Rice University News - SciTechDaily

Could AI Eat Itself to Death? Synthetic Data Could Lead To “Model Collapse”

Rice University — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:06:21 +0000

Rice University’s findings reveal that repetitive synthetic data training can lead to ‘Model Autophagy Disorder’, deteriorating the quality of generative AI models. Continuous reliance on synthetic data without fresh inputs can doom future AI models to inefficiency and reduced diversity. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o or Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion excel [...]

98% Recovery – Scientists Develop New and Improved Battery Recycling Method

Rice University — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 18:10:22 +0000

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking method to recycle lithium-ion batteries by using a magnetic separation technique that efficiently purifies battery materials, maintaining their structural integrity and functionality. A research team at Rice University, led by James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, is addressing the [...]

New Method Improves Wireless Network Speed and Reliability

North Carolina State University — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:22:11 +0000

A new edge caching method using a “digital twin” significantly improves wireless network efficiency by predicting user data needs and optimizing data storage, thereby enhancing network reliability and speed. Researchers are seeking to test this method in real-world applications. Computer science researchers have pioneered a new technique for predicting the data needs of wireless computing [...]

Atom-Level Innovations: Rice’s Big Bet on Advanced 2D Materials

Rice University — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 04:06:12 +0000

Rice University’s Boris Yakobson has received over $4 million in federal funding to advance research on 2D materials, interfaces in composite materials, and nonequilibrium chemical processes. His work aims to develop better production methods, understand material behavior under extreme conditions, and explore new material synthesis for applications in energy and defense technologies. Advanced Materials Research [...]

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Unlocks the Geologic Mysteries of Bright Angel

Eleanor Moreland, Rice University — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 16:06:59 +0000

Perseverance rover recently arrived at Bright Angel, a notable site on Mars distinguished by its light-toned rocks, situated at the edge of the ancient Neretva Vallis river channel. Last week, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover arrived at the long-awaited site of Bright Angel, named for being a light-toned rock that stands out in orbital data. The [...]

Powering Next-Gen Electronics: Scientists Find High-Performance Alternative to Conventional Ferroelectrics

Rice University — Fri, 31 May 2024 11:16:12 +0000

A study by Rice University identifies a high-performance alternative to traditional ferroelectrics. Lighting a gas grill, getting an ultrasound, using an ultrasonic toothbrush ⎯ these actions involve the use of materials that can translate an electric voltage into a change in shape and vice versa. Known as piezoelectricity, the ability to trade between mechanical stress [...]

A Breakthrough in Protein Genetics: Scientists Unveil How Pseudogenes Evolve

Rice University — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:15:19 +0000

Rice University’s Peter Wolynes and his research team have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of specific genetic sequences known as pseudogenes. Their findings were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Led by Wolynes, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science, professor of chemistry, biosciences and [...]

Revolutionizing Brain Health: Rice University Unveils Tiny, Implantable Brain Stimulator

Rice University — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 16:09:46 +0000

A small skull implant has positioned the Rice laboratory as a leader in neurotechnology research. Rice University engineers have developed the smallest implantable brain stimulator demonstrated in a human patient. Thanks to pioneering magnetoelectric power transfer technology, the pea-sized device developed in the Rice lab of Jacob Robinson in collaboration with Motif Neurotech and clinicians [...]

Quantum Leap: Rice Physicists Unlock Flash-Like Memory for Future Qubits

Jade Boyd, Rice University — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:32:42 +0000

Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory. Rice University physicists have discovered a phase-changing quantum material — and a method for finding more like it — that could potentially be used to create flash-like memory capable of storing quantum bits of information, or qubits, even when a quantum computer is powered down. Phase-Changing [...]

Quantum Scrambling: Chemical Reactions Rivaling Black Holes

Rice University — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 05:17:36 +0000

Research from Rice University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has shown that molecules can scramble quantum information as effectively as black holes, with implications for chemical physics and quantum computing. If you were to throw a message in a bottle into a black hole, all of the information in it, down to the quantum [...]

Scientists Discover Bizarre Material Where Electrons Stand Still

Rice University — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:24:28 +0000

New research validates method for guided discovery of 3D flat-band materials. Scientists at Rice University have uncovered a first-of-its-kind material: a 3D crystalline metal in which quantum correlations and the geometry of the crystal structure combine to frustrate the movement of electrons and lock them in place. The find is detailed in a study published [...]

Scientists Use Molecular Jackhammers’ “Good Vibrations” To Eradicate Cancer Cells

Rice University — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:47:36 +0000

Light-triggered vibration of entire molecules can break the membrane of melanoma cells. The Beach Boys’ iconic hit single “Good Vibrations” takes on a whole new layer of meaning thanks to a recent discovery by Rice University scientists and collaborators, who have uncovered a way to destroy cancer cells by using the ability of some molecules [...]

For This Emergent Class of Materials, “Solutions Are the Problem”

Rice University — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 22:13:50 +0000

Researchers at Rice University create covalent organic framework films through vapor deposition. Materials scientists at Rice University have created an efficient, affordable, and scalable technique for producing covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These crystalline polymers are notable for their adjustable molecular structure, extensive surface area, and porosity, making them potentially valuable in areas like energy applications, [...]

Brain Secrets in a Blood Drop: Rice’s Groundbreaking Gene Tracking

Rice University — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:00:08 +0000

Synthetic serum marker enables non-invasive neural monitoring. The brain, being the most protected organ in the body, is encased within a highly complex and nearly impenetrable barrier formed by specialized blood vessels. This protective anatomical setup, while crucial for defense against external threats, presents significant challenges for researchers attempting to study gene expression in the [...]

A Cosmic Breakthrough: Observing an Extragalactic Star’s Disc for the First Time

Rice University — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 23:11:03 +0000

Rice astronomer helps find evidence of an accretion disk around a young star outside the Milky Way Astronomers have uncovered evidence of a rotating disc of material circling a massive young star in a nearby galaxy for the first time. Megan Reiter, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, was part of the [...]

Bottleneck Overcome – Breakthrough Synthesis Method Improves Solar Cell Stability

Rice University — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 17:50:33 +0000

A study led by Rice University successfully solves the 2D halide perovskite synthesis bottleneck by controlling dynamic crystallization. Recent advancements in solar cell efficiency have been significantly influenced by the use of light-harvesting materials such as halide perovskites. However, consistently producing these materials at a large scale remains a complex task. A process developed by [...]

Metallic Mystery: The Puzzling Silence of a “Strange Metal” in Quantum Noise Experiment

Rice University — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:43:23 +0000

Rice physicists find evidence of exotic charge transport in quantum material. True to form, a “strange metal” quantum material proved strangely quiet in recent quantum noise experiments at Rice University. Published on November 23 in the journal Science, the measurements of quantum charge fluctuations known as “shot noise” provide the first direct evidence that electricity [...]

Quantum Wonders: Atomic Dance Transforms Crystal Into a Magnet

Rice University — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 08:42:41 +0000

Rice University study leverages chiral phonons for transformative quantum effect. Quantum materials hold the key to a future of lightning-speed, energy-efficient information systems. The problem with tapping their transformative potential is that, in solids, the vast number of atoms often drowns out the exotic quantum properties electrons carry. Chiral Phonons and Magnetism Rice University researchers [...]

Memory Magic: New Study Reveals Unexpected Benefits of Antidepressants

Rice University — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 14:19:57 +0000

New research from Rice University finds that antidepressants may actually reduce negative memories in individuals suffering from depression while improving overall memory function. The study was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. It examines how antidepressant use in depressed individuals affects memories, both good and bad. Insights from the Study’s Lead Stephanie [...]

Unraveling Quantum Secrets: Physicists Bridge Two Quantum Worlds

Rice University — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 23:32:30 +0000

Materials can host D-wave effects with F-wave behaviors. Physicists from Rice University have demonstrated that immutable topological states, which are highly sought for quantum computing, can be entangled with other, manipulable quantum states in some materials. “The surprising thing we found is that in a particular kind of crystal lattice, where electrons become stuck, the [...]

Sharper and Smaller – Tiny CRISPR Tool Could Help Shred Viruses

Rice University — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 00:41:05 +0000

Detailed 3D modeling aided Rice scientists in enhancing the system’s precision. Small and precise: These are the ideal characteristics for CRISPR systems, the Nobel-prize winning technology used to edit nucleic acids like RNA and DNA. Scientists from Rice University have described in detail the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems used to shred or modify [...]

Solving a “Holy Grail” Optical Imaging Problem – Scientists Develop Neural Wavefront Shaping Camera

Rice University — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 22:03:36 +0000

Engineers from Rice and Maryland have overcome the challenge of ‘light scattering’ with full-motion video. Engineers at Rice University and the University of Maryland have developed a full-motion video technology that could potentially be used to make cameras that peer through fog, smoke, driving rain, murky water, skin, bone, and other media that reflect scattered [...]

Discovery Unlocks Terahertz Technology for Quantum Sensing

Patrick Kurp, Rice University — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 16:24:09 +0000

Metal oxide’s properties could enable a wide range of terahertz frequency photonics. Visible light is a mere fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the manipulation of light waves at frequencies beyond human vision has enabled such technologies as cell phones and CT scans. Rice University researchers have a plan for leveraging a previously unused portion [...]

The Unseen Spark: How Ancient Microorganisms Helped Cause Massive Volcanic Events

Rice University — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 22:38:02 +0000

New research suggests that ancient microorganisms helped cause massive volcanic events. Banded iron formations, sedimentary rocks with stunning strata of burnt orange, yellow, silver, brown, and a blueish black hue, may have been the catalyst for some of the Earth’s largest volcanic eruptions in history, suggests recent research from Rice University. These rocks are composed [...]