News from Science China Press

Chinese researchers assembled the first gap-free telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome for Glycyrrhiza uralensis, plus high-quality chromosome-scale genomes for two other pharmacopoeia licorice species. Population multi-omics of 188 wild licorice accessions identified the GiPHL1-Gi4CL5 regulatory module that controls licochalcone A production and drought adaptation in G. inflata. This work delivers key genomic resources for licorice molecular breeding and sustainable utilization.

Mitochondrial transplantation is emerging as an organelle-level therapeutic strategy for diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. A new Perspective in Science Bulletin discusses how engineered mitochondrial delivery systems may improve mitochondrial stability, targeting, and clinical translation.

A research team led by Professor Dong Zhang and Guangyong Sun at Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital has identified IFITM1 as a key regulator of the potent anti-tumor activity of TCRαβ⁺CD4^-CD8^- double-negative T cells (DNTs). IFITM1 recruits p62/SQSTM1 to mitochondria and promotes mitophagy, thereby preserving mitochondrial homeostasis, energy metabolism and the tumor-killing capacity of DNTs.

Using a highly sensitive two-coil mutual-inductance technique, we systematically track the evolution of the phase stiffness in interfacial superconducting LaAlO₃/KTaO₃(111) and its correlation with the superconducting transition temperature as a function of electrostatic gating. A crossover from Bose–Einstein-condensate-like to Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer-like behavior is revealed, suggesting that superconductivity at the two extremes is limited by the establishment of phase coherence and the formation of Cooper pairs, respectively. This behavior is consistent with the emergence of superconducting granularity in two dimensions, which is further supported by the observation of a paramagnetic Meissner effect.

Seawater zinc-air batteries (SZAB) could provide safe, high-energy power for marine applications, but Cl⁻ in seawater can poison the catalysts that drive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Researchers from Hainan University and collaborators designed an FeSn dual-single-atom catalysts (FeSn-DSACs) in which Sn neighbors tune Fe active sites through p-d orbital hybridization. The catalyst simultaneously accelerates ORR and suppresses Cl⁻ adsorption and corrosion. In SZAB, it delivered a peak power density of 255.6 mW cm⁻² and operated for more than 500 h, offering a design strategy for durable seawater ORR catalysis.

A data-knowledge dual-driven machine-intelligence framework enables experiment-efficient, full-chain synthesis of 2D dendrites. It achieves rapid process optimization within one week, constructs high-fidelity recipe-morphology mappings, and deciphers multifactorial growth mechanisms, requiring <70 experiments, which covers <1.5% of the total parameter combinations.

Thermochromic smart windows can automatically adjust solar and thermal radiation in response to temperature, offering a passive route to reduce building energy demand and improve indoor comfort. A new review published in Science Bulletin examines why these windows have not yet achieved large-scale application, despite rapid materials progress. The authors identify key challenges in spectral regulation, switching temperature, response speed, durability, scalable fabrication, glazing integration, lifecycle impacts, and building control. They argue that future development should shift from isolated material optimization toward deployment-oriented design and system-integrated adaptive building envelopes.

GBD 2021 data were used to assess trends, SDI-related distributions and DALY drivers from 1990 to 2021. Cardiovascular diseases had the highest mortality and DALY rates in 2021. Communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional (CMNN) burdens remained concentrated towards lower-SDI settings but gradients weakened, whereas NCD burdens remained concentrated towards higher-SDI settings and gradients strengthened. Population growth and ageing mainly drove the 577 million rise in NCD-related DALYs.