A small step for atoms, a giant leap for microelectronics
March 4, 2020
Rice materials scientist Boris Yakobson and colleagues in Taiwan and China report in Nature on making large single-crystal sheets of hexagonal boron nitride, touted as a key insulator in future two-dimensional electronics.
Rice scientists simplify access to drug building block
February 24, 2020
Rice University chemists further simplify their process to make essential precursor molecules for drug discovery and manufacture. The method to modify unactivated olefins for use as building blocks could save the pharmaceutical industry millions.
Rice University's Carbon Hub kicks off Feb. 13
February 12, 2020
HOUSTON -- (Feb. 6, 2020) -- Experts from industry, academia and government will gather at Rice University's Carbon Hub Kickoff Meeting Feb. 13 to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to a zero-emissions future where hydrocarbons provide both clean hydrogen energy and advanced carbon materials that help house, move and feed people.
Algae team rosters could help ID 'super corals'
February 12, 2020
U.S. and Australian researchers have found a potential tool for identifying stress-tolerant "super corals." In experiments that simulated climate change stress, researchers found corals that best survived had symbiotic algae communities with similar features.
Israeli West Bank settlements may have dangerous consequences, experts say
January 31, 2020
As President Donald Trump unveils his new Middle East peace plan, experts in the Center for the Middle East at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy say the administration's green light for the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank comes with the potential for dangerous consequences.
Fed grant backs Rice earthquake research
January 31, 2020
Rice University Earth scientist Melodie French earns a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support her investigation of the tectonic roots of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Ordering in? Plants are way ahead of you
January 29, 2020
Dissolved carbon in soil can quench plants' ability to communicate with soil microbes, allowing plants to fine-tune their relationships with symbionts. Experiments show how synthetic biology tools developed at Rice University can help understand environmental controls on agricultural productivity.
Rice lab turns trash into valuable graphene in a flash
January 27, 2020
Scientists at Rice University are using high-energy pulses of electricity to turn any source of carbon into turbostratic graphene in an instant. The process promises environmental benefits by turning waste into valuable graphene that can then strengthen concrete and other composite materials.
Third Reich's legacy tied to present-day xenophobia and political intolerance
January 24, 2020
Who — or what — is to blame for the xenophobia, political intolerance and radical political parties spreading through Germany and the rest of Europe? A new study from Rice University and Washington University in St. Louis shows a major factor is people's proximity to former Nazi concentration camps.
Fear of wildfires inspires forward-thinking communities
January 22, 2020
A Rice architecture student is thinking hard about the problem humans have with fire and how future dwellers at risk could consolidate resources for their own protection while retaining a sense of community.