03/03/2026
Short Reports
The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang and colleagues show in male mice that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels.
Image credit: pbio.3003687
Current Issue February 2026
03/02/2026
Research Article
Expectations strongly shape pain perception, but how their temporal dynamics influence neural processing is unclear. Jia Li, Weiwei Peng and co-workers show that expectation strength and precision have opposite effects on pain-evoked responses, mediated by distinct α band mechanisms and prefrontal cortex circuits, revealing a dynamic neural framework for predictive pain modulation.
Image credit: pbio.3003675
03/02/2026
Research Article
Ischemic stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling, which is often studied in the context of mid-to-long term functional rehabilitation. Huanhuan Chen, Mikhail Spivakov, Oleg Glebov and co-authors characterize early synaptic remodeling in a mouse model of stroke, revealing a loss of synapses in the ischemic core, but functional enhancement of synapses in the contralateral cortex.
Image credit: pbio.3003608
02/26/2026
Research Article
Microbial derived metabolites are known to influence host physiology. Kenan Zhang, Zihan Luo and co-authors expand the mechanistic understanding of this relationship, by showing that microbial production of indole from bacterial tryptophan catabolism enhances lysosomal acidification and lipase activity in C. elegans and in mammalian hepatocytes.
Image credit: Kenan Zhang
02/25/2026
Research Article
Symbiotic interactions strongly influence host phenotypes, yet their benefits vary with host phylogeny and life history. Robert Ramos, James Bever and colleagues show that plant phylogenetic structure predicts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal composition but not the mutualistic benefits, while life history influences fungal genetic variation and feedback strength, shaping succession and informing restoration strategies.
Image credit: Joe Morton
02/24/2026
Short Reports
Marsupial pregnancy is short and characterized by a spike in inflammation which has been proposed to represent a maternal immune response to fetal contact that limits gestation. Daniel Stadtmauer and Gunter Wagner show that in short-tail opossums, inflammatory signaling shapes maternal investment vascular development during pregnancy to promote offspring survival.
Image credit: pbio.3003670
03/03/2026
Perspective
Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat recent measles resurgence. This Perspective argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that could override the protection offered by vaccination.
Image credit: Wikimedia Com. user Ooligan
03/03/2026
Perspective
Creating generalizable models is a conserved aim in deep learning; however, misleading claims of transferability threaten to obfuscate reliable performance evaluation. This Perspective article outlines the severity of this issue in the biosciences, and suggests potential solutions.
Image credit: Wikimedia Com. user Lollixzc
03/02/2026
Essay
Anthropogenic change can lead to behavioral homogenization, the human-driven convergence of behavioral traits across individuals, populations, and species, often in urban environments. This Essay describes these changes and discusses their ecological and evolutionary consequences.
Image credit: pbio.3003689
02/26/2026
Editorial
PLOS Biology routinely asks authors to openly share their research code before publication. In this Editorial, we explain how we are formalizing this practice with a mandatory code sharing policy and clarify what we talk about when we talk about code.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Slashme
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.
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.
March 10 - 13
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
March 11 - 13
Meet Magazine section Senior Editor Joanna Clarke (jclarke@plos.org).
March 16 - 17
(Attended remotely) Contact Magazine section Senior Editor Joanna Clarke (jclarke@plos.org)
March 22 - 25
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia (ialvarez-garcia@plos.org)
May 5 - 7
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
Connect with Us