List of Israeli inventions and discoveries

This is a list of inventions and discoveries by Israeli scientists and researchers, working locally or overseas. There are over 6,000 startups currently in Israel. There are currently more than 30 technology companies valued over US$1 billion (unicorn startups) in Israel.

Mathematics

 * Johnson–Lindenstrauss lemma, a mathematical result concerning low-distortion embeddings of points from high-dimensional into low-dimensional Euclidean space contributed by Joram Lindenstrauss.
 * Development of the measurement of rigidity by Elon Lindenstrauss in ergodic theory, and their applications to number theory.
 * A proof of Szemerédi's theorem using ergodic theory, by mathematician Hillel Furstenberg.
 * Expansion of axiomatic set theory and the ZF set theory by Abraham Fraenkel.
 * Development of the area of automorphic forms and L-functions by Ilya Piatetski-Shapiro.
 * Development of Sauer–Shelah lemma and Shelah cardinal.
 * Development of the first proof of the alternating sign matrix conjecture.
 * Development of Zig-zag product of graphs, a method of combining smaller graphs to produce larger ones used in the construction of expander graphs by Avi Wigderson.
 * Development of Bernstein–Sato polynomial and proof of the Kazhdan–Lusztig conjectures by Joseph Bernstein
 * Generalization of the marriage theorem by obtaining the right transfinite conditions for infinite bipartite graphs. He subsequently proved the appropriate versions of the Kőnig theorem and the Menger theorem for infinite graphs by Ron Aharoni.
 * Development of the Amitsur–Levitzki theorem by Shimshon Amitsur.
 * False discovery rate, a statistical method for regulating Type I errors.

Chemistry

 * Discovery of quasicrystals by Dan Shechtman of the Technion. The discovery led him to receive the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
 * Discovery of the role of protein Ubiquitin by Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover of the Technion Institute (together with the American biologist Irwin Rose). The discovery led them to receive the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
 * Increased understanding of how proteins are made - Ada Yonath of Israel alongside Venkatraman Ramakrishnan of India and Thomas A. Steitz of the US shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for increased understanding of the structure and function of ribosomes.
 * Development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems by Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt of the Weizmann Institute of Science (presently at University of Southern California and Stanford University, respectively), together with the Austrian-born American chemist Martin Karplus. The discovery led them to receive the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Physics

 * Discovery of the Aharonov–Bohm effect by Yakir Aharonov and David Bohm.
 * Jacob Bekenstein was the first to propose Black holes also have Entropy while working in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Optics

 * Pillcam by Given Imaging, the first Capsule Endoscopy solution to record images of the digestive tract. The capsule is the size and shape of a pill and contains a tiny camera. Created by Israeli engineer Gavriel Iddan who sold the company to Irish medical device maker Covidien for $860 million.   Iddan has expressed regret for the sale due to the companies fulfillment of an ancient Jewish prophecy “The Pillcam was based on military technology... It was a good example of how we shall beat our swords into plowshares", as the Hebrew prophets predicted. Covidien was acquired by Medtronic in 2016, and is now the provider of Pillcam.
 * Line free single power bicentric prismatic spectacle lens for correction of anisometropia. Sydney J. Bush UK patent no. 1539381.

Medicine

 * The pressure bandage - known widely as the Israeli Bandage is a specially designed, first-aid device that is used to stop bleeding from hemorrhagic wounds caused by traumatic injuries in pre-hospital emergency situations. First used for saving lives during a NATO peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by inventor, Israeli military medic, Bernard Bar-Natan. The bandage was successfully used during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and is widely used today, across the world.  The bandage was nicknamed "Israeli bandage" by American soldiers, and has been "the bandage of choice for the US Army and special forces". Before the Israeli emergency bandage was invented in 1998, wounded soldiers were told to find a rock and wrap it on top of hemorrhaging wounds in order to hold direct pressure. Bar-Natan sold his company to PerSys Medical Inc in Houston, Texas, the company that first introduced the bandage to the US military.[[File:A Sudanese service member, right, applies a bandage to U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Douglas Barton's arm during exercise Cutlass Express 2013 at the Port of Djibouti in Djibouti Nov. 13, 2013 131113-F-NJ596-036.jpg|alt=A Sudanese service member, right, applies a bandage to U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Douglas Barton's arm during exercise Cutlass Express 2013 at the Port of Djibouti in Djibouti Nov. 13, 2013|thumb|An Israeli Bandage being used by Sudanese and US Naval service members during a training exercise.]]
 * Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation – a notation system for recording movement on paper that has been used in many fields, including dance, physical therapy, animal behavior and early diagnosis of autism.
 * Development of the Copaxone immunomodulator drug for treating multiple sclerosis. It was developed in the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel by Michael Sela, Ruth Arnon and Deborah Teitelbaum.
 * Development of bioengineered recombinant interferon proteins by Michel Revel from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
 * Development of taliglucerase alfa (Elelyso), a recombinant glucocerebrosidase enzyme produced from transgenic carrot cell cultures. Taliglucerase alfa won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2012 as an orphan drug for the treatment of Type 1 Gaucher's disease.
 * Sambucol, an over-the-counter elderberry-based anti-influenza syrup. Discovered by Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Studies in 1995 showed that Sambucol was effective against human, swine and avian influenza strains, although more research is required to clearly understand its effectiveness.
 * Development of ENvue, a feeding tube placement system with advanced methods of navigation, integrated sensors and body mapping, for accurate enteral tube placement, by the Israeli company ENvizion Medical, used in Hospitals and Medical centers in the US.

Economics

 * Work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem explaining irrational human economic choices. The work led Daniel to receive the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics.
 * Developments in Game theory. Israel Aumann of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in this field.
 * The Rubinstein bargaining model, one of the most influential findings in game theory, refers to a class of bargaining games that feature alternating offers through an infinite time horizon. The proof is from Ariel Rubinstein 1982.

Biotechnology

 * Nanowire – a conductive wire made of a string of tiny particles of silver, a thousand times thinner than a human hair. Developed by Uri Sivan, Erez Braun and Yoav Eichen from Technion.
 * World's smallest DNA computing machine system – "the smallest biological computing device" ever constructed, according to Guinness Book of Records, which is composed of enzymes and DNA molecules capable of performing simple mathematical calculations and which uses its input DNA molecule as its sole source of energy. Developed in 2003 in the Weizmann Institute of Science by professor Ehud Shapiro and his team.

Theoretical computer science

 * RSA public key encryption, introduced by Adi Shamir with Ron Rivest, and Leonard Adleman
 * The concept of nondeterministic finite automatons, introduced by Michael O. Rabin
 * Amir Pnueli introduced temporal logic into computing science
 * Lempel–Ziv–Welch algorithm, a universal lossless data compression algorithm created by Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv of the Technion institute, together with the American Information theorist, Terry Welch.
 * Differential cryptanalysis, co-invented by Adi Shamir
 * Shamir's Secret Sharing, invented by Adi Shamir

Computer hardware

 * Smartphone dual lens technology, by Israeli company Corephotonics. In 2018, Corephotonics sued Apple Inc for infringement of its dual camera patents; specifically regarding several iPhone models' use of their patented telephoto lens design, optical zoom method, and a method for intelligently fusing images from the wide-angle and telephoto lenses to improve image quality, infringing on four separate patents.     Corephotonics was bought by Samsung in 2018 for US$155 million. IPhone XS.jpg
 * The Intel 8088 – This microprocessor, designed at Intel's Haifa laboratory, powered the first PC that IBM built, which is credited with kickstarting the PC revolution.    The 8088 was designed in Israel at Intel's Haifa laboratory. The widespread use of the IBM's PC, using the 8088 processor, established the use of x86 architecture as a de facto standard for decades. The IEEE wrote that "almost all the world’s PCs are built around CPUs that can claim the 8088 as an ancestor." Intel has credited the 8088 with launching the company into the Fortune 500.
 * Quicktionary Electronic dictionary – a pen-sized scanner able to scan words or phrases and immediately translate them into other languages, or keep them in memory in order to transfer them to the PC. Developed by the company Wizcom Technologies Ltd.
 * Laser Keyboard – a virtual keyboard is projected onto a wall or table top and allows to type handheld computers and cell phones. Developed simultaneously by the Israeli company Lumio and Silicon Valley startup company Canesta.   The company subsequently licensed the technology to Celluon of Korea.
 * TDMoIP (TDM over IP) − in telecommunications, the emulation of time-division multiplexing (TDM) over a packet-switched network (PSN), developed by engineers at RAD Data Communications
 * Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - technology for voice based communications using the internet instead of traditional telephone systems. VoIP was originally conceived by Danny Cohen, an Israeli-American scientist, but was first created, implemented, and commercialized by Netanya-based, Israeli company VocalTec and its founder Alon Cohen
 * Many Intel processors are developed and/or manufactured in Israel including:
 * Ice Lake Server processors, developed in Haifa and produced at Intel's Kiryat Gat plant.
 * Celeron
 * Sunny Cove
 * Rocket Lake
 * Alder Lake
 * Pentium MMX
 * Centrino / Pentium M
 * Sandy Bridge
 * Development and production of processors and chipsets for many companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, HP, Amazon, IBM, Broadcom, ARM, STMicroelectronics, Samsung, Sony, and Qualcomm, some of whom have had major research and development centers in Israel for decades, often developing key technologies in their Israeli R&D centers.
 * Thunderbolt, a widely used interface technology, was developed as a joint venture between Apple Inc and Intel, in Israel

Computer and mobile software

 * Umoove, a high-tech startup company that invented a software only solution for face and eye tracking is located in Israel.

Defense, Aviation and Military

 * Iron Dome – a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. On April 7, 2011, the system successfully intercepted a Grad rocket launched from Gaza, marking the first time in history a short-range rocket was ever intercepted. The Iron Dome was later utilized more fully in the Israeli-Gaza conflict of 2012, where it displayed a very high rate of efficiency (95%–99%) in intercepting enemy projectiles. The United States has been an essential partner in developing the Iron Dome by providing billions towards its development.

Agriculture and breeding

 * The Tomaccio cherry tomato was developed by several Israeli laboratories, the dominant ones being those led by Professor Nahum Kedar and Professor Haim Rabinowitch from the Agriculture Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot Campus.

Energy

 * Super iron battery – A new class of a rechargeable electric battery based on a special kind of iron. More environment friendly because the super-iron eventually rusts, it was developed by Stuart Licht. of the University of Massachusetts.

Consumer goods and appliances

 * Wonder Pot – a pot developed for baking on the stovetop rather than in an oven.

Games

 * Rummikub – a tile-based game for two to four players invented by Ephraim Hertzano.
 * Hidato – a logic puzzle game invented by mathematician Gyora Benedek.
 * Taki – an Israeli card game invented by Haim Shafir.
 * Mastermind – an Israeli board game invented by Mordecai Meirowitz.
 * Guess Who? – a two-player guessing game invented by Theo & Ora Coster (a.k.a. Theora Design).

Food and drink

 * Ptitim, also called Israeli couscous worldwide, is a wheat-based baked pasta. It was initially invented during the austerity period in Israel when rice and semolina were scarce.
 * Safed cheese or Tzfat cheese is a semi-hard, salty cheese produced in Israel from sheep's milk. It was first produced by the Hameiri dairy in Safed in 1840 and is still produced there by descendants of the original cheese makers.
 * Jerusalem mixed grill is a grilled meat dish considered a specialty of Jerusalem. It consists of chicken hearts, spleens and livers mixed with bits of lamb cooked on a flat grill, seasoned with onion, garlic, juniper berries, black pepper, cumin, turmeric and coriander
 * Sabich is a sandwich, consisting of a pita stuffed with fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs. Local consumption is said to have stemmed from a tradition among Iraqi Jews, who ate it on Shabbat morning.
 * Shkedei marak is an Israeli food product consisting of crisp mini croutons used as a soup accompaniment.
 * Karat Caviar is a Russian Osetra caviar brand farmed in the Golan and has won several international awards. The Russian Osetra fingerlings were imported from the Caspian Sea.
 * Bamba is a peanut butter-flavored snack food manufactured by the Osem corporation in Holon, Israel. In a clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, infants exposed to Bamba had an overall 86% reduction in the development of a peanut allergy, measured at age 5.
 * Bissli is an Israeli wheat snack produced by Nestle-owned Osem. Bissli is Osem's leading snack brand after Bamba.

Sports

 * The Penalty shoot-out (association football), a method used to determine the winner of an association football match that ends in a draw, was invented by Israeli Yosef Dagan. Introduced in the 1970s, it has since become a standard tiebreaker in football tournaments worldwide, providing a decisive and dramatic conclusion to tied matches.

Physical exercise

 * Aviva method
 * Feldenkrais
 * Krav Maga

Other

 * Paranormal Activity - A famous horror film series. Produced by Israeli video game programmer and film producer, Oren Peli, shortly after moving to the US.
 * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Brought to the US by Israeli Haim Saban.
 * Homeland (TV Series) - Based on the Israeli hit TV series Hatufim.
 * DogTV - The first dedicated television network designed for dogs. Created by Israeli Ron Lev and originally launched in Israel.
 * Gaga (dance vocabulary) - Gaga is a movement language and pedagogy developed by Batsheva Dance Company director and teacher Ohad Naharin. Used in some Israeli contemporary dance, it has two educational tracks which are taught in Israel as well as several other countries