Since the discovery of RNA splicing in the mid-1970s, splicing regulation has remained a central focus in molecular biology. Approximately 50% of human diseases are associated with splicing abnormalities. In eukaryotes, 70% to 90% of genes complete splicing during transcription, a process termed co-transcriptional splicing. However, the precise mechanisms coupling splicing with transcription remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the conceptual and functional boundaries between co-transcriptional and alternative splicing continue to confuse many researchers. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms and downstream functions of co-transcriptional splicing thus stands as a key frontier in the field.

Recently, a team led by Yajing Hao (China National Center for Bioinformation / Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS) and Xiang-Dong Fu (Westlake University) published a review entitled "Hierarchical regulation and molecular functions of co-transcriptional splicing" in Science Bulletin. The article covers detection technologies, quantitative metrics, regulatory mechanisms, functional consequences, and disease associations, highlighting that co-transcriptional splicing is an active and hierarchically regulated hub of gene expression. The review also notes that many mechanisms remain debated, and systematic elucidation will open new opportunities for translational research.

A new Perspective in Science Bulletin explains why computational pathology must move beyond accurate algorithms. To help in real hospitals, AI tools need to be interpretable, reportable, cost-aware, and tested in routine clinical workflows.

Researchers have produced the first systematic map of the fluid acceleration inside the quark–gluon plasma (QGP)—the hottest fluid in nature—revealing acceleration fields of several hundred MeV, among the strongest ever achieved on Earth, with far-reaching implications for the phase structure and transport phenomena of strong-interaction matter.

This collection features articles on Additive Manufacturing published in Smart Materials in Manufacturing. All articles are free to read and download.

What if cancer screening no longer had to look for one cancer at a time? Cancer screening has long followed a one-organ-at-a-time model: mammography for breast cancer, colonoscopy for colorectal cancer, low-dose CT for lung cancer, and cervical testing for cervical cancer. These programs save lives, but they also leave gaps. Many cancers still lack routine screening, while patients often face multiple appointments, tests, and follow-up procedures.