07/10/2026
Research Article
Observing others’ immoral behavior can increase one’s own dishonesty, but the neurocomputational mechanisms driving this moral contagion remain unclear. Julien Benistant, Jean-Claude Dreher and co-workers show that cheating increases in dishonest contexts via learned valuation biases involving lateral prefrontal cortex and posterior superior temporal sulcus encoding others’ cheating behavior.
Image credit: Georges de la Tour
Current Issue June 2026
07/09/2026
Research Article
How reward identity representations influence choice remains unclear in neuroeconomic decision-making models. This fMRI study by Phillip Witkowski, Thorsten Kahnt and colleagues shows that identity-specific expectations in the human lateral orbitofrontal cortex predict choices, with nucleus accumbens amplifying their impact on action representations in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Don't miss the accompanying Primer by Joey Charbonneau and Erin Rich.
Image credit: pbio.3003829
07/08/2026
Research Article
The sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus in the brainstem is a center for sleep control, but how the sleep-wake cycle is regulated is incompletely understood. HanHee Lee, Jimmy Fraigne and John Peever show that GABAergic neurons in this region suppress wakefulness, and that perturbing their activity level can regulate narcoleptic sleep attacks.
Image credit: pbio.3003303
07/07/2026
Research Article
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central circadian pacemaker, and is responsive to glucocorticoid signaling early in development but thought to become resistant to glucocorticoids in adulthood. Kristian Händler, Varun Sreenivasan, Violetta Pilorz and co-authors show that the adult SCN retains glucocorticoid sensitivity, but that receptor expression shifts during development and becomes astrocyte-specific in adulthood.
Image credit: Laura Escobar Castañondo & Iratxe Elorduy
07/06/2026
Research Article
Shared neural patterns across individuals support memory for event details, but how do test expectancy and misinformation shape these representations? Xuhao Shao, Bi Zhu and colleagues show that expectancy enhances encoding similarity in brain regions relevant for visual attention, while true and false memories activated different brain regions of the default mode network.
Image credit: pbio.3003886
07/06/2026
Research Article
Gene drives for malaria control can be undermined by rare target-site resistance arising in mosquitoes, even when lab tests suggest robustness. Ioanna Morianou, Andrew Hammond, Tony Nolan, Andrea Crisanti and co-authors reveal how rare resistance emerges and how multiplexed drives can overcome it, moving vector control forward.
Image credit: Ioanna Morianou
07/06/2026
Essay
How do bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics? This Essay argues that the evolution of antibiotic resistance is frequently catalyzed by the presence of ‘resistance potentiators’: genes, elements, or pathways that accelerate evolution in a trait-specific manner.
Image credit: pbio.3003852
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
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 21 - 24
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
August 2 - 7
Meet Senior Editor Christian Schnell (cschnell@plos.org)
August 2 - 7
Meet Senior Editor Richard Hodge (rhodge@plos.org)
August 16 - 21
Meet Senior Editor Luke Smith (lsmith@plos.org)
August 17 - 19
Meet Associate Editor Taylor Hart (thart@plos.org)
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