Protein lactylation may influence cancer in different ways depending on where it occurs within a cell. In a review published in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences, researchers from Capital Medical University and Tongji Hospital of Tongji University bring together evidence from the nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, cell membrane, and endomembrane system. The authors examine lactylation writers, readers, and erasers, discuss its links to tumor progression, immune evasion, and treatment resistance, and explore unanswered questions and potential therapeutic strategies.

Researchers have developed a titanium carbide-supported copper single-atom catalyst that enables carbon dioxide to couple directly with a nitrate-reduction intermediate for urea electrosynthesis. Strong copper–titanium carbide interactions regulate Cu 3d-orbital occupancy, directing partial electron transfer to CO₂ and stabilizing the *CO₂^δ– intermediate instead of driving further reduction to *CO. Meanwhile, neighboring Ti sites generate *NO₂ from nitrate, enabling direct C–N coupling between *CO₂^δ– and *NO₂. The catalyst achieves 97.8% carbon selectivity and 50.1% Faradaic efficiency.

DNA in plant cells is wrapped around histone proteins to form chromatin, but this packaging is not static. A review by researchers at South China Agricultural University brings together evidence on how histone variants—alternative forms of histones—are deposited at particular genomic regions and influence chromatin organization, gene activity, plant development and responses to environmental stress. The review highlights variants including H2A.W, H2B.8, H3.14, H4.V and H1.3, and proposes “pangenomic chromatin alleles” as a testable framework for investigating natural chromatin variation in crops. The authors emphasize that predictive models and potential breeding applications require rigorous experimental validation.

This collection features articles on “Cancer diagnosis and therapy” published in Bioactive Materials. All articles are free to read and download.

Researchers from Istanbul Technical University and UCLA show how artificial intelligence can strengthen earthquake simulations without replacing engineering judgment.