06/25/2026
Research Article
Successful mammalian development requires both maternal and paternal genomes, but how do these parental components jointly shape the growing organism? Si-Nan Ma, Fan Li, Yu-Long Zhao, Xue-Han Sun and co-workers use engineered bipaternal mice to reveal the physiological consequences of development supported exclusively by paternal genomes.
Image credit: pbio.3003871
Current Issue May 2026
06/25/2026
Research Article
Retinoic acid (RA) regulates hematopoietic homeostasis during development, however the mechanisms underlying RA signaling remain unclear. Jing Mo, Ding-Hao Zhuo, Min Gao and co-authors define a Angptl5-Integrin α6lβ5-ERK axis that regulates RA signaling and restrains myeloid and erythroid progenitor expansion during zebrafish embryogenesis.
Image credit: pbio.3003858
06/25/2026
Short Reports
Rapid information processing in the vertebrate nervous system depends on myelin, but how CNS axons are selected for myelination is not well understood. This study in zebrafish, by Swathi Radha, Minou Djannatian, Mikael Simons and colleagues, shows that axonal target selection by oligodendrocytes depends on a redundant set of adhesion molecules, and that their simultaneous loss largely abolishes myelin biogenesis.
Image credit: pbio.3003854
06/25/2026
Short Reports
Splicing dysfunction may represent a cryptic form of genome erosion in functionally constrained regions. Chris Condon, Russell Corbett-Detig and co-workers find that intron retention frequencies are considerably higher in recombination-suppressed mating-type regions in four phytoplankton species, producing an excess of aberrant transcripts and functional decay. Don't miss the accompanying Primer by Anamaria Necsulea.
Image credit: pbio.3003823
06/23/2026
Short Reports
The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis proposes that wakefulness increases synaptic strength, while sleep facilitates synaptic down-selection, but direct evidence for this phenomenon in the human brain remains scarce. This PET imaging study by David Elmenhorst, Andreas Bauer and co-authors provides new evidence that sleep deprivation increases synaptic density across the human brain.
Image credit: pbio.3003816
06/22/2026
Research Article
The human endocrine system orchestrates critical physiological processes, yet a systematic quantification of circulating hormones has been lacking. Ron Sender, Tal Kedar, Shai Fuchs and colleagues provide an integrative analysis of all known circulating human hormones, revealing patterns in their abundance and distribution.
Image credit: pbio.3003864
07/02/2026
Perspective
Immune cells exist as continuous clouds, not discrete categories. This Perspective reframes immune identity through systems biology, and redirects where immunotherapies should aim: at the dynamics of the cloud, not just its center.
Image credit: pbio.3003853
07/01/2026
Perspective
Advances in AI-driven bioinformatics promise democratized discovery, but major inequities persist. This article argues that equitable adoption of bioinformatics technologies will require sustained global investment, not just provision of access.
Image credit: Amir Mortezaie
06/23/2026
Community Page
Web-based modelling platforms can enhance collaboration between modelers and experimentalists during early model development. This article provides guiding principles on how to build agile interactive modelling tools.
Image credit: pbio.3003825
06/15/2026
Essay
Biogeography and ecology have long developed in parallel. This Essay explores how new data on species interactions across large scales now allow their integration, opening fresh insights into how biodiversity is shaped across Earth.
Image credit: pbio.3003813
Aging affects us all, but we still do not know how the process evolves or if we can modulate its pace. This issue of PLOS Biology presents a Collection of articles that explores different aspects of aging, discussing what challenges still need to be overcome.
This PLOS Biology collection aims to shine a light on the many facets of immunometabolism, highlighting how molecular and cellular mechanisms impact diverse tissue and organismal functions and the exciting potential for leveraging immunometabolism for therapeutic interventions.
Recent technological advancements in omics have unveiled the mechanisms governing tumor progression across spatial and temporal scales. This collection reveals the complexities of the crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment.
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.
July 6 - 10
Meet Senior Editor Christian Schnell (cschnell@plos.org)
July 6 - 10
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
July 8 - 10
Meet Senior Editor Luke Smith (lsmith@plos.org)
July 21 - 24
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
August 2 - 7
Meet Senior Editor Christian Schnell (cschnell@plos.org)
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