Elevate Research

Folding proteins feel the heat, and cold

A new study shows proteins that presumably evolved to avoid water as they fold may actually behave in ways scientists did not anticipate.

Malaria test as simple as a bandage

HOUSTON – (Nov. 2, 2020) – Testing for malaria could become as simple as putting on a bandage.

Rice rolls out next-gen nanocars

Rice researchers continue to advance the science of single-molecule machines with a new lineup of nanocars, in anticipation of the next international Nanocar Race in 2022.

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.

Haotian Wang wins Packard Fellowship

Haotian Wang has been honored with a Packard Fellowship, one of 20 researchers in the nation to do so this year.

NSF renews Rice-based NEWT Center for water treatment

The National Science Foundation renews the Rice-based Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Center for five years. The Engineering Research Center is dedicated to enabling access to clean water around the world.

Civil engineers Nagarajaiah, Erazo awarded Takuji Kobori Prize

Research on earthquake protection system earns prestigious award from the International Association for Structural Control and Monitoring.

Literal rise of the internet enables new climate science

Collaborative National Science Foundation grants will use data from internet balloons to study atmospheric gravity waves and their influence on the weather and climate.

There’s a reason bacteria stay in shape

A primal mechanism in bacteria that keeps them in their personal Goldilocks zones -- that is, just right -- appears to depend on two random means of regulation, growth and division, that cancel each other out. The same mechanism may give researchers a new perspective on disease, including cancer.

Deep learning gives drug design a boost

A computational tool created at Rice University may help pharmaceutical companies expand their ability to investigate the safety of drugs.

Gentle probes could enable massive brain data collection

The National Institutes of Health is backing a Rice project to continue the development of flexible nanoelectronic thread to gather information from neurons. The implants could help find therapies for neurological disorders.

Funding flows into liquid fuel strategy

The National Science Foundation awards a $2 million collaborative grant for the development of methods to convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels.

Boundaries no barrier for thermoelectricity

Rice researchers show how thermoelectricity hurdles some defects, but not others, in gold nanowires. The discovery has implications for making better thin-film electronic devices.

Three research teams earn Dunn Awards

Three teams of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine researchers have been named winners of the 2020 John S. Dunn Collaborative Research Awards.