Research

News and Events

Nitin Padture to deliver Presidential Faculty Award Lecture

April 2, 2021

Padture, a professor of engineering, will discuss emerging solar technologies and their implementation in grid-scale renewable energy solutions.

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Health and Medicine

National Public Health Week events at Brown will be truly national this year

April 1, 2021

In pivoting to an all-virtual event, Brown’s School of Public Health will offer opportunities for interaction on key public health issues, including a podcast series and topical discussions, to listeners everywhere.

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News and Events

Research Achievement Awards honor early-career and accomplished Brown scholars

March 31, 2021

In recognition of high-impact research and fundamental discoveries, the University will celebrate the work of six researchers with achievement awards presented at this spring’s 2021 Celebration of Research.

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Science and Technology

Researchers demonstrate first human use of high-bandwidth wireless brain-computer interface

March 31, 2021

In an important step toward a fully implantable intracortical brain-computer interface system, BrainGate researchers demonstrated the first human use of a wireless transmitter capable of delivering high-bandwidth neural signals.

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Science and Technology

Researchers discover new type of ancient crater lake on Mars

March 30, 2021

An ancient crater lake in the southern highlands of Mars appears to have been fed by glacial runoff, bolstering the idea that the Red Planet had a cold and icy past.

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Science and Technology

New AI technique could help doctors predict aneurysm rupture

March 25, 2021

A new study shows that an artificial intelligence system informed with the physical laws governing flowing fluids can infer pressures and stresses on capillaries just by analyzing images or videos of blood flow.

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Health and Medicine

Deaths from COVID-19 have progressively declined at nursing homes, researchers find

March 19, 2021

A study published in Health Affairs helps close the information gap between mortality rates in nursing homes and those in the U.S. population at large.

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Health and Medicine

Brown physician-scholar continues to play key role in the most significant Alzheimer’s research

March 19, 2021

Clinical trials show encouraging results for a second investigational Alzheimer’s drug — and Brown University, Butler Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital were again deeply involved.

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Science and Technology

Research finds surprising electron interaction in ‘magic-angle’ graphene

March 18, 2021

New research in the journal Science describes a technique that weakens the repulsive force between electrons in “magic-angle” graphene superconductors, providing physicists with exciting new details about this strange state of matter.

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Science and Technology

Brown researchers uncover the underlying genetics that make flies champion fliers

March 18, 2021

A complex network of wing, muscle and nervous system genes all contribute to flight performance, a new PLOS Genetics study shows.

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Science and Technology

Brown researchers explore possibilities for an ultra-secure gun registry

March 11, 2021

Brown University computer scientists, working with a U.S. senator, have proposed a gun registry database that’s ultra-secure and decentralized, potentially easing concerns about privacy and federal overreach.

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Health and Medicine

Study asks: Why isn’t anyone talking about medical students with children?

March 8, 2021

A new paper by Brown University researchers is one of the first to call attention to the need for more support for medical students who are pregnant or parenting.

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Science and Technology

With NASA eyeing return to the Moon, Brown students helping the agency deal with pesky lunar dust

March 5, 2021

With a new grant from NASA, a team of Brown and RISD students is developing a system that may help protect spacesuits from sticky and highly abrasive lunar dust.

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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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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

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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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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