Science & Research

Brain Cafe highlights paralysis research

NSF awards U. researchers $1.75 million grant

Researchers at Brown recently received a $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Centers for Chemical Innovation Program to study whether carbon dioxide can be used in place of fossil fuels in the production of industrial chemicals. The multidisciplinary, multi-institutional project ...

Panel talks intersection of science, art

Five artists and scientists spoke Tuesday evening as part of a Brain Storm panel about the connection between science and art. Produced by the Everett Company, the speakers discussed how they had integrated science and art within their own careers and how the two can be combined in science education. The ...

Researchers use fruit flies to investigate seizures

Tiny fruit flies may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries behind certain diseases. University researchers, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California at Irvine, used a technique known as homologous recombination to model temperature-dependent seizures - known as febrile seizures ...

Talk identifies science communication barriers

The country's lack of interdisciplinary infrastructure prevents scientists from effectively communicating their work, a job made urgent by the growing ethical, legal and social implications of emerging developments in science, said Dietram Scheufele, chair of science communication at the University ...

Computer science profs awarded $1.5 million grant

Nobel laureate debunks radiation myths

Nobel Prize laureate Professor of Physics Leon Cooper addressed the public perception of radiation's effect in a discussion sponsored by the Triple Helix publication at the Brown Bookstore yesterday. "Public response to radiation is one of exaggerated fear," Cooper said. He pointed out that people do ...

Photon research offers promise for tech field

Editor's note: This article contains a number of passages that presented as direct quotations language that differed from the wording originally used by the individuals quoted. In addition, several of these quotes and paraphrased information attributed to the sources was factually inaccurate. The article ...

U. celebrates discovery of Higgs boson particle

Triggered by this July's discovery of a Higgs boson-like particle, five University professors provided insight into their involvement in one of particle physics' most momentous achievements during the "Discovery of a Higgs boson" event Tuesday night. Students, faculty and members of the public filled ...

Professors help uncover origins of ancient lakes

Grad student illustrates math thesis through dance

Cutting Sequences on the Double Pentagon, explained through dance from Diana Davis on Vimeo. This article has been updated to include results from the contest. Imagine walking in a straight line on a torus, a bagel-like geometric shape. It would be possible to go through the hole and end up where ...

Study links oral health to pancreatic cancer

Failing to floss may have consequences far worse than cavities, according to an international study led by Dominique Michaud, associate professor of epidemiology. The study, published Sept. 18 in the journal Gut, found a twofold increased risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with high levels of antibodies ...

Lab unveils environmental studies research

Consumer behavior study provides marketing insight

"The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know," Albert Einstein once said. For some people, learning increases motivation, but for others, confronting lack of knowledge only begets frustration.  

First clinical trial offers hope for progeria patients

The first clinical study of a drug to treat progeria, a fatal disease that causes early-onset aging in children, was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was led by Leslie Gordon MA'91 MD/PhD'98, associate professor of pediatrics at Alpert Medical School.  ...

Scientific art reaches new heights at interdisciplinary talk

On the surface, a geology professor, a museum collection manager and a conceptual artist do not seem to have much in common. But last Thursday all three individuals came together to speak about the combination of art and science present in their work, as part of the first Brown Rhode Island School of ...

Econ study finds more genetic diversity does not lead to success

More genetic diversity does not lead to higher levels of economic development, according to research conducted by Oded Galor, professor of economics. Through the study of the relationship between genetic diversity and economic output, Galor and fellow researchers showed that the effect on developmental ...

Lecture stresses art's impact on medicine

The kickoff lecture of the third annual Creative Medicine lecture series was greeted Wednesday night with a packed room of students, doctors, artists and educators. The diverse audience - speckled with teal scrubs, backpacks and tortoise-shell glasses - captured the interdisciplinary appeal of the lecture ...

Talk highlights lack of minorities in sciences, math

Amy Slaton, associate professor of history at Drexel University, spoke to about a dozen faculty members in the Science Center yesterday about the underrepresentation of minorities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Slaton emphasized the need for skills-based education and ...

Biomarkers predict patient outcomes