Researchers Yu, J., Yuan, J., Yi, Q. and colleagues introduced HiSTaR, a hierarchical spatial transcriptomics variational autoencoder, to map spatial domains and cellular interactions in complex tissues. The method integrates multi‑scale transcriptomic signals to delineate tissue architecture and improve domain identification compared with conventional spatial tools. HiSTaR aims to enhance resolution and interpretability of spatial transcriptomic datasets, enabling finer dissection of microenvironments relevant to development and disease.