sugar.

According to a statement from the Technion-Israeli Institute of Technology, located in Haifa, the nano-Bible, written in Hebrew with vowel points and placed in an area of o.5 square millimeters, was written as part of an educational program developed by the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute to increase young people’s interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The nano-Bible project is part of an educational program that asks “How small can the Bible be?” The idea to write the entire Bible on an area smaller than a pinhead was conceived of by Prof. Uri Sivan, head of the Nanotechnology Institute.

The 300,000 Hebrew words were written on a silicon surface using a focused ion beam.

Russia will provide Iran with an advanced air missile defense system.

The agreement for Russia to deliver at an unspecified time the sophisticated S-300 surface-air missile defense system was announced Tuesday night by Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar.

The S-300 is similar to the United States’ Patriot missile defense system which can stop incoming missiles and warplanes.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian daily Vremya Novostei newspaper that Iran has no economic need to continue its program of uranium enrichment since taking delivery from Russia of nuclear fuel for its Bushehr nuclear reactor.

Iran’s production of fissile material at its Natanz plant has caused an uproar in the international community, which is looking at placing additional sanctions on the republic. Lavrov said Russia is working to encourage Iran to halt its production and open negotiations with the “Iran Six” – Russia, the U.S. China, Britain, France and Germany.