Pandemic’s end now in sight, experts say
On the day after President Biden announced that every American will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1, two top Rice University scientists focused on the pandemic voiced both optimism and grave concern.
Unconventional Students at Rice 2021: Norman Zheng finds balance
When Norman Zheng ’21 came to Rice he wanted to be pre-med, but he did not think there would be hands-on experience in his first year.
Camera traps reveal newly discovered biodiversity relationship
In one of the first studies of its kind, an analysis of camera-trap data from 15 wildlife preserves in tropical rainforests revealed a previously unknown relationship between the biodiversity of mammals and the forests in which they live.
DARPA backs Rice sensor to detect COVID-19 virus in air
Researchers receive funding for up to $1 million to develop a real-time electronic sensor able to detect minute amounts of the airborne virus that causes COVID-19 infection.
Laura Segatori named AIMBE fellow
Rice bioengineer Laura Segatori has been named a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
‘Power Flower’ blooms as Bowdoin’s debut work of Rice Public Art
VADA professor’s sculpture is one of four new pieces acquired for campus art program.
Junghae Suh named AIMBE fellow
Rice bioengineer Junghae Suh has been named a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Collagen structures get the royal reveal
An algorithm by Rice University scientists predicts the structures and melting temperatures of collagen, the triple helix that accounts for about a third of the body’s proteins and forms the fibrous glue in skin, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
New CRISPR tech targets human genome’s complex code
Rice bioengineers harness the CRISPR/Cas9 system to program histones, the support proteins that wrap up and control human DNA, to manipulate gene activation and phosphorylation. The new technology enables innovative ways to find and manipulate genes and pathways responsible for diseases.
Study shows why anesthetic stops cell’s walkers in their tracks
Researchers detail the mechanism that allows propofol, a common anesthetic, to halt the movement of kinesin proteins that deliver cargoes to the far reaches of cells.
Light flips genetic switch in bacteria inside transparent worms
Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have shown that colored light can both activate and deactivate genes of gut bacteria in the intestines of worms. The research shows how optogenetic technology can be used to investigate the health impacts of gut bacteria.
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.
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: 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.
Discovery adds new species to Rice lab's ghoulish insect menagerie
A horrifying insect soap opera with vampires, mummies and infant-eating parasites plays out on oak trees every day.
