News Releases

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.

Thomas Killian named dean of Wiess School of Natural Sciences

Rice University has named physicist Thomas Killian dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, effective Jan. 1.

'Strategic indifference' leaves refugees in precarious position, says Baker Institute expert

Current explanations for migrant and refugee policies in the "global south" mistake the absence of formal policy for neglect. But a migration and immigration expert at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy proposes to explain this dynamic as "strategic indifference.”

AI helps scientists understand brain activity behind thoughts

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University have developed artificial intelligence models that help them better understand the brain computations that underlie thoughts.

Understanding frustration could lead to better drugs

Atom-scale models of proteins that incorporate ligands, like drug molecules, show a strong correlation between minimally frustrated binding sites and drug specificity. Such models could lead to better-designed drugs with fewer side effects.

Study says when to identify students who take longer to be English proficient

Students who begin elementary school and haven’t become proficient at speaking English after five years in school should be identified as what educators call “long-term English learners” (LTELs), according to a new paper from Rice University researchers.

Study: Early, late stages of degenerative diseases are distinct

Rice University biochemists have proposed that degenerative diseases as varied as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and muscle atrophy occur in two distinct phases marked by protein signaling changes that could result in patients responding differently to the same treatment.

What comes next? Rice political scientists talk 2020 election and look to the future

The 2020 election is behind us, but a group of Rice political scientists discussed the results, President Donald Trump’s reaction and the incoming Joe Biden administration’s likely domestic and foreign policy in a Nov. 18 webinar.

Rice Space Institute, Canada agree to collaborate

Rice Space Institute and the Consulate General of Canada in Dallas agree to collaborate on science and technology related to the space industry.