 Metabolic alterations including increased glycolysis are common feature of many cancers. In their recent study, Lowengrab, Waterman, and colleagues, Liator, report a spatial pattern of glycolysis in solid tumors that occurs within the tumor microenvironment. This spatial organization is linked to gradients derived from WNT signaling and nutrient availability that mediate a reaction diffusion mechanism, and is consistent with a Turing-type model of spatial localization. This article was authored by Ziwei Dai and Jason W. Locosell.