09/14/2022
Research Article
Recent advances have created new opportunities for applying our understanding of the brain to sensory prothesis development. This study in macaques by Kantapon Pum Wiboonsaksakul, Kathleen Cullen and colleagues shows that by implementing natural coding strategies, the precision of vestibular prosthesis performance can be enhanced.
Image credit: pbio.3001798
Current Issue August 2022
09/14/2022
Discovery Report
Extinct and unknown species are overlooked in evolutionary studies of gene flow. Théo Tricou, Eric Tannier and Damien de Vienne show that taking such "ghost lineages" into account changes the conclusions of several studies on this subject.
Image credit: pbio.3001776
09/13/2022
Research Article
Ana Filipa Moutinho, Adam Eyre-Walker and Julien Dutheil use population genomic datasets from Arabidopsis and Drosophila to show that young genes adapt faster and are subject to mutations of larger fitness effects, providing strong evidence that molecular evolution follows an adaptive walk model across a large evolutionary timescale.
Image credit: Martina Pepiciello
09/13/2022
Discovery Report
A hallmark of the early stages in diabetes is the disruption of the first-phase peak of insulin secretion. Vira Kravets, Richard Benninger and colleagues reveal a state of beta cells that drives the first-phase calcium response (a precursor to insulin secretion), challenging the existing paradigm that first-phase calcium response to glucose is not organized within the islet.
Image credit: pbio.3001761
09/13/2022
Short Reports
Autophagy proteins mediate the production of extracellular vesicles termed defensosomes in response to innate immune ligands. Krystal Ching, Meike Dittmann, Victor Torres, Ken Cadwell and co-authors reveal that ACE2-containing defensosomes bind and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, and are associated with reduced length of hospital stay for patients with COVID-19. Read the accompanying Primer by Sonja Fernbach and Benjamin Hale.
Image credit: pbio.3001754
09/13/2022
Research Article
The nutrient-activated mTORC1 signaling pathway determines cell size by controlling protein synthesis and autophagy. Ponnuswamy Mohanasundaram, Leila Coelho-Rato, John Eriksson and colleagues show that the cytoskeletal intermediate filament protein vimentin determines cell size through mTORC1 signaling, an effect that is also seen at the organism level in mice.
Image credit: pbio.3001737
09/12/2022
Meta-Research Article
This systematic assessment of more than 500 articles reveals that western blot figures and methods often omit essential details. The study also provides recommendations to help scientists avoid common problems.
Image credit: pbio.3001783
09/12/2022
Short Reports
An analogy between ecological succession in terrestrial ecosystems and infections in a human-host landscape over time reveals the importance of considering how the ecosystem of long-term multi-pathogen dynamics within and among hosts.
Image credit: pbio.3001770
09/12/2022
Research Article
The response to the BCG vaccine is variable. This study shows that the plasma metabolome can partially predict trained immunity upon BCG vaccination, identifying the metabolome as a potential source of heterogeneity.
Image credit: pbio.3001765
09/08/2022
Research Article
Why are graduate and postdoctoral trainees of women mentors less likely to continue on to positions as academic mentors than trainees of men? This study finds that gender inequality in mentors' access to resources contributes to this disparity.
Image credit: pbio.3001771
To mark 200 years since the birth of Gregor Mendel, this collection looks back at the impact of his original research and asks how well it stands up to modern views on genetics.
Nearly 50 years after researchers first found specks of plastic floating in the Atlantic Ocean, microplastics are everywhere. This collection contains evidence-based commentaries on the diverse impacts of microplastics.
How will global climate change affect the dynamics and distribution of pathogens and their plant and animal hosts? This collection features four papers that attempt to unravel some of the underlying complexity.
September 7-9
Meet Senior Editor Joanna Clarke
September 12-13
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente
September 13-17
Meet Senior Editor Kris Dickson
September 14-18
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia
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