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Table of Contents

March 2018

Cover

Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary
Issue Image

Pterosaurs were winged cousins of the dinosaurs and lived from around 200 million years ago to 66 million years ago, when the last pterosaurs disappeared during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. The pterosaurs are thought to have declined in diversity before their final extinction, suggesting that gradual processes played a major role in their demise. However, this study by Longrich et al. describes hundreds of new pterosaur fossils from the end of the Cretaceous in Morocco, including as many as seven species. These represent three different families and show substantial variation in size and skeletal proportions, suggesting that they occupied a wide range of ecological niches. The image shows an artist's impression of diverse pterosaurs flying over the Moroccan coast 66 million years ago.

Image Credit: John Conway

Editorial

PLOS Biology 2017 Reviewer and Editorial Board Thank You

PLOS Biology: published March 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2006030

Essays

Which experimental systems should we use for human microbiome science?

Angela E. Douglas

PLOS Biology: published March 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005245

Memory instability as a gateway to generalization

Edwin M. Robertson

PLOS Biology: published March 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004633

Perspectives

Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good

Ana Delgado, Heidrun Åm

PLOS Biology: published March 26, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003921

Assessing scientists for hiring, promotion, and tenure

David Moher, Florian Naudet, Ioana A. Cristea, Frank Miedema, John P. A. Ioannidis, Steven N. Goodman

PLOS Biology: published March 29, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004089

Primers

Reproducible preclinical research—Is embracing variability the answer?

Natasha A. Karp

PLOS Biology: published March 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005413

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Reading the tea leaves: Dead transposon copies reveal novel host and transposon biology

Richard N. McLaughlin Jr.

PLOS Biology: published March 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005470

Towards an integrated view of vocal development

Gabriel B. Mindlin

PLOS Biology: published March 22, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005544

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  1. Vocal development through morphological computation

Population genetics and GWAS: A primer

Greg Gibson

PLOS Biology: published March 16, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005485

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Research Articles

Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, Brian Andres

PLOS Biology: published March 13, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2001663

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  1. Correction: Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

A population genetic interpretation of GWAS findings for human quantitative traits

Yuval B. Simons, Kevin Bullaughey, Richard R. Hudson, Guy Sella

PLOS Biology: published March 16, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002985

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  1. Population genetics and GWAS: A primer

Rapid environmental effects on gut nematode susceptibility in rewilded mice

Jacqueline M. Leung, Sarah A. Budischak, Hao Chung The, Christina Hansen, Rowann Bowcutt, Rebecca Neill, Mitchell Shellman, P’ng Loke, Andrea L. Graham

PLOS Biology: published March 8, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004108

Modifying and reacting to the environmental pH can drive bacterial interactions

Christoph Ratzke, Jeff Gore

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004248

The emergence of the visual word form: Longitudinal evolution of category-specific ventral visual areas during reading acquisition

Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz, Karla Monzalvo, Stanislas Dehaene

PLOS Biology: published March 6, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004103

Early uneven ear input induces long-lasting differences in left–right motor function

Michelle W. Antoine, Xiaoxia Zhu, Marianne Dieterich, Thomas Brandt, Sarath Vijayakumar, Nicholas McKeehan, Joseph C. Arezzo, R. Suzanne Zukin, David A. Borkholder, Sherri M. Jones, Robert D. Frisina, Jean M. Hébert

PLOS Biology: published March 13, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002988

Inflammation arising from obesity reduces taste bud abundance and inhibits renewal

Andrew Kaufman, Ezen Choo, Anna Koh, Robin Dando

PLOS Biology: published March 20, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2001959

Cell signaling heterogeneity is modulated by both cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms: An integrated approach to understanding targeted therapy

Eunjung Kim, Jae-Young Kim, Matthew A. Smith, Eric B. Haura, Alexander R. A. Anderson

PLOS Biology: published March 9, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002930

Spliced integrated retrotransposed element (SpIRE) formation in the human genome

Peter A. Larson, John B. Moldovan, Naveen Jasti, Jeffrey M. Kidd, Christine R. Beck, John V. Moran

PLOS Biology: published March 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003067

Negative regulation of amino acid signaling by MAPK-regulated 4F2hc/Girdin complex

Liang Weng, Yi-Peng Han, Atsushi Enomoto, Yasuyuki Kitaura, Shushi Nagamori, Yoshikatsu Kanai, Naoya Asai, Jian An, Maki Takagishi, Masato Asai, Shinji Mii, Takashi Masuko, Yoshiharu Shimomura, Masahide Takahashi

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005090

Effects of multiple sources of genetic drift on pathogen variation within hosts

David A. Kennedy, Greg Dwyer

PLOS Biology: published March 28, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004444

Dynamic frontotemporal systems process space and time in working memory

Elizabeth L. Johnson, Jenna N. Adams, Anne-Kristin Solbakk, Tor Endestad, Pål G. Larsson, Jugoslav Ivanovic, Torstein R. Meling, Jack J. Lin, Robert T. Knight

PLOS Biology: published March 30, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004274

The colonic epithelium plays an active role in promoting colitis by shaping the tissue cytokine profile

Jesse Lyons, Phaedra C. Ghazi, Alina Starchenko, Alessio Tovaglieri, Katherine R. Baldwin, Emily J. Poulin, Jessica J. Gierut, Casie Genetti, Vijay Yajnik, David T. Breault, Douglas A. Lauffenburger, Kevin M. Haigis

PLOS Biology: published March 29, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002417

Short Reports

The speed of parietal theta frequency drives visuospatial working memory capacity

Nina Wolinski, Nicholas R. Cooper, Paul Sauseng, Vincenzo Romei

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005348

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Recurrent excitation between motoneurones propagates across segments and is purely glutamatergic

Gardave S. Bhumbra, Marco Beato

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003586

Perceptually relevant speech tracking in auditory and motor cortex reflects distinct linguistic features

Anne Keitel, Joachim Gross, Christoph Kayser

PLOS Biology: published March 12, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004473

Rapid evolution of a voltage-gated sodium channel gene in a lineage of electric fish leads to a persistent sodium current

Ammon Thompson, Daniel T. Infield, Adam R. Smith, G. Troy Smith, Christopher A. Ahern, Harold H. Zakon

PLOS Biology: published March 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004892

Methods and Resources

The Plasmodium falciparum transcriptome in severe malaria reveals altered expression of genes involved in important processes including surface antigen–encoding var genes

Gerry Q. Tonkin-Hill, Leily Trianty, Rintis Noviyanti, Hanh H. T. Nguyen, Boni F. Sebayang, Daniel A. Lampah, Jutta Marfurt, Simon A. Cobbold, Janavi S. Rambhatla, Malcolm J. McConville, Stephen J. Rogerson, Graham V. Brown, Karen P. Day, Ric N. Price, Nicholas M. Anstey, Anthony T. Papenfuss, Michael F. Duffy

PLOS Biology: published March 12, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004328

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

M. Flori Sassano, Eric S. Davis, James E. Keating, Bryan T. Zorn, Tavleen K. Kochar, Matthew C. Wolfgang, Gary L. Glish, Robert Tarran

PLOS Biology: published March 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003904

Formal Comments

Science-based taxonomy still needs better governance: Response to Thomson et al.

Stephen Thomas Garnett, Les Christidis

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005249

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  1. Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation

Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation

Scott A. Thomson, Richard L. Pyle, Shane T. Ahyong, Miguel Alonso-Zarazaga, Joe Ammirati, Juan Francisco Araya, John S. Ascher, Tracy Lynn Audisio, Valter M. Azevedo-Santos, Nicolas Bailly, William J. Baker, Michael Balke, Maxwell V. L. Barclay, Russell L. Barrett, Ricardo C. Benine, James R. M. Bickerstaff, Patrice Bouchard, Roger Bour, Thierry Bourgoin, Christopher B. Boyko, Abraham S. H. Breure, Denis J. Brothers, James W. Byng, David Campbell, Luis M. P. Ceríaco, István Cernák, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Chih-Han Chang, Soowon Cho, Joshua M. Copus, Mark J. Costello, Andras Cseh, Csaba Csuzdi, Alastair Culham, Guillermo D’Elía, Cédric d’Udekem d’Acoz, Mikhail E. Daneliya, René Dekker, Edward C. Dickinson, Timothy A. Dickinson, Peter Paul van Dijk, Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra, Bálint Dima, Dmitry A. Dmitriev, Leni Duistermaat, John P. Dumbacher, Wolf L. Eiserhardt, Torbjørn Ekrem, Neal L. Evenhuis, Arnaud Faille, José L. Fernández-Triana, Emile Fiesler, Mark Fishbein, Barry G. Fordham, André V. L. Freitas, Natália R. Friol, Uwe Fritz, Tobias Frøslev, Vicki A. Funk, Stephen D. Gaimari, Guilherme S. T. Garbino, André R. S. Garraffoni, József Geml, Anthony C. Gill, Alan Gray, Felipe G. Grazziotin, Penelope Greenslade, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Mark S. Harvey, Cornelis J. Hazevoet, Kai He, Xiaolan He, Stephan Helfer, Kristofer M. Helgen, Anneke H. van Heteren, Francisco Hita Garcia, Norbert Holstein, Margit K. Horváth, Peter H. Hovenkamp, Wei Song Hwang, Jaakko Hyvönen, Melissa B. Islam, John B. Iverson, Michael A. Ivie, Zeehan Jaafar, Morgan D. Jackson, J. Pablo Jayat, Norman F. Johnson, Hinrich Kaiser, Bente B. Klitgård, Dániel G. Knapp, Jun-ichi Kojima, Urmas Kõljalg, Jenő Kontschán, Frank-Thorsten Krell, Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber, Sven Kullander, Leonardo Latella, John E. Lattke, Valeria Lencioni, Gwilym P. Lewis, Marcos G. Lhano, Nathan K. Lujan, Jolanda A. Luksenburg, Jean Mariaux, Jader Marinho-Filho, Christopher J. Marshall, Jason F. Mate, Molly M. McDonough, Ellinor Michel, Vitor F. O. Miranda, Mircea-Dan Mitroiu, Jesús Molinari, Scott Monks, Abigail J. Moore, Ricardo Moratelli, Dávid Murányi, Takafumi Nakano, Svetlana Nikolaeva, John Noyes, Michael Ohl, Nora H. Oleas, Thomas Orrell, Barna Páll-Gergely, Thomas Pape, Viktor Papp, Lynne R. Parenti, David Patterson, Igor Ya. Pavlinov, Ronald H. Pine, Péter Poczai, Jefferson Prado, Divakaran Prathapan, Richard K. Rabeler, John E. Randall, Frank E. Rheindt, Anders G. J. Rhodin, Sara M. Rodríguez, D. Christopher Rogers, Fabio de O. Roque, Kevin C. Rowe, Luis A. Ruedas, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Rodrigo B. Salvador, George Sangster, Carlos E. Sarmiento, Dmitry S. Schigel, Stefan Schmidt, Frederick W. Schueler, Hendrik Segers, Neil Snow, Pedro G. B. Souza-Dias, Riaan Stals, Soili Stenroos, R. Douglas Stone, Charles F. Sturm, Pavel Štys, Pablo Teta, Daniel C. Thomas, Robert M. Timm, Brian J. Tindall, Jonathan A. Todd, Dagmar Triebel, Antonio G. Valdecasas, Alfredo Vizzini, Maria S. Vorontsova, Jurriaan M. de Vos, Philipp Wagner, Les Watling, Alan Weakley, Francisco Welter-Schultes, Daniel Whitmore, Nicholas Wilding, Kipling Will, Jason Williams, Karen Wilson, Judith E. Winston, Wolfgang Wüster, Douglas Yanega, David K. Yeates, Hussam Zaher, Guanyang Zhang, Zhi-Qiang Zhang, Hong-Zhang Zhou

PLOS Biology: published March 14, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005075

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Research Matters

Meta-research: Why research on research matters

John P. A. Ioannidis

PLOS Biology: published March 13, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005468