Environment

Ocean warming intensifies viral outbreaks within corals

A groundbreaking three-year study has found evidence that ocean warming can trigger outbreaks of viruses that attack the symbiotic algae inside corals.

Lauren Stadler has won an NSF CAREER Award

Engineering’s Lauren Stadler has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to improve wastewater treatment by harnessing the power of microbiomes.

Nanoparticles make it easier to turn light into solvated electrons

Chemists from Rice, UT Austin and Stanford have uncovered the long-sought mechanism of a light-driven process that creates solvated electrons, inherently clean chemical reactants that are attractive for green chemistry.

Daylong wastewater samples yield surprises

Rice engineers find snapshots lead to bias in testing wastewater for antibiotic-resistant genes.

ACS taps Rice, Shell for Partners in Progress & Prosperity Award

Collaborators at Rice and Shell receive the American Chemical Society Southwest Regional Partners in Progress & Prosperity Award.

New catalyst can turn smelly hydrogen sulfide into a cash cow

Rice engineers and scientists and collaborators have discovered an efficient, one-step process for converting hydrogen sulfide gas into clean-burning hydrogen fuel.

Halas, Nordlander honored in Rome

Italian President Sergio Mattarella presented Rice’s Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander the 2022 Eni Energy Transition Award in an Oct. 3 ceremony in Rome's Quirinal Palace.

Wong named fellow of American Institute of Chemical Engineers

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering’s Michael Wong has been elected a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Climate risks for Gulf of Mexico coral reefs spelled out in study

Promptly reducing greenhouse emissions would give Gulf of Mexico corals up to 20 extra years to adapt to critical threshold temperatures, according to Rice research.

Rice lab grows macroscale, modular materials from bacteria

Rice bioscientists have created bacteria that self-assembles into a material like putty that could soak up pollutants.

Can fungi help Texas’ grasses cope with climate change?

Rice biologists are using Texas as a living lab to study how symbiotic fungi help grasses tolerate drought.

Racial segregation magnifies effects of childhood lead exposure

Racial segregation magnifies the effects of childhood lead exposure according to new research from Rice, Duke and Notre Dame

Rice improves catalyst that destroys ‘forever chemicals’ with sunlight

Rice chemical engineers have improved their light-powered catalyst for destroying forever chemical PFOA.

Agriculture emissions pose risks to health and climate

Rice researchers find the economic cost of emissions from agriculture and their risks to populations through air pollution and climate change.

Getting ourselves back to the garden

A prairie garden at Rice University demonstrates the benefits of replacing manicured lawns with resilient plants and grasses that need little maintenance and help protect the environment.