05/08/2025
Research Article
Neuropeptidergic modulation of synaptic transmission has been established in sensory systems or interneurons. Jiajie Shao, Alexander Gottschalk and co-workers show that motor synapses are also modulated by neuropeptidergic signaling in nematodes, where lower acetylcholine levels are compensated by a homeostatic upregulation of postsynaptic calcium channels.
Image credit: pbio.3003171
Current Issue April 2025
05/08/2025
Meta-Research Article
The combination of AI and national health databases offers opportunities, but may also be exploited by unethical agents. Tulsi Suchak, Matt Spick and co-authors show that there has been an explosion of formulaic research articles, including inappropriate study designs and false discoveries, that use data from the US NHANES resource, providing a case study in new unethical research practices, including paper mills. Don't miss the Primer by Jennifer Byrne and Stefan Stender.
Image credit: pbio.3003152
05/05/2025
Research Article
Uneven vaccination coverage is thought to decrease disease control, but this has never been quantified empirically. This study on fine-grained data of 20 years of dog vaccination in Tanzania, by Elaine Ferguson, Katie Hampson and co-workers, shows that reducing coverage gaps lowers rabies incidence, while high regional connectivity drives continued transmission.
Image credit: Felix Lankester
05/02/2025
Research Article
Agricultural diseases are a major threat to sustainable food production. This study of wheat powdery mildew (caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis), by Jigisha Jigisha, Fabrizio Menardo and co-authors, shows that the population structure can be largely predicted by prevailing wind patterns and reveals genes that have been under selection in the recent past. Also read the Primer by Sergio Latorre.
Image credit: pbio.3003097
05/01/2025
Short Reports
Many intracellular bacteria breach vacuolar membranes to replicate in the host cytosol, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Léa Swistak, Matthijn Vos, Jost Enninga and colleagues show that the human pathogen Shigella flexneri uses its type three secretion system to physically damage endomembranes through mechanoporation to initiate cytosolic access.
Image credit: pbio.3003135
04/30/2025
Preregistered Research Article
To protect an individual's privacy, facial features are removed before data-sharing of human neuroimaging data. Céline Provins, Oscar Esteban and co-workers show that this procedure affects the quality ratings given by human raters but not automated image quality metrics, highlighting the importance of using non-defaced images for quality control measures.
Image credit: pbio.3003149
05/07/2025
Consensus View
Vertebrate photoreceptors have been studied for well over a century, but a fixed nomenclature across species has been lacking. This Consensus View proposes a new consolidated and pan-vertebrate naming system for the rod and cone photoreceptors of the eye.
Image credit: pbio.3003157
05/07/2025
Perspective
Interferon is a central component of the vertebrate antiviral response. John Schoggins highlights recent findings that suggest a refined ‘limited set’ model of its activity, in which distinct viruses are targeted by small subsets of the induced gene repertoire.
Image credit: pbio.3003154
04/18/2025
Editorial
Vaccines have saved millions of lives, yet their importance and safety is repeatedly in question. This editorial argues that we cannot let disinformation campaigns get in the way of global public health.
Image credit: Unsplash user Ed Us
04/15/2025
Perspective
Gene drive can modify or suppress plant populations, offering solutions to challenges associated with globalization and climate change. Bruce Hay discusses how self-limiting gene drive methods provide a controlled, reversible path forward.
Image credit: pbio.3003148
Neurotechnology offers unprecedented opportunities to treat neural disorders, restore brain function and enhance cognitive abilities. This collection explores the present and possible futures of neurotechnology to improve human health and cognition.
Translating conservation and biodiversity research from the field into the real world is a complex problem. This collection discusses issues around economics, policy, and how to do research that answers questions that decision makers have.
Symbiosis research has become a holistic and pervasive field with a mature theoretical basis. This collection showcases symbiotic relationships across the tree of life, exploring their evolutionary basis and underlying mechanisms.
PLOS Biology is 20 and we are celebrating with a collection that contains articles that look back at landmark studies that we published, others that look past and future, and others discussing how publishing and open science have evolved and what is to come.
.
This collection explores engineering strategies to help us adapt plants to a changing climate, including breeding techniques, genome engineering, synthetic biology and microbiome engineering.
May 11 - 16
Meet Associate Editor Melissa Vazquez Hernandez (mvazquezhernandez@plos.org)
May 13 - 17
Meet Senior Editor Luke Smith (lsmith@plos.org)
May 18 - 23
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
May 26 - 28
Meet Associate Editor Melissa Vazquez Hernandez (mvazquezhernandez@plos.org)
June 16 - 20
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
Connect with Us