Why staying focused is harder than ever and what science can tell us about it
From phone notifications and flashing alerts to crowded screens and busy workspaces, modern life is full of visual distractions competing for our attention. A Rice psychologist is investigating how irrelevant visual information interferes with our ability to stay on task and why certain distractions slow us down more than others.
A Rice-led team has unveiled how tiny molecular structures on industrial catalysts behave during the manufacture of vinyl acetate monomer, a core ingredient in adhesives, paints, coatings, packaging, textiles and many other products people use every day.
Thin ice may have protected lake water on frozen Mars
Rice researchers found thin ice may have protected lake water on frozen Mars.
New study shows early motherhood carries wage penalty, while delaying pays off
A woman’s early career pregnancy decision may shape her financial future for decades, according to new research.
Rice and MD Anderson build patient-specific models to guide complex pelvic cancer surgeries
A new collaboration between Rice engineers and physicians at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is giving surgeons a powerful new way to plan pelvic reconstructions before they ever step into the operating room.
Rice computer scientists reach finals in global XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition
Rice quantum computing researchers have introduced a novel algorithm that earned the team a place in the global XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition.
Legal sports betting linked to sharp increases in violent crime, study finds
As legalized sports betting sweeps across the country, new research shows it comes with a measurable rise in violent and impulsive crime on game days.
Rice researchers uncover the hidden physics of knot formation in fluids
A team of researchers at Rice, Georgetown University and the University of Trento in Italy has uncovered a surprising physical mechanism that explains how a single filament can form a knot while sinking through a fluid under strong gravitational forces.
Engineered material uses light to destroy PFAS, other contaminants
Materials scientists at Rice and collaborators have developed a material that uses light to break down a range of pollutants in water, including “forever chemicals” or PFAS.
Religious discrimination toward Jews and Muslims rose after Oct. 7 attacks, study shows
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has had a big effect on relationships toward religious people in the U.S., and the recent war in Gaza has made these tensions even stronger. It has also led to more discrimination and harm toward both Jewish and Muslim Americans, yet there have been important changes in bias and fear, according to a new Rice University study sponsored by Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance.
Scenic Galveston and the SSPEED Center at Rice are launching two major initiatives designed to bolster wetland health and improve storm resilience across the Houston-Galveston region.
Paul, lead of Rice Nexus, elected to National Academy of Inventors
Sanjoy Paul, executive director of Rice Nexus and AI Houston and associate vice president for technology development at Rice University, has been selected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
Levander makes case for curiosity, creative play, more fearless higher ed
Unlike many conversations about innovation in higher education, this one didn’t stay inside the walls of the academy.
Led by composer and professor Anthony Brandt, the lab highlights a growing area of study at the intersection of the arts, neuroscience and the medical humanities.
Rice partners on Project Metis to advance global leadership in brain health, emerging brain economy
Rice is a key partner on Project Metis, a groundbreaking initiative led by Center for Houston’s Future to position the Houston-Galveston region as the global leader in brain health and the emerging brain economy.
