News Releases

Tissue-digging nanodrills do just enough damage

Scientists at Rice and their collaborators show light-activated molecular drills effectively kill cells in whole eukaryotic organisms.

Scientists create model to predict multipathogen epidemics

In one of the first studies of its kind, bioscientists from Rice University and the University of Michigan have shown how to use the interactions between pathogens in individual hosts to predict the severity of multipathogen epidemics.

New Rice University music building to be named Brockman Hall for Opera

Rice University's new music building will be named Brockman Hall for Opera and the 84,000-square-foot structure, along with Alice Pratt Brown Hall and its adjoining plaza, will be christened the Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center.

A small step for atoms, a giant leap for microelectronics

Rice materials scientist Boris Yakobson and colleagues in Taiwan and China report in Nature on making large single-crystal sheets of hexagonal boron nitride, touted as a key insulator in future two-dimensional electronics.

Vaping bans are ineffective, say Baker Institute experts

HOUSTON -- (March 3, 2020) – Vaping products have contributed to a decline in cigarette smoking but have increased the number of middle and high school students who are addicted to nicotine — a problem that can only be effectively addressed through regulation of advertising — according to drug policy experts at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Stem cell therapies' promise, perils in focus at Rice's Baker Institute

HOUSTON – (March 2, 2020) – A panel of experts will gather at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy to discuss the stem cell therapy landscape. The experts will highlight the treatments available today, describe why even negative clinical data can lead to new interventions and evaluate recent incidents of unregulated stem cell use harming patients.

‘Smart water’ may aid oil recovery

Rice University engineers study the mechanism that would allow “smart water" to aid oil recovery from reservoirs.

Deep learning rethink overcomes major obstacle in AI industry

Rice University computer scientists have overcome a major obstacle in the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry.

Rice U. energy expert: Oil and gas industry's 'defensive' history influences approach to climate change

HOUSTON – (Feb. 28, 2020) – As the climate debate heats up ahead of the 2020 elections, the country's oil and gas companies want to get in front of the curve. But they may be hampered by a longstanding culture of playing defense, according to an energy industry expert at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.

Which Democrat will take Texas on Super Tuesday?

In less than a week, voters in 14 states and American Samoa and Democrats living abroad will head to the polls on Super Tuesday.

Watch for trade deal's impact on state-owned businesses, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON – (Feb. 25, 2020) – While it is difficult to accurately predict which changes made by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will have a significant effect on North American trade, several of them, such as those relating to state-owned enterprises like Mexico's Pemex, could have a major impact, according to a report from the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice scientists simplify access to drug building block

Rice University chemists further simplify their process to make essential precursor molecules for drug discovery and manufacture. The method to modify unactivated olefins for use as building blocks could save the pharmaceutical industry millions.

Colombia's oil and gas sector in focus at Rice's Baker Institute

HOUSTON – (Feb. 24, 2020) – Colombia’s hydrocarbons industry will be the focus of a discussion among experts gathering at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The president of the country's hydrocarbons agency will present a keynote speech on new investment opportunities in this sector.

'Medicare for All' fascination distracts from finding economically feasible solutions, says Baker Institute expert

HOUSTON -- (June 10, 2019) -- The Washington Post counts 12 of the 24 Democratic presidential candidates as favoring some version of a single-payer health care system. Many voters may not realize that "Medicare for All" doesn't just mean providing coverage to those currently without it -- it means all Americans would only have coverage for essential health benefits through a government program, according to a health policy expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics and director of the Center for Health and Biosciences, is available to discuss the ramifications of single-payer health care with the news media.

CPRIT grant draws cell imaging specialist to Rice

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awards a $2 million grant to Rice to recruit physical chemist Anna-Karin Gustavsson, who will study the dynamics and distributions of single molecules in living cells through her development of sophisticated imaging systems.