Research

Architecture studio wins honors in Seoul

With perseverance, a Rice Architecture studio landed a top prize in the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021.

Patents as loan collateral can help businesses meet financial needs, study shows

Patents are becoming an innovative source of collateral for businesses borrowing money, and there’s a time-critical sweet spot for lenders trying to calculate how much those patents are worth, according to new research from Rice University experts and collaborators.

Microplastic pollution aids antibiotic resistance

Microplastics dispersed in the environment may enhance antibiotic resistance. A study led by Rice University found the chemical-leaching plastics draw bacteria and other vectors and make them susceptible to antibiotic resistant genes.

Omicron mutations may help SARS-CoV-2 evade antibodies

Software under development at Rice University and its partners reveals mutations in the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 that may help it evade antibodies, including those from vaccinations.

Orbital harmony limits late arrival of water on TRAPPIST-1 planets

Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and U.S. and European researchers have used that harmony to determine how much physical abuse the planets could have withstood in their infancy.

Ultrathin solar cells get a boost

Rice University engineers boost the efficiency while retaining the toughness of solar cells made of two-dimensional perovskites.

Rice prof’s Nature paper details unique quantum phenomenon

Rice physicist Guido Pagano is part of a team reporting in Nature on the discovery of a new phenomenon in quantum systems.

Magnetene’s ultra-low friction explained

Rice scientists help make the first measurements of ultra-low friction in 2D magnetene.

Big data privacy for machine learning just got 100 times cheaper

Rice University computer scientists have discovered an inexpensive way for tech companies to implement a rigorous form of personal data privacy when using or sharing large databases for machine learning.

Houston must take steps now to preserve affordable housing for future, report says

Houston’s supply of affordable housing is on the decline, and a new report from Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research says the city must take advantage of community, state and federal support to reverse the trend.

Private equity-acquired hospitals focus on increasing provision of technology-intensive, profitable services, study says

As a growing number of hospitals face unprecedented financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern that they might become acquisition targets by private equity firms. New research from Duke University and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy indicates those hospitals are significantly more likely to offer services that maximize profit and cut those that don't.

Rice lab first to mimic molecule found in poppies

A Rice undergraduate leads the discovery of a way to synthesize a rare molecule drawn from poppies.

Prions may channel RNA’s messages

Prions, aggregates implicated in neurological diseases, may also have an important function in helping regulate the transcription of messenger RNA in memory formation.

Weak bonds a strength in making borophene

Rice University researchers show how borophene, the 2D form of boron, can be grown to simplify its use for applications.

Rice lab details conditions to decontaminate disposable masks

Researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, establish a framework for properly decontaminating disposable facemasks.