Rice researchers have developed an ultraporous material capable of pulling several valuable and rare earth elements from complex waste streams. The material, modified with a molecule called phosphonomethyliminodiacetic acid, allows for the recovery of critical minerals from industrial wastewater, a potential step toward recycling.
Researchers at Rice University developed a more sensitive version of the Cas13a enzyme, which can detect HIV and other RNA viruses in blood and environmental samples. The improved enzyme offers a 100-fold performance improvement without compromising stability.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a new monolithic segmented 3D ion trap, allowing for the study of complex systems using heavy ions. The trap combines the high-performance features of blade-style traps with the scalability and modularity of microfabricated chip traps, making it more accessible to academic labs.
Researchers created a method for single-objective light sheet microscopy in commercially available sample chambers, reducing background light and photodamage. The new approach enables better imaging with less damage to samples, making it accessible to anyone with a compatible system.
Researchers at Rice University have designed a softer porous material that selectively transports lithium ions and can help improve contact with battery electrodes. The material, ZnBTCA, combines efficient ion movement with better mechanical adaptability, offering a new approach to porous solid electrolytes.
A new Bayesian model, BMRR, combines rankings from multiple sources and accounts for disagreements among rankers, incomplete lists and factors that influence rankings. The model measures uncertainty, revealing when data strongly favors one player and when two players are too close to separate.
Researchers create autferroic nanomaterials that speed up physical random number generators while maintaining signal clarity, enabling faster data encryption and processing. The new device principle can achieve high bit-rate processing with signal clarity and stochasticity, addressing key hardware bottlenecks.
Researchers have developed a strategy to eliminate directional bias in magnetic particle assembly, using a slight rotation of the magnetic field beyond 360 degrees. This allows for isotropic interactions, identical in every direction, enabling the formation of uniform crystalline materials.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered that an organic semiconductor can transform from a liquid crystal to a solid crystal through a rapid, highly coordinated process resembling a Martensitic transformation. The transformation preserves much of the molecular organization, suggesting a new way to produce highly ordered organic ...
A new screening method using machine learning identified new potential drug compounds and a target specific to AML cells. The method exploited unique features of cancer cells, including a vulnerability in glutathione reductase proteins, to selectively target AML cells.
Sanchez's team aims to encode mechanical behavior into textiles as they are manufactured, integrating sensors, actuators, and electronics into knitted structures. The goal is to create a fabric that can bend, twist, contract, or inflate while sensing its own movement and interaction with a user.
A new method allows for the precise and specific binding of carbon to other carbons, a critical reaction for building organic molecules. The approach, developed by Rice University researchers, uses iron, sulfur, and purple light to facilitate the process, making it cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional methods.
A team at Rice University has developed a method to capture fluoride from environmental waste and recycle it into a useful reagent, silver fluoride. The process can recover 90% of the fluoride as silver fluoride, removing over 99.9% of the fluoride available in the PFAS.
A new study by researchers at Rice University and Michigan State University introduces a five-dimensional Disciplinarity Scale to measure scientists' affiliations, revealing that disciplinary affiliation often changes over time. The study found that scientists tend to have broader affiliations the longer they've been out of graduate sc...
Researchers at Rice University are conducting a national survey to measure the frequency of foreign influence in US academia, exploring tactics such as coercion, deception, and intellectual property theft. The findings will inform policy recommendations to balance security with international collaboration.
A new device uses electricity to separate cancer-associated signals from healthy particles in the blood, offering a new method for studying pancreatic cancer. The device, which sorts particles based on their electrical charge, showed promise in distinguishing cancer samples from healthy ones.
Rice University bioengineer Michael King joins the Texas Cancer Institute's AI advisory panel to explore AI's potential in cancer research and prevention. The panel aims to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI in biomedical research, with King's expertise in cancer bioengineering playing a key role.
Researchers aim to create generative cameras that can reconstruct detailed images from sparse measurements using generative AI, reducing bandwidth, computing requirements and energy consumption.
Researchers created a 3D platform using human-derived nerve cells and Schwann cells to study nerve cell formation and myelin coating development. The platform enables functional myelin formation and allows for the study of nerve damage and repair, as well as the testing of potential treatments.
The Rice360 project, led by Rebecca Richards-Kortum, aims to develop a low-cost, AI-enabled system to accelerate breast cancer diagnosis in rural Texas. The system, Access BreastDX, uses an AI-enabled digital microscope to quickly scan breast cell and tissue samples, providing automated assessments and remote review by pathologists.
Researchers at Rice University developed a new way to manufacture diamond composites by mixing diamond grains with cubic boron nitride and cobalt. The composite exhibited an extremely strong structure that could help design tougher materials for extreme conditions, and it transformed into graphite under high-speed collisions.
A recent study by Rice University sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund found that religion is often viewed as a workplace problem to manage rather than an important part of employees' identities. The research suggests that conversations about faith can reveal broader questions about ethics, belonging, and inclusion that affect everyone in...
A new cell therapy has been developed to accelerate circadian realignment in preclinical models, reducing the time required for animals to adjust to shifts in the light-dark cycle that mimic jet lag and shift work. Encapsulated leptin-producing cells have been shown to be effective in facilitating entrainment of circadian rhythms.
Researchers at Rice University found that gently squeezing a crystal of iron sulfide can change two of its unusual properties simultaneously: its tiny magnetic signal and the way electricity moves through it. This discovery gives scientists a clearer picture of how altermagnets work and suggests a simple way to control their behavior.
Rice researchers have discovered that tiny wrinkles in graphene can change its electrical properties, providing evidence for flexoelectricity. The findings suggest scientists may be able to control electricity by changing the shape of atomically thin materials.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a new technique for rapid production of advanced materials, called MXenes, using ultrafast flash Joule heating. This method significantly reduces the manufacturing time, switching from hours to just seconds, and produces less toxic waste.
Shengxi Huang, associate professor at Rice University, was elected a SPIE Fellow for her contributions to optics and photonics. The recognition acknowledges her work in multidisciplinary fields involving optics, photonics, and imaging.
Researchers at Rice University have successfully resolved the magnetic structure of hexagonal manganese telluride using uniaxial strain, allowing them to characterize the material's intrinsic magnetic structure. This breakthrough enables tuning of the anomalous Hall effect, a potential game-changer for spin-transport applications.
Rice engineers use electrical charge to control therapeutic peptide release from gelatin-based materials, enabling longer-lasting treatments. The study improves peptide retention and reduces initial burst release, offering potential for tailored release profiles in regenerative applications.
Researchers engineered a biochemical halo of interleukin 10 to suppress immune rejection of pancreatic beta cells, enabling implanted insulin-producing cells to control blood sugar for over 100 days. The approach could lead to a cure for Type 1 diabetes and improve outcomes for implantable therapies.
The Center for Large Aperture Secure Sensing, Imaging and Communications aims to develop advanced antenna technologies for future wireless systems. Led by Edward Knightly, the research team will investigate how extremely large-scale antenna arrays can expand wireless system capabilities in challenging environments.
Tianjun Sun's research develops better ways to measure human behavior and abilities, ensuring AI systems are accurate, fair, and trustworthy. Her work combines psychological measurement with AI, aiming to ground AI assessments in scientific standards.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered altermagnetism in ultrathin ruthenium dioxide films, which could enable advances in miniaturized RAM architecture. The team found that applying pressure to the film induces magnetism, with spin textures consistent with unconventional magnetism.
A team of researchers at Rice University has created an electrochemical ion pumping platform that can desalinate wastewater while selectively recovering dissolved metals. The approach uses electrode potential as a programmable control parameter, allowing ions to move continuously through the system.
Rice University professor develops inexpensive process for thiophosphate synthesis, reducing the cost of phosphorylation by up to 90%. This breakthrough opens new avenues for drug design and could lead to more efficient production of genetically targeted therapies.
A study by Rice University associate professor Tanika Raychaudhuri found that many Asian Americans learn about politics through social interactions with friends, classmates, co-workers, and neighbors. The research suggests that political identities are dynamic and influenced by evolving social networks.
A Rice University research team created prostate cancer cells that can survive high-force moments in the body, a process known as mechanoresistance. The study found that a gene called CALB2 plays a key role in this ability, with increased expression linked to metastatic cancer.
Rice University has received a nearly $20 million NSF award to lead an AI-powered materials laboratory that aims to accelerate the manufacturing of electronic and quantum materials. The project, READINESS, will integrate automated synthesis equipment, robotic systems, and digital twins to minimize trial-and-error experimentation and en...
Two Rice University teams will use AI to advance quantum computing and sustainable biomanufacturing. One project aims to overcome computational bottlenecks in quantum chemistry, while another develops an AI engine for microbial production of isoprenoids.
Researchers identified simple changes to surgical tools that can significantly affect how pressure is distributed across the esophageal wall during neck surgery. Wider retractor blades reduced stress beneath the center of the blade by up to 82%, but also shifted higher stress toward the edges.
Researchers at Rice University found a connection between droughts in mainland Southeast Asia and extreme precipitation in Central Asia. The study used paleoclimate records to reconstruct historic moisture patterns and climate model simulations to investigate the mechanisms driving these events.
Research reveals that job characteristics, including schedule flexibility and indispensability, influence how couples balance work and family responsibilities. The study found that women were more likely to make adjustments to support family needs, but this effect was attributed to differences in job characteristics rather than gender.
A new study estimates US data center power capacity will grow fourfold by 2030, with carbon dioxide emissions rising to 404 million metric tons per year. However, carbon capture and storage may offer a practical near-term pathway for providing low-carbon power.
The partnership aims to identify and develop quantum materials that will power the next generation of computing, sensing, and energy technologies. By combining world-class researchers from Rice University and Max Planck Society, the collaboration seeks to accelerate discovery and create lasting global impact in sustainability and energ...
Two research teams from Rice University and Houston Methodist are awarded grants to study protective effects of metal nanoclusters against radiation-induced skin injuries and explore the role of m6A in leukemia cell growth. The collaboration aims to improve cancer care and outcomes through innovative, interdisciplinary proposals.
The iMETRO Dynamic Simulation is an open-source platform that enables researchers to develop and test robotic systems for future space missions. By leveraging a digital twin of the NASA iMETRO facility, scientists can remotely create and test new robotic software and validate its performance with various hardware configurations.
A new study by Rice University researcher Conner Joyce examines the evolution of cybercriminal communities into politically motivated networks. The research found that online interactions can create strong social bonds that facilitate the spread of political and extremist beliefs.
Rice University researchers propose a new detector design that relies on semiconductor materials to search for axions, hypothetical particles believed to make up dark matter. The proposed detector aims to convert axions into photons, enhancing the photon signal to detect dark matter more easily.
Researchers at Rice University develop a new way to model the cochlea's sound processing using graph signal processing, identifying broader functional relationships between sensory cells. The model, called GSP Cochlea, performs better in detecting signals in noise and may hold the key to personalized device settings for hearing aids.
A team of engineers developed a soft, shape-shifting mechanical surface that responds to touch, senses its movements, and visually communicates changes in real time. The platform combines magnetic actuation, embedded sensing, and LED-based visual feedback into a single programmable system.