Cancer ‘guardian’ breaks bad with one switch
A mutation that replaces a single amino acid in a potent tumor-suppressing protein makes it prone to nucleating amyloid fibrils implicated in many cancers as well as neurological diseases.
Christopher Tunnell wins NSF CAREER Award
Rice University computational astroparticle physicist Christopher Tunnell is getting help in his search for the nature of the universe through a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.
Physics camp has proven benefits for high school girls
HOUSTON – (March 5, 2021) – Even a small effort up front can boost the abilities and confidence of girls as they anticipate taking challenging science courses.
Camera traps reveal newly discovered biodiversity relationship
In one of the first studies of its kind, an analysis of camera-trap data from 15 wildlife preserves in tropical rainforests revealed a previously unknown relationship between the biodiversity of mammals and the forests in which they live.
Bottling the world's coldest plasma
Rice University physicists have discovered a way to trap the world's coldest plasma in a magnetic bottle, a technological achievement that could advance research into clean energy, space weather and astrophysics.
Quantum quirk yields giant magnetic effect, where none should exist
In a twist befitting the strange nature of quantum mechanics, physicists have discovered the Hall effect — a characteristic change in the way electricity is conducted in the presence of a magnetic field — in a nonmagnetic quantum material to which no magnetic field was applied.
Rice team forges path toward geothermal future
Rice scientists have joined a federal project to accelerate breakthroughs in geothermal systems for unlimited, inexpensive energy.
Cerium sidelines silver to make drug precursor
Rice scientists have developed a simplified method to make fluoroketones, a drug precursor that typically requires an expensive silver catalyst.
DARPA backs Rice sensor to detect COVID-19 virus in air
Researchers receive funding for up to $1 million to develop a real-time electronic sensor able to detect minute amounts of the airborne virus that causes COVID-19 infection.
UTHealth, Rice advance oral cancer immunotherapy
Researchers at Rice and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston develop a hydrogel that could destroy oral cancer tumors.
Collagen structures get the royal reveal
An algorithm by Rice University scientists predicts the structures and melting temperatures of collagen, the triple helix that accounts for about a third of the body’s proteins and forms the fibrous glue in skin, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Mars geologist available to discuss Perseverance
Kirsten Siebach, a Martian geologist at Rice University, is available to speak with the media before NASA’s next Mars rover, Perseverance, lands on Feb. 18.
Mark Torres wins Geochemical Society’s Clarke Award
Mark Torres with water samples collected from Iceland's Efri Haukadalsá River in 2016. (Photo by Woodward Fisher)
The game’s afoot in virtual chemistry lab
Members of Rice's Department of Chemistry put forth a video “choose-your-own-adventure” strategy to help undergraduate students conduct virtual experiments.
New CRISPR tech targets human genome’s complex code
Rice bioengineers harness the CRISPR/Cas9 system to program histones, the support proteins that wrap up and control human DNA, to manipulate gene activation and phosphorylation. The new technology enables innovative ways to find and manipulate genes and pathways responsible for diseases.