News Releases

Fossil fuel subsidies need global reform, say Baker Institute experts

HOUSTON – (Oct. 22, 2020) – Fossil fuels still receive most of the international government support provided to the energy sector despite their “well-known environmental and public health damage,” according to new research from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

At our cores, we’re all strengthened by ‘dumbbells’

Scientists at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics detail the structure of dumbbell-like sequences in DNA during interphase that suggest several unseen aspects of chromosome configuration and function.

Undocumented immigrants need better access to health care, say Baker Institute experts

Health care is a top voter issue this year, and for undocumented immigrants, the barriers to access are many.

Rice’s OpenStax launching Free the Textbook initiative

OpenStax is committed to improving access to quality learning materials.

Show goes on: Rice Opera's first virtual performance is 'Der Kaiser von Atlantis'

HOUSTON – (Oct. 19, 2020) – COVID-19 has taken a toll on performance venues, many of which have gone dark for the foreseeable future. Professional musicians and students alike are looking for new ways to share their craft with the public, even as a new study from Ricesuggests keeping musicians safe on stage may require more than just social distancing.

A trillion turns of light nets terahertz polarized bytes

Nanophotonics researchers at Rice University, the Polytechnic University of Milan and the Italian Institute of Technology have demonstrated a novel technique for modulating light at terahertz frequencies with plasmonic metasurfaces.

RUPD accreditation commission seeks public comments

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 19, 2020) -- A public forum for community comments about the Rice University Police Department will be held during a virtual visit to campus conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Bisexual adults less likely to enjoy health benefits of education

HOUSTON – (Oct. 15, 2020) – Education has long been linked to health — the more schooling people have, the healthier they are likely to be. But a new study from Rice University sociologists found that the health benefits of a good education are less evident among well-educated bisexual adults.

Haotian Wang wins Packard Fellowship

Haotian Wang has been honored with a Packard Fellowship, one of 20 researchers in the nation to do so this year.

NSF renews Rice-based NEWT Center for water treatment

The National Science Foundation renews the Rice-based Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Center for five years. The Engineering Research Center is dedicated to enabling access to clean water around the world.

Election security expert to address voting issues in Rice webinar

Dan Wallach, a Rice University professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering, will hold a Zoom webinar on “Adventures in Voting Security Research” Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.

U.S. sanctions in Europe may hurt global energy industry

HOUSTON – (Oct. 15, 2020) – Imposing sanctions is not the most effective way to secure Europe’s natural gas supply against external coercion, according to a new study  from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Instead, the authors recommend  investing more in the continent’s natural gas infrastructure.

High turnout, more early voting expected in Harris County

HOUSTON – (Oct. 13, 2020) – Rice University researchers are expecting high election turnout in Harris County, with a majority of voters heading to the polls during early voting, more ballots cast by mail and a significant decline in the number of voters going to the polls on Election Day.

Study: Darwin's theory about coral reef atolls is fatally flawed

Rice marine geologist and oceanographer André Droxler knows Charles Darwin's theory about atoll formation is incorrect, and Droxler and former Rice postdoc Stéphan Jorry are hoping to set the record straight with a comprehensive new paper about the subject.

Literal rise of the internet enables new climate science

Collaborative National Science Foundation grants will use data from internet balloons to study atmospheric gravity waves and their influence on the weather and climate.