News Releases

Religious discrimination particularly high for Jews and Muslims, study shows

HOUSTON – (Dec. 9, 2020) – Although people of all faiths report growing religious discrimination during the past few years, the phenomenon is most common among Jews and Muslims, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University and West Virginia University (WVU). In addition, Jews and Muslims are much more likely to become victims of violence because of their religious beliefs.

Texas lawmakers see vaccine legislation as nonpartisan

Vaccine-related legislation should be promoted as nonpartisan, new research suggests, and most Texas lawmakers agree despite a vocal anti-vaccine movement.

US must ‘hold the line’ against China’s revisionist actions, says Baker Institute expert

The United States government should accept greater strategic risk to “hold the line” against the revisionist measures of the Chinese government, according to new research from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice Business online MBA program earns high marks in its first year

Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business placed in the top 10 of five categories in The Princeton Review's latest rankings of the Best Business Schools for 2021, including the No. 6 spot for its newest program, MBA@Rice.

Vitamin boosts essential synthetic chemistry

Inspired by light-sensing bacteria that thrive near hot oceanic vents, synthetic chemists use vitamin B12 to catalyze valuable hydrocarbons known as olefins, or alkenes, useful precursor molecules for the manufacture of drugs and agrochemicals.

'Pink tax' hurts female consumers, but electing more women combats it

HOUSTON – (Dec. 8, 2020) – The wage gap between men and women is no secret, but another form of gender discrimination directly and disproportionately affects women worldwide: the "pink tax" imposed by import tariffs that target female products.

Can gender inequality kill? Paper looks at impact among older Indian women

HOUSTON – (Dec. 7, 2020) – Indian women past childbearing age are dying at a higher rate than those in other countries because of poverty and limited access to resources such as food and health care, according to a study from Rice University.

Scientists get the lowdown on sun’s super-hot atmosphere

Images of the sun captured by the IRIS mission show new details of how low-lying loops of plasma are energized, and may also reveal how the hot corona is created.

House vote to decriminalize marijuana reflects the will of the American public, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON – (Dec. 4, 2020) – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and seek to "address the devastating injustices caused by the war on drugs." Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss the so-called MORE Act with the news media.

Hidden structure found in essential metabolic machinery

Rice University biochemists have discovered membrane-divided subcompartments within organelles called peroxisomes, essential pieces of metabolic machinery for all higher order life from yeast to humans. The research appears this week in Nature Communications.

Rice physicist shares grant to advance imaging

The lab of physicist Junichiro Kono will share in a $1 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to improve imaging of proteins, cells and tissues.

Chemists get peek at novel fluorescence

Rice chemists find a second level of fluorescence in single-walled carbon nanotubes. The phenomenon may be useful in solar energy and optoelectronic applications.

Nuclear threat experts to examine global security in webinar

Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and former secretary of energy Ernest Moniz will discuss the state of global security related to nuclear and biological threats in a Dec. 7 webinar hosted by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

US economy can handle high government debt, says Baker Institute expert

U.S. debt is projected to soon eclipse World War II-era levels, and while that sounds problematic, that much growth in government debt won’t weaken the private sector like it did in the 1940s, according to new research by an expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice scientist joins next Mars adventure

A Rice University geologist is one of 13 scientists recently selected to operate the Mars rover Perseverance and analyze samples for an eventual return to Earth.