Research

Science and Technology

Humans control majority of freshwater ebb and flow on Earth, study finds

March 3, 2021

Satellite observations show that more than half of seasonal freshwater level changes on Earth happen in human-managed reservoirs, underscoring the profound impact humanity has on the global water cycle.

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Science and Technology

Math, applied math scholars at Brown earn prestigious Simons Foundation fellowships

March 1, 2021

With yearlong sabbaticals to focus on research projects, Dan Abramovich, Hongjie Dong and Benoit Pausader will use the fellowships to advance their scholarship on cutting-edge mathematics.

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Health and Medicine

Quick pivots: For four researchers, COVID-19 provided immediate new possibilities

March 1, 2021

When the pandemic paused some lab-based work, Brown scholars quickly pivoted to COVID-19 research, generating new studies in respected journals, funding for new pursuits, and new collaborations with a wide range of partners.

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Science and Technology

Researcher delves into the big world of tiny nanocrystals

March 1, 2021

In his lab at Brown, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ou Chen is turning tiny artificial particles into building blocks for energy harvesting, cancer detection and more.

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Science and Technology

Crisis and action: Brown researchers launch wide range of approaches to COVID-19 research

March 1, 2021

Called to action, students and faculty across disciplines worked to contribute to an expansive pool of COVID-19 research projects, from contact tracing apps to DIY ventilator designs.

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Social Sciences

Amidst unrest, CSREA leads community in crucial conversation

March 1, 2021

Brown’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America has carved out a critical role in dialogue and research.

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Social Sciences

Brown sociologist investigates racial gap in treatment of students

March 1, 2021

As a 2020 William T. Grant Scholar, Brown sociologist Jayanti Owens embarks on a five-year research plan to study how race impacts teachers’ perceptions of student behavior.

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Science and Technology

Brown's ICERM reimagines what mathematics can be

March 1, 2021

The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics — one of just six U.S. mathematical institutes — takes novel approaches in discovery, research and presentation.

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Science and Technology

Apollo rock samples capture key moments in the Moon’s early history, study finds

February 24, 2021

A new analysis of samples brought back from the Moon to helps clear up questions about the isotopic composition of Moon’s interior.

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Science and Technology

Mars rover touches down at Brown-discovered landing site

February 18, 2021

The Perseverance rover will look for signs of ancient life in Jezero crater, a spot Brown researchers have studied for years and championed during the landing site-selection process.

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Health and Medicine

For mindfulness programs, ‘with whom’ may be more important than ‘how’

February 16, 2021

A pair of Brown University studies on the effect of mindfulness-based meditation programs highlight the importance of the instructor and the group.

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Science and Technology

Why even try? Using brain science to answer one of life’s biggest questions

February 15, 2021

A new study from a research team based at Brown University sheds light on the cognitive processes that occur when humans decide to exert mental effort.

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Social Sciences

U.S. cities segregated not just by where people live, but where they travel daily

February 11, 2021

An analysis of 133 million tweets found that city-dwellers stay racially segregated as they eat, drink, shop, socialize and travel each day, demonstrating even deeper segregation than previously understood.

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Science and Technology

Neurons from patient blood cells enable researchers to test treatments for genetic brain disease

February 10, 2021

A team led by Brown University researchers reprogrammed patient blood cells into stem cells to test treatments for Christianson syndrome, finding that treatment responses varied according to the mutations present.

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Social Sciences

Reimbursing hospitals for postpartum contraception prevents unintended pregnancies, study finds

February 9, 2021

Researchers found that expanding access to long-acting reversible contraception methods, such as IUDs and implants, could give adolescents more agency in choosing whether and when to become pregnant again.

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Science and Technology

Tiny sensor technique reveals cellular forces involved in tissue generation

February 4, 2021

A team of Brown University researchers developed a technique that uses tiny polymer spheres to sense the forces at play as body tissue forms and grows.

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Health and Medicine

Lesbian, gay, bisexual medical students are more likely to experience burnout, study finds

February 2, 2021

Burnout among medical students has significant implications for student health and delivery of care, and future physicians in sexual minority groups report higher rates of burnout than their heterosexual peers.

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Science and Technology

Thick lithosphere casts doubt on plate tectonics in Venus’s geologically recent past

January 28, 2021

A study of a giant impact crater on Venus suggests that its lithosphere was too thick to have had Earth-like plate tectonics, at least for much of the past billion years.

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Health and Medicine

$25 million gift to Brown will fuel innovation in brain science

January 26, 2021

The latest major investment in Brown’s cutting-edge brain science research, the generous gift will support computational brain science and endow a program to promote innovative research.

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Health and Medicine

Clinical trial to evaluate whether topical medication can prevent common skin cancer

January 25, 2021

A $34 million U.S. Veterans Affairs grant will enable Martin Weinstock, who directs dermatology research for the Providence V.A. and is a Brown professor, to evaluate the effectiveness of a common medication in preventing basal cell carcinoma.

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Science and Technology

New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles

January 22, 2021

Brown University researchers have shown a way to make bulk metals by smashing tiny metal nanoparticles together, which allows for customized grain structures and improved mechanical and other properties.

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Science and Technology

Brown brain scientist wins early-career award from National Academy of Sciences

January 21, 2021

Michael J. Frank, a Brown professor who directs the Center for Computational Brain Science in the Carney Institute for Brain Science, was named one of two recipients of this year’s Troland Award.

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Science and Technology

As the brain plans movements, the middle frontal gyrus is listening

January 12, 2021

A brain-computer interface study reveals one brain region’s surprising role in planning movements exclusively in response to sounds.

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Science and Technology

Remote sensing data sheds light on when and how asteroid Ryugu lost its water

January 5, 2021

Rocks on Ryugu, a “rubble pile” near-Earth asteroid recently visited by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, appear to have lost much of their water before they came together to form the asteroid, new research suggests.

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Science and Technology

Researchers discover a new tool for reconstructing ancient sea ice to study climate change

January 4, 2021

A previously problematic molecule turns out to be a reliable proxy for reconstructing sea ice, a new study by Brown University researchers shows.

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Science and Technology

$10 million federal grant expands research to protect against concussions

December 17, 2020

A multi-institution effort to better understand, diagnose and prevent concussions received a $10 million boost from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

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Health and Medicine

Researchers identify predictors of timely enrollment in treatment for opioid use disorder

December 16, 2020

Frequent doctor visits were associated with timely treatment, while prior overdose, alcohol use disorder and back problems predicted non-enrollment, study finds.

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Social Sciences

Infant health inequality has increased since 2010, study finds

December 8, 2020

After decades of narrowing gaps in health between infants born to the most and least advantaged American mothers, infant health inequality is increasing, portending a rise in health and social inequity that could last for decades.

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Science and Technology

Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk

December 4, 2020

A new study uses computer simulations to track airflows inside a car’s passenger cabin, providing potential strategies — some of them counterintuitive — for reducing the risk of transmitting airborne diseases.

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Science and Technology

NASA moves forward with water-seeking Moon mission

December 4, 2020

Two Brown University alumnae and a Brown professor will lead a small satellite mission to further investigate water on the surface of the Moon, which was first detected by Brown scientists in 2009.

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Health and Medicine

With COVID-19 vaccine near, Brown researchers to track adverse impacts in nursing home residents

December 2, 2020

A new federal grant will enable a Brown research team and Genesis HealthCare to identify and track health impacts after elderly residents in long-term care facilities receive vaccinations.

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Social Sciences

Field research has changed, and so should ethical guidelines, Brown professor says

November 24, 2020

A social scientist at Brown is calling on research institutions, leading scientific journals and national professional associations to establish new ethical standards that protect human subjects from emotional, financial and political manipulation.

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University Initiatives

Staff members lend creativity, commitment to Brown’s pandemic response

November 19, 2020

Employees from across the University have redefined their roles to address challenges arising from the ongoing pandemic, supporting world-class teaching, research and student opportunities.

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Health and Medicine

Pod e-cigarettes less harmful than regular cigarettes, new study finds

November 18, 2020

In the first-ever clinical trial of fourth-generation electronic cigarettes, researchers found that adults who switched to e-cigarettes had lower levels of a major carcinogen compared to smokers who continued using combustible cigarettes.

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Science and Technology

New remote sensing technique could bring key planetary mineral into focus

November 2, 2020

The mineral olivine, thought to be a major component inside all planetary bodies, holds secrets about the early formation of the solar system, and a team of Brown University researchers has a new way to study it remotely.

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Environment

With global scholarly network, Brown faculty to advance study of climate change countermovement

October 27, 2020

The Climate Social Science Network, based at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, will bring together leading scholars to catalyze collaborative research on the interests that are stalling climate action.

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Health and Medicine

Study discovers potential target for treating aggressive cancer cells

October 21, 2020

New research by a team at Brown University finds that special filaments called vimentin may be key to the spread of some aggressive, chemo-resistant cancer cells.

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Health and Medicine

Early-career biostatistics scholar from Brown wins prestigious Packard fellowship

October 15, 2020

Brown School of Public Health faculty member Lorin Crawford will receive $875,000 over five years to pursue research in statistics, genomics and applied mathematics.

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Science and Technology

Brown scientist to play key role in $10M study of cell structure in diseases, disorders and aging

October 15, 2020

Nicola Neretti to join a new five-year, $10 million research effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate how changes in cell structure can affect health and disease.

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Environment

Researchers step toward understanding how toxic PFAS chemicals spread from release sites

October 15, 2020

New lab studies are helping researchers to better understand how so called “forever chemicals” behave in soil and water, which can help in understanding how these contaminants spread.

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Science and Technology

Researchers discuss BrainGate, restorative neurotechnology at Brown and beyond

October 14, 2020

In a conversation with leaders of Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science, two Brown neuroengineers explored how brain-computer interfaces promise to help restore movement in people with brain or spinal disorders.

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Health and Medicine

Tuned lighting helps nursing home residents get better sleep, study finds

October 6, 2020

A study led by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health found that using tuned LED lighting cut in half the number of sleep disturbances among older residents in long-term care.

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Health and Medicine

When disasters strike, nursing home residents face considerable risk

October 6, 2020

With a focus on nursing home deaths after Hurricane Irma in 2017, study finds the effects of natural and other disasters on long-term care populations are vastly underestimated.

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Science and Technology

Working with NASA, Brown team teaches computers to look for new Mars craters

October 5, 2020

A Brown research scientist and two undergraduate students are working with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to spot fresh impact craters on Mars using artificial intelligence.

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News and Events

Brown researchers to help build telescope to study exoplanet atmospheres

October 1, 2020

With a new grant from NASA, Brown physicist Gregory Tucker and a team of students will help to build a telescope that can study the atmospheres of distant planets.

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Health and Medicine

Firearm injuries cost a health insurer $8.2 to $41.2 million to treat, study finds

September 28, 2020

Using insurance claim data from five states, a team of researchers led by Brown University physician-scholar Megan Ranney found that health care costs skyrocket in the six months after a firearm injury.

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Health and Medicine

Brown establishes new Cancer Center dedicated to research, clinical developments

September 22, 2020

An outgrowth of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology established by Brown and Lifespan, the center will focus efforts on world-class research, developing new therapeutics and addressing patients’ unique needs.

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Health and Medicine

COVID-19 Biobank at Brown and Lifespan fuels critical research amid pandemic

September 15, 2020

A bank of biological samples created by medical scholars and clinicians could help Brown researchers answer pressing questions about diagnosing and treating COVID-19.

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News and Events

Brown professor wins prestigious Fulbright award

September 2, 2020

Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Assistant Provost for Sustainability Stephen Porder will study and teach in Paris next year as a De Tocqueville Distinguished Chair.

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Health and Medicine

Imaging rapid drug effects in the human brain

August 25, 2020

Brown University researchers outline a method of showing how drugs affect the brain within minutes to hours of being taken.

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