All News | The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

News from Brown

Brown students’ satellite set to launch next week

May 17, 2018

An Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft launching to the International Space Station on Sunday morning will carry Brown's first student-built satellite.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers find new way to stimulate cellular recycling process

May 15, 2018

In research that could lead to future therapies for age-related diseases, Brown University researchers have found a new way to stimulate the process by which cells recycle their spare parts.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers join forces to expand evidence base on gun violence

May 7, 2018

Dr. Megan Ranney, a longtime emergency physician and Brown faculty member, is leading both national and Rhode Island-based efforts to address firearm injury based on research and facts.

Read Article

News from Brown

Burnout, depression can affect ophthalmology residents, study finds

May 3, 2018

A Brown University undergraduate led a JAMA Ophthalmology study showing that many ophthalmology residents face burnout and are often unable to participate in wellness initiatives, which has adverse consequences for both residents and patients.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown engineering professor elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 1, 2018

Renowned engineering professor Huajian Gao collects another honor for his research in mechanical engineering and materials science.

Read Article

News from Brown

Vegan and traditional kimchi have same microbes, study finds

May 1, 2018

Brown University researchers have found that kimchi made without seafood products has the same “probiotic” bacteria as more traditional kimchi.

Read Article

News from Brown

Projectile cannon experiments show how asteroids can deliver water

April 25, 2018

New research shows that a surprising amount of water survives simulated asteroid impacts, a finding that may help explain how asteroids deposit water throughout the solar system.

Read Article

News from Brown

Research suggests promising drug therapy for premature aging disease

April 24, 2018

A drug originally developed to treat cancer could help children with progeria, a rare genetic disorder, to live longer.

Read Article

News from Brown

New theory shows how strain makes for better catalysts

April 20, 2018

A new theory of how compression and tension can affect the reactivity of metal catalysts could be helpful in designing new and better catalysts.

Read Article

News from Brown

$100 million gift to Brown will name Carney Institute for Brain Science, advance discoveries and cures

April 18, 2018

One of the single largest gifts in University history will drive research into brain and nerve disorders and establish one of the best-endowed brain institutes in the country.

Read Article

News from Brown

Faculty and student voices: Brown's brain scientists talk about the brain as 'final frontier'

April 18, 2018

Through interviews, faculty and students share in their own words how the distinctive approach to research at Brown is unlocking the complexity of the brain.

Read Article

News from Brown

Scientists call for more rigor in forensic science

April 9, 2018

A Perspectives article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences calls for “more science in forensic science.”

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown faculty member to play leadership role on global climate change report

April 5, 2018

Baylor Fox-Kemper will be a coordinating lead author for a key chapter in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s next global climate assessment report.

Read Article

News from Brown

National Public Health Week to spotlight Brown’s impact on pressing public health issues

March 29, 2018

With a diverse lineup of National Public Health Week events starting on April 2, Dean Bess Marcus shares her thoughts on Brown’s role in advancing public health through research and education.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers identify new class of antibiotics with potential to fight ‘superbugs’

March 28, 2018

Using computer simulations and laboratory experiments, a Brown-led team of scientists found a new class of antibiotics with the potential to treat MRSA and other infections that are increasingly resistant to traditional antibiotics.

Read Article

News from Brown

Mitochondrial replacement moratorium should be reconsidered, researchers say

March 28, 2018

Professors from Brown’s medical school and Harvard’s law school urge the U.S. to allow for the replacement of mutation-bearing mitochondria to prevent fatal illnesses in children.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown to explore pressing environmental issues in ‘WeatherProof’ series

March 22, 2018

A series of public events and exhibitions staged in April by five University partner programs will confront climate change from a wide variety of perspectives.

Read Article

News from Brown

Focus on early stage of illness may be key to treating ALS, study suggests

March 19, 2018

Many inhibitory neurons were lost early in the development of ALS, new research shows, which is in sharp contrast to other degenerative diseases.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown medical students celebrate Match Day

March 16, 2018

At Match Day 2018, a record 118 Brown students were placed in medical residency programs across the country.

Read Article

News from Brown

After 7 years of work, Brown’s student satellite is cleared for NASA launch

March 15, 2018

A small satellite, designed and built by Brown undergraduates, will launch on an Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, on May 20.

Read Article

News from Brown

Study reveals vision’s role in vowel perception

March 13, 2018

In a study based at Brown University, researchers found that the motion and configuration of a speaker’s lips are key components of the information people gather when distinguishing vowels in speech.

Read Article

News from Brown

ADHD drugs increase brain glutamate, predict positive emotion in healthy people

March 12, 2018

The findings by Brown University scientists offer clues about how misused drugs affect healthy brains and hint at an undiscovered link between glutamate and mood.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown physicist advises on space-time physics for ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ film

March 12, 2018

Stephon Alexander, professor of physics at Brown, helped bring the strange science of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel to the big screen.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brain Week to bring brain-themed films, forums and fun to Brown

March 9, 2018

Backed by the Brown Institute for Brain Science and organized by a neuroscience postdoc, the weeklong series of talks, film screenings, art shows and fairs aims to make brain research fun, educational and accessible.

Read Article

News from Brown

New approach to measuring stickiness could aid micro-device design

March 7, 2018

At the scale of microdevices, adhesion is one of the most important forces that engineers need to contend with — Brown University researchers have come up with a new way to measure it.

Read Article

News from Brown

Research details mineralogy of potential lunar exploration site

February 28, 2018

Scientists have long wanted to retrieve rock samples from the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin, and a new study could be helpful in locating an ideal landing site.

Read Article

News from Brown

New understanding of ocean turbulence could improve climate models

February 26, 2018

Researchers have developed a new statistical understanding of how turbulent flows called mesoscale eddies dissipate their energy, which could be helpful in creating better ocean and climate models.

Read Article

News from Brown

Separate brain systems cooperate during learning, study finds

February 21, 2018

Brown University researchers have shown that reinforcement learning and working memory — two distinct brain systems — work hand-in-hand as people learn new tasks.

Read Article

News from Brown

New software helps detect adaptive genetic mutations

February 19, 2018

Brown University researchers have developed a new machine learning technique that can track down beneficial mutations in population genetic datasets.

Read Article

News from Brown

$50 million gift to help translate research into cures for disease

February 15, 2018

A new gift from Brown University Chancellor Samuel M. Mencoff and Ann S. Mencoff will establish medical research funds and support top medical scholars.

Read Article

News from Brown

Opioid addiction treatment behind bars reduced post-incarceration overdose deaths in Rhode Island

February 14, 2018

A new study in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that treating people for opioid addiction in jails and prisons is a promising strategy to address high rates of overdose and opioid use disorder.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers discover new lead-free perovskite material for solar cells

February 13, 2018

Perovskite solar cells are a promising new low-cost photovoltaic technology, but most contain toxic lead; a team led by Brown researchers has introduced solar cells with a new titanium-perovskite material that gets the lead out.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers help robots think and plan in the abstract

February 8, 2018

New research shows how robots can autonomously construct abstract representations of their surroundings and use them to plan.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers take terahertz data links around the bend

February 6, 2018

A new study shows terahertz data links are possible even without direct line-of-sight between transmitter and receiver, a promising finding for future ultra-high-capacity terahertz data networks.

Read Article

News from Brown

Effects of climate change can complicate the politics of military bases, study finds

February 5, 2018

Using an abandoned U.S. military base in Greenland as a case study, new Brown research explores how the impact of climate change on domestic and overseas military bases could cause a host of political and diplomatic problems.

Read Article

News from Brown

Boosting Sirt4 gene activity extends healthy lifespan in fruit flies

January 29, 2018

Results from study led by Brown University researchers illustrate that Sirt4, also found in humans, may be an important factor in age-related metabolic decline and healthy lifespan.

Read Article

News from Brown

Tidal cycles could help predict volcanic eruptions, study suggests

January 24, 2018

A study of a New Zealand volcano suggests that a volcanic system's response to tidal forces could provide a tool for predicting a certain type of eruption.

Read Article

News from Brown

People with tetraplegia gain rapid use of brain-computer interface

January 24, 2018

A new approach to calibrating the pioneering BrainGate brain-computer interface allowed three clinical trial participants with tetraplegia to gain control of a computer cursor after just one simple calibration step.

Read Article

News from Brown

Brown researchers aim to store data in molecules

January 22, 2018

Supported by a $4.1 million award from DARPA, Brown researchers will look for ways to store and manipulate digital data using molecules in solution.

Read Article

News from Brown

Research reveals atomic-level changes in ALS-linked protein

January 18, 2018

A new study details the minute changes—down to the level of individual atoms—that cause a particular protein to form cell-damaging clumps associated with ALS and other diseases.

Read Article

News from Brown

Mammogram rates increase after ACA eliminates co-payments

January 17, 2018

A new study finds that screening mammogram rates increased after the Affordable Care Act eliminated out-of-pocket costs.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers gather at Brown to discuss next-generation artificial intelligence

January 17, 2018

Technology known as deep learning has fueled an AI revolution, but a workshop series kicking off at Brown this week will consider where the field might go from here.

Read Article

News from Brown

Enzyme shown to regulate inflammation and metabolism in fat tissue

January 10, 2018

New research in mice and humans suggests that an enzyme called SNRK suppresses inflammation in obesity-related “white fat” while increasing metabolism in heat-producing “brown fat,” making SNRK an intriguing target in the battle against obesity.

Read Article

News from Brown

In clinical trial, cream reduces squamous cell carcinoma risk

January 3, 2018

Results of a new randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial in veterans showed a 75 percent reduction in the risk of needing surgery to treat a squamous cell carcinoma for a year after applying a skin cream for up to four weeks.

Read Article

News from Brown

Technique makes NMR more useful for nanomaterials, exotic matter research

December 19, 2017

Brown University researchers show how nuclear magnetic resonance probes can be optimized for studying the properties of nanomaterials and strange states of matter.

Read Article

News from Brown

Software enables robots to be controlled in virtual reality

December 14, 2017

Brown University researchers have developed software that lets users control robots over the internet with off-the-shelf virtual reality hardware.

Read Article

News from Brown

Discovery deepens understanding of brain’s sensory circuitry

December 12, 2017

An exploration of the deepest and most mysterious layer of the cortex in mice has revealed new circuits that may be central to how two key regions of the brain communicate about sensation.

Read Article

News from Brown

For leukemia patients, transfusion needs may delay hospice care

December 9, 2017

Researchers report that thousands of leukemia patients who received frequent transfusions had very short stays in hospice at the end of life, suggesting that transfusion dependence presents a barrier to making meaningful use of palliative care.

Read Article

News from Brown

Clay minerals on Mars may have formed in primordial steam bath

December 6, 2017

New research suggests that the bulk of clay minerals on Mars could have been formed as the planet’s crust cooled and solidified, not by later interactions with water on the surface as has long been assumed.

Read Article

News from Brown

Researchers ‘dismantle’ mindfulness intervention to see how each component works

December 4, 2017

Because mindfulness-based interventions blend multiple practices, researchers can’t always figure out how each one works, so they created a rigorously controlled study to isolate each of them and confirm that they do what is claimed.

Read Article