Study: Explosive volcanic eruption produced rare mineral on Mars
Rice, NASA and Caltech scientists have solved a mystery that began with a 2016 discovery by Mars rover Curiosity.
Houston birdwatcher turned to listening in the pandemic
A Rice geologist’s birding hobby branched out into citizen science during the pandemic.
Rice University geobiologist tapped for Antarctic drilling mission
Rice geobiologist Jeanine Ash is participating in an Antarctic mission that’s studying climate change.
NSF backs study of Mississippi River’s response to climate change
Rice climate scientists and engineers are studying how climate change will impact Mississippi River flooding.
US News grad school rankings give high marks to Rice programs
A total of 19 graduate programs at Rice University rank among the nation's top 25 in their categories in the latest edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools.”
Ancient El Niño behavior reveals limits to future climate projections
Study finds more research is needed to determine how climate change may impact El Niño.
Voyage reveals wonder and beauty of ‘long-dead ocean dwellers’
Rice Ph.D. student Debadrita Jana is part of a scientific voyage exploring deep beneath the Indian Ocean.
Environmental champions win Rice grants
The Rice University Sustainable Futures Fund backs six projects to help bolster the planet’s environmental health.
Black and Hispanic communities bore disproportionate share of Texas’ early COVID-19 deaths
Texas state officials did not publish the race and ages of COVID-19 victims in early 2020, but a county-level statistical analysis spearheaded by Rice University undergraduates in collaboration with university faculty has found deaths statewide were disproportionately concentrated in Black and Hispanic communities.
Data from beneath the South Atlantic Ocean
Rice graduate student Kevin Gaastra is in the South Atlantic Ocean this week, working to process and inspect samples on the scientific drill ship JOIDES Resolution.
Earth isn’t ‘super’ because the sun had rings before planets
Before the solar system had planets, the sun had rings — bands of dust and gas similar to Saturn’s rings — that likely played a role in Earth’s formation, according to a new study.
Air bubbles in Antarctic ice point to cause of oxygen decline
An unknown culprit has been removing oxygen from our atmosphere for at least 800,000 years, and an analysis of air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for up to 1.5 million years has revealed the likely suspect.
Sylvia Dee wins fellowship to launch Gulf of Mexico study
Sylvia Dee, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, wins an early-career fellowship to pursue Gulf of Mexico research.
Sex and the symbiont: Can algae hookups help corals survive?
Scientists have discovered that symbiotic single-celled algae that live inside of and feed corals can reproduce not only by mitosis, but also sexually. Encouraging sex in these algae can accelerate their evolution to produce strains better able to help reefs cope with climate change.
Nature’s archive reveals Atlantic tempests through time
Rice scientists uncover how natural archives can record Atlantic hurricane frequency over the past 1,000 years. SUMMARY: Rice University scientists uncover how natural archives can record Atlantic hurricane frequency over the past 1,000 years. More data is needed to help model how climate change will affect storms in the future.