News Releases

Orbital harmony limits late arrival of water on TRAPPIST-1 planets

Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and U.S. and European researchers have used that harmony to determine how much physical abuse the planets could have withstood in their infancy.

‘Bound Away’ conference bringing new research on slave voyages

Art exhibitions at Moody, MFAH will contextualize research presented Dec. 3-4

Ultrathin solar cells get a boost

Rice University engineers boost the efficiency while retaining the toughness of solar cells made of two-dimensional perovskites.

AI technology no silver bullet for hiring the best employees, says new Rice research

Artificial intelligence technology is now used by a growing number of companies looking to hire the best employees, but new research from Rice University warns how it can incorporate biases and overlook important characteristics among job applicants.

Rice Business ranked No. 1 for entrepreneurship by Princeton Review

Rice Business is ranked the No. 1 graduate entrepreneurship program in the United States for 2022 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. This is Rice Business’ third No. 1 ranking in a row, its sixth year in the top three and the 13th year in which it has ranked in the top 10 on this prestigious list.

Big data privacy for machine learning just got 100 times cheaper

Rice University computer scientists have discovered an inexpensive way for tech companies to implement a rigorous form of personal data privacy when using or sharing large databases for machine learning.

Houston must take steps now to preserve affordable housing for future, report says

Houston’s supply of affordable housing is on the decline, and a new report from Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research says the city must take advantage of community, state and federal support to reverse the trend.

Private equity-acquired hospitals focus on increasing provision of technology-intensive, profitable services, study says

As a growing number of hospitals face unprecedented financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern that they might become acquisition targets by private equity firms. New research from Duke University and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy indicates those hospitals are significantly more likely to offer services that maximize profit and cut those that don't.

Rice lab first to mimic molecule found in poppies

A Rice undergraduate leads the discovery of a way to synthesize a rare molecule drawn from poppies.

Prions may channel RNA’s messages

Prions, aggregates implicated in neurological diseases, may also have an important function in helping regulate the transcription of messenger RNA in memory formation.

Weak bonds a strength in making borophene

Rice University researchers show how borophene, the 2D form of boron, can be grown to simplify its use for applications.

Rice lab details conditions to decontaminate disposable masks

Researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, establish a framework for properly decontaminating disposable facemasks.

Rice expert: Medical robots poised to become smaller, softer, smarter, more autonomous and more commercializable

Robotics expert Marcia O’Malley, associate dean for research and innovation in Rice’s Brown School of Engineering, co-authored a retrospective in this week’s Science Robotics about the past decade's advances in medical robotics.

Rice names Reginald DesRoches as next president

Reginald DesRoches, who is now serving as the university’s provost, has been named as the next president of Rice University.

Rice strategy refines genetic base editors

A new strategy by Rice University scientists seeks to avoid gene-editing errors by fine-tuning specific CRISPR-base editing parameters in advance.