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Rice University

Black sand basin in Yellowstone, National Park, Wyoming
Geology

Scientists discover magma cap at Yellowstone National Park

Pranjal Malewar

Inside Yellowstone’s fiery heart.

Low angle view of illuminated lights
Quantum Physics

Rice scientists theorize the existence of new particles other than bosons and fermions

Amit Malewar

Mathematical methods point to possibility of particles long thought impossible.

electron transfer
Chemistry

Researchers make advancements in the quantum simulation of electron transfer

Jay Kakade

Discovery could advance renewable energy technologies, molecular electronics and quantum computing.

brain Neurology
Science

Exactly why do people remember what they remember?

Ashwini Sakharkar

Rice researchers examine why people remember certain things and not others.

Reactor prototype.
Technology

New reactor could make direct air capture more energy-efficient

Ashwini Sakharkar

It has the potential to drastically reduce energy consumption for direct air capture.

The picture on the left was generated by a standard method while the picture on the right was generated by ElasticDiffusion. The prompt for both images was, “Photo of an athlete cat explaining its latest scandal at a press conference to journalists.”
AI & Machine Learning

New diffusion model could make weird AI images a thing of the past

Amit Malewar

Rice research solves the aspect ratio problem.

The reactor system prototype.
Technology

New reactor system produces green ammonia and purified water

Ashwini Sakharkar

The new system could decarbonize ammonia production and treat nitrate-contaminated water.

The innovative research builds on Tour’s 2020 development of waste disposal and upcycling applications using flash Joule heating.
Technology

New synthesis technique promises faster, more sustainable manufacturing

Amit Malewar

The method could transform the synthesis of high-quality solid-state materials.

female humanoid
AI & Machine Learning

Synthetic data can have significant negative impacts on generative AI

Ashwini Sakharkar

Training AI systems on synthetic data could include negative consequences.

Anoop Rajappan (left) and Daniel Preston
Technology

Rice Lab’s foam-based fluidic circuits for next-gen wearables and robotics

Amit Malewar

Next-generation soft robotics and wearable technologies could sport foam-based fluidic circuits.

An old Indian woman sitting on the living room against on a pills in head pain
Health

Caregiver stress: Cell damage linked to poor health

Dr. Prajakta Banik

The study “Mitochondrial health, physical functioning, and daily affect: Bioenergetic mechanisms of dementia caregiver well-being,” published in Psychosomatic Medicine, is one of the first...

Analysis of the consequences of sleep deficiency for the cognitive functions of the body
Neuroscience

Brain rehearses future in rest

Dr. Prajakta Banik

Hippocampal retuning in sleep.

The research team's homemade energy conversion efficiency measurement device that can also measure the temperature of the cooled side
Science

A new approach speeds success in achieving highly efficient thermoelectric materials

Pranjal Malewar

New approach to predict the realization of band convergence in a series of materials.

Flash Joule heating is a technique that passes a current through a moderately resistive material to quickly heat materials to exceptionally high temperatures and transform them into other substances.
Invention

Upcycling hard-to-recycle plastics into useful material

Ashwini Sakharkar

Rice lab turned wind turbine material into a useful semiconductor.

Close-up of scientist examining patient
Health

New tool improves early cancer detection

Dr. Prajakta Banik

Integrating single-cell DNA and RNA for tumor analysis.

Image showing Illustration by Alese Pickering.
Health

How visual cues inform the decision to cooperate

Dr. Prajakta Banik

Visuo-frontal interactions in macaque Social learning.

Rice University postdoctoral research
Invention

Scientists discovered a first-of-its-kind 3D crystalline metal

Amit Malewar

Rice scientists pull off quantum coup.

pouring a wet concret
Invention

A coal-based product could replace sand in concrete

Pranjal Malewar

Discovery could be part of a solution to the looming ‘sand crisis’.

Electricity sparks imagination in vibrant celebration
Quantum Physics

Physicists found a strange metal is strangely quiet in quantum noise experiment

Pranjal Malewar

Rice physicists find evidence of exotic charge transport in material.

image of layered stacks of nano-scale flash graphene sheets
Invention

Making green hydrogen from plastic waste

Pranjal Malewar

Graphene by-product offsets ‘flash’ hydrogen production costs, Rice study finds.

Image showing woman with flask for expertise environmental pollution concept.
Environment

Guidelines for extracting valuable materials from water

Vidya Nagalwade

Extracting water resources enhances national security and the environment.

A photoreactor achieved a 20.8% solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency.
Invention

New device turns sunlight into hydrogen with record efficiency

Ashwini Sakharkar

The new technology is a significant step forward for clean energy.

Electrochemical device captures carbon dioxide at the flick of a switch.
Technology

New electrochemical reactor captures carbon dioxide at the flick of a switch

Ashwini Sakharkar

New technology could lower the cost of capturing carbon dioxide from all types of emissions.

Alex Veglia
Science

Viruses from the deep past found in coral DNA

Dr. Prajakta Banik

Viral genomes may play a role in the symbiosis between dinoflagellates and corals.

Wood pieces at different stages of modification
Invention

Engineered wood absorbs carbon dioxide and gets stronger

Ashwini Sakharkar

The method could lower both emissions and building construction costs.

artist’s conception of the complex magnetic correlations
Science

SU(N) matter is about 3 billion times colder than deep space

Pranjal Malewar

Universe’s coldest fermions open portal to high-symmetry quantum realm.

synthetic dimensions in atoms by forcing them into Rydberg states
Science

Harnessing electrons to make synthetic dimensions

Amit Malewar

Rice University lab manipulates ultracold Rydberg atoms to mimic quantum interactions.

Neuroterus valhalla
Science

New insect species discovered

Pranjal Malewar

It’s barely a millimeter long and spends 11 months of the year locked in a crypt.

Image shows a gadolinium ion
Technology

Improving MRIs with modern simulations

Pranjal Malewar

Engineers find more efficient models to analyze contrast agents that find disease.

An image of the interior of the Earth
Science

A better estimate of the amount of carbon in the Earth’s outer core

Amit Malewar

The work suggests the core could be the planet’s largest reservoir of that element.

Recent Stories

Mystery solved: Why foams are leakier than expected

Chemistry

Multilayered materials that work together, like nacre

Invention

Biodegradable fungi allow trash bags to decompose the organic waste

Invention

Scientists crack the mystery of the “orange fur” in cats

Wildlife

Research reveals how Sculpins use microscopic features to stay put

Wildlife