Science & Research

Biomarkers predict patient outcomes

Software recognizes subjects of sketches

If there is one thing people have learned from programs like Draw Something, it's that artistic ability varies greatly from one person to another. 

Times science writer stresses clarity of ideas

The ignorance that we exhibit is astonishing," Cornelia Dean '69, guest lecturer in environmental studies and writer-in-residence, told a crowd  that nearly filled an auditorium in the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Monday night. Dean was referring to the public's lack of ...

Biology prof finds methods of identifying usable stem cells

As a potential method for producing cells to repair failing systems in human bodies, many scientists are looking to stem cells ­- cells that have the power to differentiate or transform into many different cell types. Scientists already know how to extract stem cells from adult human fat and hope they ...

U. forgoes action against prof after study fraud

The University will not take action against former Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Martin Keller, despite acknowledgment by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline that Keller co-authored a fraudulent study advocating adolescent use of the antidepressant Paxil. In a record-breaking $3 billion ...

Archaeology profs present summer dig findings

From measuring fragments of monasteries in Paris to performing some of the first archaeological explorations of the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, professors in Brown's archaeology department have had a busy summer. Speaking to a packed audience in Rhode Island Hall Wednesday, six archaeologists ...

U. engineers accurately detect flu virus with biochip prototype

Detection of the influenza virus - more widely known as the flu - has been a slow and laborious process to date. But biomedical engineers at Brown recently developed a prototype for a biochip that can rapidly and reliably detect influenza in patients. This chip would allow scientists to track the spread ...

Genetics influences political views, prof reports

U. archaeologists uncover Maya stucco masks

Sixteen hundred years ago, the inhabitants of the powerful ancient Maya kingdom of Tikal looked to the west and saw red. On a hilltop, in their direct line of sight, stood the Temple of the Night Sun. This temple, covered in fourteen five-foot tall stucco masks of the Maya sun god and painted blood ...

Higgs boson breakthrough fueled by U. professors

In the decades leading up to the European Organization for Nuclear Research's (CERN) July 4 announcement of the probable discovery of the Higgs boson, five Brown professors were hard at work theorizing the particle's existence and collecting and organizing the data that made possible this leap forward ...

BrainGate seeks to empower disabled

Prof adjusts to life on Mars time

While most professors and students are adjusting to the schedule of the new year, one professor is adjusting to Mars time, a day 40 minutes longer than our own. Ralph Milliken, assistant professor of geological sciences, is spending most of fall semester as a member of the science team on the NASA Mars ...

Senator meets geologists on climate change

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., met with members of the Department of Geological Sciences Friday, May 11 to discuss the importance of informing federal policymakers about climate change and to learn about steps Brown is taking in climate science. Whitehouse described the challenges he faces in convincing ...

New nanoparticle research no small task

University researchers, together with scientists from Northwestern University and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, have employed a novel method to coat substances with graphene oxide. Their study was published in the journal Nano Letters last month.

Brain patterns of passion revealed

Love may be in the air, but it is also in your brainwaves. Xiaomeng Xu is part of a growing group of researchers using neuroimaging to reveal new insights about falling in love - and staying that way. Xu has found that the experience of love in the brain is consistent across cultures and can even predict ...

Science-inspired art displayed with research

Twelve students displayed artwork celebrating the human form, insects, space and other scientific subjects in an exhibit entitled "The Art of Biology" Wednesday in Andrews Dining Hall. The exhibit was presented alongside 59 research posters during the annual poster day for undergraduate research in ...

Protein's location connected to cancer cell survival

What do real estate and the cancerous protein survivin have in common? The answer, according to a recent study by University researchers, is location, location, location. Just as location is a key factor in determining the value of a property for homeowners, it is a key factor in determining the value ...

Speaker links cognitive science and religion

Study shows efficiency of bat flight

Powered flight in nature has only evolved through four stages. The earliest stage, the pterosaur, was a flying reptile that is now extinct. Today, insects, birds and bats represent the remaining evolutionary stages. But as far as wing structure goes, bats have the upper hand. Compared to their fellow ...

Solar-thermal panel installation largest in country

Brown is now home to the largest installation of hybrid solar-thermal panels in the country. The 168 panels, which cover half the roof of the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, will provide around 10 percent of the building's energy needs - equivalent to the number of panels it would take to power ...