Nanozymes are synthetic materials that have enzyme-like catalytic properties, and they are broadly used for biomedical purposes, such as disease diagnostics. However, inorganic nanozymes are generally toxic, expensive, and complicated to produce, making them unsuitable for the agricultural and food industries. A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research team has developed organic-material-based nanozymes that are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cost effective. In two new studies, they introduce next-generation organic nanozymes and explore a point-of-use platform for molecule detection in agricultural products.

Paul Armsworth, Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has received a 2025 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award for excellence in teaching, research and service.

The project has the potential to boost economic growth and job creation throughout the greater Appalachian region.

This study presents an integrated study combining global proteomics, lactylome, and genome-wide RNA sequencing to elucidate the role of lactylation throughout postnatal heart development. They demonstrate a remarkable increase in non-histone lactylation levels as early from 1 week (1 w) to 6 weeks (6 w) postpartum and remained elevated from 6 months (6 m) onwards. However, the histone lactylation showed the opposite trend.In particular, histone 4 lysine 12 lactylation (H4K12la) acts as a pivotal upstream regulatory element in the early postnatal mouse heart, from 1 w to 6 w postpartum. These findings strongly suggest a significant connection between lactylation and postnatal cardiac development and highlight its involvement in gene expression regulation, thus offering potential mechanisms for targeting heart diseases.

Using drones, 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals were captured in the wild. Findings reveal complex behaviors of the Arctic’s iconic whale never seen before. This highly gregarious whale uses its tusk to investigate, manipulate and influence the behavior of a fish, the Arctic char. The study also provides the first evidence of play, specifically exploratory-object play, and the first reports of kleptoparasitism, a “food thief” situation, among narwhals and glaucous gulls.