Natural Sciences

Boron nitride nanotube fibers get real

Rice scientists create the first boron nitride nanotube fibers using the custom wet-spinning process they developed to make carbon nanotube fibers.

Process to customize molecules does double duty

Chemists develop a method to add two fragments to an alkene molecule in a single process, which could simplify drug and materials design.

Rice lab’s quantum simulator delivers new insight

A Rice University quantum simulator is giving physicists a clear look at spin-charge separation, a bizarre phenomenon in which two parts of indivisible particles called electrons travel at different speeds in extremely cold 1D wires. The research is published this week in Science and has implications for quantum computing and electronics with atom-scale wires.

Schooling status during pandemic predicted parents’ resilience

A new study suggests parents accustomed to home schooling felt more resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic than those whose public-school children were suddenly housebound, especially when the latter parents did not meet recommendations for physical activity.

Rice physicist wins DOE early career award

Physicist Guido Pagano wins a prestigious Early Career Research Award from the Department of Energy.

Bacteria-killing drills get an upgrade

Rice scientists have created light-activated molecular drills that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Cars could get a ‘flashy’ upgrade

Rice University chemists, working with the Ford Motor Company, processes waste plastic from end-of-life trucks into graphene for composite materials in new vehicles.

Rice bioengineers are shining light on bacterial stress

Rice bioengineers are ready to shine a lot of light on bacteria’s genetic response to stress.

CPRIT grants entice three cancer researchers to Rice

Rice University recruits three professors to bolster cancer research with grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Spinning is key for line-dancing electrons in iron selenide

Quantum physicists at Rice have helped answer an important question at the forefront of research into superconductivity.

Rice chemists skew the odds to prevent cancer

A theoretical framework by Rice University scientists shows how to increase the odds of identifying cancer-causing mutations before tumors take hold. They demonstrate that only a few energetically favorable pathways are likely to lead to cancer.

​​​​​​​Computational sleuthing confirms first 3D quantum spin liquid

Physicists have confirmed the first 3D quantum spin liquid, a solid material with a liquidlike magnetic state.

May 15 lunar eclipse promises outstanding views

Rice’s campus observatory will host a public viewing May 15 for a well-timed total lunar eclipse.

Crystal study may resolve DNA mystery

Rice University bioscientists have uncovered a tiny detail that could help understand how DNA replicates with such astounding accuracy.

Graduate student gets call to Brookhaven

Graduate student Dale Lowder has been selected by the Department of Energy to work and study at Brookhaven National Laboratory this fall.