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.
SPOTlight supercharges cell studies
Researchers develop a new method to isolate specific cells, and in the process find a more robust fluorescent protein.
At our cores, we’re all strengthened by ‘dumbbells’
Scientists at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics detail the structure of dumbbell-like sequences in DNA during interphase that suggest several unseen aspects of chromosome configuration and function.
National parks preserve more than species
National parks are safe havens for endangered and threatened species, but an analysis by Rice University data scientists finds parks and protected areas can preserve more than species.
Solomon, Siebach appear in science TV series 'Life 2.0'
Rice faculty members Scott Solomon and Kirsten Sieback appear in the first episode of "Life 2.0," a new television series that's available for streaming and slated to debut on the air this weekend.
Where lions operate, grazers congregate … provided food is great
Meals are typically family affairs for zebras, gazelles, cape buffalo and other grazing species in the African Serengeti, but in one of the first studies of its kind, ecologists have found grazing species can be more willing to share meals in areas frequented by lions.
Rice receives NSF grant to boost STEM education
A multi-institutional team led by Rice University has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a collaborative project studying persistence and retention of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers across the nation.
Alum Toni Antalis '81 takes reins at biochemistry and molecular biology society
Rice alumna Toni Antalis '81 became president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology July 1.
Egg-based coating preserves fresh produce
Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers.
Ocean virus hijacks carbon-storing bacteria
Rice scientists are analyzing the role of ferredoxin proteins produced when viral phages alter electron transfer in ocean-dwelling bacteria that produce oxygen and store carbon.
Blood flow recovers faster than brain in micro strokes
Work by a Rice neurobiologist shows that increased blood flow to the brain is not an accurate indicator of neuronal recovery after a microscopic stroke.
