Protein’s arm controls iron-sulfur cluster

RICE (US) —Scientists have learned how a protein that plays a role in diabetes, cancer, and aging uses entwined arm movements to control a potentially toxic payload of iron and sulfur. Continue…

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:53 - 1 Comment

Science & Technology - Jan 25, 2012 13:43 - 1 Comment

Replica of Trojan asteroids fits in single atom

RICE (US) — Physicists have built an accurate model of part of the solar system inside a single atom of potassium. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Nov 18, 2011 10:43 - 0 Comments

2M nanorods crammed into cancer cell

RICE (US) — Chemists have found a way to load more than 2 million tiny gold particles called nanorods into a single cancer cell. (more…)

Build your own swarm of robots

RICE (US) — Researchers have designed inexpensive “swarming” robots that work collectively—and can be assembled in minutes. (more…)

Science & Technology - Oct 3, 2011 16:52 - 0 Comments

Solar tablets coming to schools in India

RICE (US) — The I-slate, a low-cost electronic version of the hand-held blackboard slates used by millions of Indian children, has proven to be an effective learning tool, according to a yearlong study. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 1, 2011 9:11 - 0 Comments

Tree DNA clears Ben Franklin

RICE U. (US) — Tallow trees imported from China are overrunning thousands of acres of U.S. coastal prairie, but new research has found Benjamin Franklin not guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy. (more…)

Pollen fossils unearth climate history

RICE U. (US) — The Antarctic Peninsula gave up its vegetation about 12 million years ago, succumbing to ice during a prolonged period of global cooling. (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 17, 2011 11:43 - 0 Comments

Pruning delivers lean, green microchips

RICE (US) — Trimming the fat from rarely used portions of a computer chip can make it twice as fast, able to consume half the energy, and take up half the space as traditional microchips. (more…)

Texas ants cultivate cold-hardy fungus

RICE / U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — The Texas leaf-cutter ant (Atta texana), whose ancestors emigrated from the tropics, adapted to the relatively colder Texas winters in an unusual way—through their food. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 30, 2010 13:32 - 1 Comment

Dietary needs of a dying species

RICE / UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — More than half of all species are believed to change their diets—sometimes more than once—between birth and adulthood. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 24, 2010 14:00 - 7 Comments

Consumer-grade camera detects cancer cells

RICE (US)—Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, researchers have created an inexpensive device that is powerful enough to let doctors easily distinguish cancerous cells from healthy cells simply by viewing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 15, 2010 12:10 - 0 Comments

Why saliva forms beads when stretched

RICE (US)—Researchers have solved a long-standing mystery about why some fluids containing polymers—including saliva—form beads when they are stretched and others do not. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 19, 2010 10:01 - 2 Comments

Fungus in golf-course grass wreaks havoc

RICE U. / INDIANA U. (US)—A fungus living inside a popular turf grass called tall fescue, used widely for golf courses and home lawns, is having far-reaching effects on plant, animal, and insect communities. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 22, 2010 11:16 - 0 Comments

Upside-down answer for deep Earth mystery

RICE (US)—When Earth was young, it exhaled the atmosphere. Now, a team of scientists is offering a new answer to a longstanding mystery: What caused Earth to hold its last breath? (more…)

Futurity: Discover the Future