Science and Technology

Barnacles offer genetic clues on how organisms adapt to changing environments

March 16, 2020

Long-term work by a Brown research team on how barnacles thrive in intertidal zones has increasingly wide implications for understanding how other organisms may adapt in the face of climate change.

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Researchers develop new explanation for destructive earthquake vibrations

March 3, 2020

High-frequency vibrations are some of the most damaging ground movements produced by earthquakes, and Brown University researchers have a new theory about how they’re produced.

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Imaging technique reveals 3D forces exerted by tiny cell clusters

March 3, 2020

A new technique for mapping the forces that clusters of cells exert on their surroundings could be useful for studying everything from tissue development to cancer metastasis.

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How do zebrafish get their stripes? New data analysis tool could provide an answer

February 27, 2020

A new mathematical tool developed at Brown could help scientists better understand how zebrafish get their stripes as well as other self-assembled patterns in nature.

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Sloan Foundation awards early-career fellowships to two Brown scientists

February 27, 2020

Two assistant professors at Brown, in chemistry and ecology and evolutionary biology, are among the 126 early-career scholars named as Alfred P. Sloan Foundation fellows for 2020.

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Cracks in perovskite films for solar cells easily healed, study finds

February 12, 2020

A new study finds that cracks in brittle perovskite films can be easily healed with compression or mild heating, a good sign for the use of perovskites in next-generation solar cells.

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Researchers report progress on molecular data storage system

February 4, 2020

A Brown University team has shown that they can store and retrieve more than 200 kilobytes of digital image files by encoding the data in mixtures of new custom libraries of small molecules.

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Algorithm can infer velocity and pressure from video of fluid flows

January 30, 2020

A technique for estimating velocities and pressures from videos of fluid flows could help in studying everything from hurricanes to vascular disease.

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Near caves and mines, corrugated pipes may interfere with bat echolocation

January 30, 2020

Corrugated metal pipes have been installed at cave and mine entrances to help bats access their roosts, but a new study from Brown University researchers suggests that these pipes may actually deter bats.

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Researchers develop new bio-inspired wing design for small drones

January 29, 2020

Taking a cue from birds and insects, Brown University researchers have come up with a new wing design for small drones that helps them fly more efficiently and makes them more robust to atmospheric turbulence.

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For first-year graduate students in neuroscience, a ‘magical science space’

January 28, 2020

Through an immersive eight-day workshop at the Marine Biological Lab, graduate students gain hands-on neuroscience experience and form connections.

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Not all of nature’s layered structures are tough as animal shells and antlers, study finds

January 17, 2020

Engineers looking to nature for inspiration have long assumed that layered structures like those found in mollusk shells enhance a material’s toughness, but a study shows that’s not always the case.

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Undergraduate maker finds home in engineering research lab

December 19, 2019

Brown junior Ian Ho’s penchant for building things has made him an integral part of a School of Engineering research lab, an experience helping to shape his future.

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Researchers directly measure ‘Cheerios effect’ forces for the first time

December 19, 2019

In a finding that could be useful in designing small aquatic robots, researchers have measured the forces that cause small objects to cluster together on the surface of a liquid — a phenomenon known as the “Cheerios effect.”

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Research provides new design principle for water-splitting catalysts

December 18, 2019

Understanding why platinum is such a good catalyst for producing hydrogen from water could lead to new and cheaper catalysts — and could ultimately make more hydrogen available for fossil-free fuels and chemicals.

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Researchers reconstruct spoken words as processed in nonhuman primate brains

December 12, 2019

Using a brain-computer interface, a team of researchers has reconstructed English words from the brain activity of rhesus macaques that listened as the words were spoken.

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On Capitol Hill, Brown’s vice president for research urges more study on quantum technology

December 6, 2019

Jill Pipher, a mathematics professor, cryptography expert and president of the American Mathematical Society, said quantum technology brings both great scientific potential and threats to security and privacy.

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Researchers demonstrate strange melting point phenomenon in metals

December 3, 2019

Quantum mechanical calculations show that the melting point of metals decreases at extreme pressure, meaning even high-density metals can have a liquid phase that’s actually denser than its normal solid phase.

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Applied mathematics, medical professors at Brown named AAAS fellows

November 26, 2019

Professors Kavita Ramanan and Dr. Jack Wands earned recognition for their distinguished contributions to science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific body.

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Scientists inch closer than ever to signal from cosmic dawn

November 26, 2019

Researchers using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope have taken a new and significant step toward detecting a signal from the period in cosmic history when the first stars lit up the universe.

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Brown cryptography expert testifies on data security before U.S. House committee

November 25, 2019

Seny Kamara, an associate professor of computer science, told a U.S. House Financial Services Committee Task Force that there is more that companies could be doing to keep sensitive financial data safe.

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Research reveals new state of matter: a Cooper pair metal

November 14, 2019

In a finding that reveals an entirely new state of matter, research published in the journal Science shows that Cooper pairs, electron duos that enable superconductivity, can also conduct electricity like normal metals do.

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National Society of Black Physicists conference comes to Providence

November 13, 2019

Stephon Alexander, Brown professor and president-elect of the National Society for Black Physicists, discusses the organization’s annual conference, which comes to Providence for the first time this year.

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At future Mars landing spot, scientists spy mineral that could preserve signs of ancient life

November 12, 2019

Using orbital instruments to peer into Jezero crater, the landing site for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, researchers found deposits of hydrated silica, a mineral that’s great at preserving microfossils and other signs of life.

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Tackling turbulence: Researchers to take new look at an old problem in physics

November 7, 2019

Physics professor Brad Marston is part of an international project supported by a $4 million grant from the Simons Foundation to study turbulence, one of the great unsolved problems of classical physics.

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New federal awards highlight Brown’s quantum expertise across academic departments

November 6, 2019

Leveraging expertise across engineering, chemistry and more, Brown physicists are leading four new federally funded research projects in quantum science.

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$2 million grant will support development of ‘magnetic camera’

November 6, 2019

Researchers at Brown will build quantum mechanical magnetic camera to image magnetic fields, which could help in better understanding and manipulating quantum materials.

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Scientists reveal the physics of Jackson Pollock’s painting technique

October 30, 2019

A study finds that Pollock’s “drip” technique was geared to avoid a classic fluid mechanical instability, whether he was aware of it or not.

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New augmented reality system lets smartphone users get hands-on with virtual objects

October 16, 2019

Developed at Brown University, a new augmented reality system places virtual objects within real-world backgrounds on cell phone screens and lets people interact with those object by hand as if they were really there.

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Galapagos sea life study highlights importance of biodiversity in the face of climate change

October 16, 2019

Study of wave turbulence suggests that highly mobile species and more diverse ecological communities may be more resilient to the effects of changing environmental conditions.

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Study suggests ice on lunar south pole may have more than one source

October 10, 2019

New research sheds light on the ages of ice deposits reported in the area of the Moon’s south pole — information that could help identify the sources of the deposits and help in planning future human exploration.

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New production technique for high-performance polymer could make for better body armor

October 9, 2019

Using a new composite nanoparticle catalyst, Brown University researchers have shown they can make degradation-resistant PBO, a polymer used to make body armor and other high-performance fabrics.

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Study of past California wildfire activity suggests climate change will worsen future fires

October 8, 2019

A new study finds that climate has been the dominant controller of wildfire activity in the Sierra Nevada region over the past 1,400 years, suggesting that future climate change is poised to make fires worse.

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In ‘Proving Einstein Right,’ Brown physicist recounts perilous expeditions by early eclipse chasers

September 27, 2019

The new book by Brown physicist S. James Gates Jr. and Cathie Pelletier tells the stories of astronomers who worked for a decade to get images of a solar eclipse, which ultimately showed Einstein’s theory of relativity was correct.

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Picture this: ICERM program explores the imagery of mathematics

September 26, 2019

“Illustrating Mathematics,” a program happening throughout the semester at Brown’s national mathematics institute, aims to aid research and public engagement with math through visual representation.

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Brown astronaut alumna ready for liftoff

September 24, 2019

A Soyuz rocket is scheduled to liftoff tomorrow morning will carry astronaut and Brown alumna Jessica Meir to the International Space Station.

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NSF-funded Brown, Dartmouth researchers to explore materials, matter states for quantum technologies

September 24, 2019

A $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support research aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of quantum systems to enable new quantum technologies.

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Biology of bat wings may hold lessons for cold-weather work, exercise

September 11, 2019

The muscles in bats’ wings are much cooler than the muscles in their core, a new study finds — and this research could one day enhance our understanding of human muscle.

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Mosquito incognito: Could graphene-lined clothing prevent mosquito bites?

August 26, 2019

A new study shows that graphene sheets can block the signals mosquitos use to identify a blood meal, potentially enabling a new chemical-free approach to mosquito bite prevention.

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Computer model could help test new sickle cell drugs

August 22, 2019

A new computer model that captures the dynamics of the red blood cell sickling process could help in evaluating drugs for treating sickle cell disease.

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Research shows why there’s a ‘sweet spot’ depth for underground magma chambers

August 19, 2019

Computer models show why eruptive magma chambers tend to reside between six and 10 kilometers underground.

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Research shows human cells assembling into fractal-like clusters

August 12, 2019

In a finding that could shed light on tissue formation, wound healing and cancer spread, a new study shows that human cells follow the same rules as non-living particles to form fractal-like branching structures.

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Undergraduate research team builds robotic arm for a pint-sized satellite

August 8, 2019

With a passion for space and space engineering, two engineering students spent the summer working to design a robotic arm that may fly on Brown’s next student-built satellite.

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New approach could make HVAC heat exchangers five times better

August 1, 2019

Turbulent heat exchangers are widely used in HVAC systems around the world, and a new study demonstrates a simple modification that can improve their capability by 500%.

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Brown graduate student discusses lunar exploration past and future

July 23, 2019

Ariel Deutsch, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, will join an astronaut who walked on the Moon and two top NASA scientists for a panel titled “Lunar Geology: Past, Present and Future.”

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Highlighting Brown’s distinction in energy and environmental engineering

July 18, 2019

Researchers in Brown’s School of Engineering are developing next-generation renewable energy technologies, advancing energy efficiency in computing and finding new ways to detect and clean contaminants in the environment.

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World’s island conifers threatened with extinction from climate change

July 15, 2019

By estimating climate conditions in which conifer species could thrive if they needed to, a new study identifies which species are at extinction risk due to climate change.

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Students, faculty at IBES take on sustainability topics with radio segments, podcast

July 15, 2019

In “Possibly,” available online and airing on the Public’s Radio every Tuesday, Brown undergraduates track down answers to Rhode Islanders’ questions about sustainability.

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Caught in the act: Images capture molecular motions in real time

July 11, 2019

Researchers have shot a “movie” of subtle molecular motions in unprecedented detail, shedding light on previously unseen chemical dynamics.

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Molecular thumb drives: Researchers store digital images in metabolite molecules

July 3, 2019

In a step toward molecular storage systems that could hold vast amounts of data in tiny spaces, Brown University researchers have shown it’s possible to store image files in solutions of common biological small molecules.

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