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By your movement shall I know you...

July 15, 2021

By your movement shall I know you...

The body of most creatures is composed of interconnected joints, constraining their motion to a pattern known as “biological motion.” Massimo De Agrò, Paul Shamble and colleagues show that jumping spiders can distinguish animate from inanimate objects based solely on visual motion characteristics — an ability previously known only in vertebrates.

Image credit: Flickr user Katja Schulz

PLOS Biologue

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PLOS BIOLOGUE

07/15/2021

Meta-Research Article

Will an internship negatively impact your PhD?

Will an internship during PhD training lengthen the time taken to complete the degree or hamper research productivity? Patrick Brandt, Patrick Brennwald, Rebekah Layton and co-authors use data from 10 institutions and over 1700 life science PhD trainees who participated in different amounts of professional development to reveal that there were no significant differences in trainee productivity.

Image credit: pbio.3000956

Will an internship negatively impact your PhD?

Recently Published Articles

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Current Issue

Current Issue June 2021

07/15/2021

Research Article

Blood drives 1/f-like hemodynamic signal in brain

Brain hemodynamic signals show "1/f-like" dynamics, but their relationship to neural activity is unclear. Using experimental and computational approaches, Qingguang Zhang, Kyle Gheres and Patrick Drew reveal that 1/f-like dynamics in brain oxygenation do not reflect neuronal activity, but instead may be explained by heterogeneity in red blood cells.

Image credit: Qingguang Zhang & Yongsoo Kim Lab

Blood drives 1/f-like hemodynamic signal in brain

07/15/2021

Perspective

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

There is growing interest in the factors that influence research quality, and into research culture more generally. Reform must be evidence-based, but experimental studies in real-world settings can be challenging. Marcus Munafò argues that observational evidence, even if imperfect, can be a valuable and efficient starting point to help identify the most fruitful avenues for meta-research investment.

Image credit: Wikimedia User Niabot

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

07/14/2021

Methods and Resources

Beetroot pigments to track mycorrhiza

Arbuscular mycorrhiza are mutualistic interactions formed between soil fungi and plant roots. Alfonso Timoneda, Temur Yunusov, Samuel Brockington, Sebastian Schornack and co-workers present the MycoRed system, which uses red plant pigments derived from beetroot to reveal how fungi establish symbiosis with living legume and wild tobacco roots.

Beetroot pigments to track mycorrhiza

Image credit: Temur Yunusov & Alfonso Timoneda

07/12/2021

Methods and Resources

gen3sis: simulating the Earth

Oskar Hagen, Loïc Pellissier and colleagues describe a novel mechanistic engine that predicts a realistic global latitudinal diversity gradient, species richness distribution and phylogenies. This approach is a step towards the interdisciplinary numeric understanding of the physical and biological processes that have shaped Earth’s biodiversity.

gen3sis: simulating the Earth

Image credit: Oskar Hagen

07/12/2021

Research Article

Viral dynamics of acute SARS-CoV-2

Viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infections can inform public health surveillance strategies and clinical care, but the full infection dynamics have remained undescribed. Stephen Kissler, Joseph Fauver, Christina Mack, Nathan Grubaugh, Yonatan Grad ad colleagues present such data from the National Basketball Association 2019-20 season restart and demonstrates their applications.

Viral dynamics of acute SARS-CoV-2

Image credit: pbio.3001333

07/12/2021

Research Article

Activating the proteasome to extend life

This study shows that activation of proteostasis compensatory mechanisms can lead to extension of lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Activating the proteasome to extend life

Image credit: Michał Turek

07/07/2021

research article

Role for Notch mediator in serotonergic neuron fate

LAG-1/CSL, the transcriptional mediator of the Notch pathway, establishes and maintains serotonergic neuron fate in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, independently of Notch signaling.

Role for Notch mediator in serotonergic neuron fate

Image credit: pbio.3001334

07/06/2021

Short Reports

Synaptotagmin-7 and bipolar disorder

Syt7 acts as a calcium sensor to drive spontaneous glutamate release that uniquely activates postsynaptic GluN2B-containing glutamate receptors. This function of Syt7 is disrupted in bipolar disorder susceptibility variants.

Synaptotagmin-7 and bipolar disorder

Image credit: pbio.3001323

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