04/24/2025
Research Article
The directed motion of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain is key for the distribution and removal of solutes, but how this flux is modulated is not clear. Juliana Zimmermann, Clara Boudriot, Christiane Eipert, Christian Sorg, Benedikt Zott and co-workers show in human subjects that changes in total cerebral blood volume drive the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
Image credit: pbio.3003138
Current Issue March 2025
04/24/2025
Short Reports
It is widely accepted that action potentials in vertebrate muscle are indispensable for contraction. This study of zebrafish lacking the sodium channel NaV1.4, by Chifumi Akiyama, Souhei Sakata and Fumihito Ono, reveals that NaVs are not essential for muscle contraction, and that the physiological requirement for action potentials in muscle can vary between vertebrates.
Image credit: pbio.3003137
04/22/2025
Research Article
How does our brain process interactions with an avatar compared to another human being? Toshiko Tanaka and Masahiko Haruno show that feedback from an avatar increases risk-taking behavior in humans and is associated with lower activity in the amygdala and ventral striatum.
Image credit: pbio.3003122
04/22/2025
Meta-Research Article
Insect studies can face challenges with reproducibility. Using a 3x3 experimental design across three laboratory sites, three insect species, and three independent experiments, Carolin Mundinger, Nora Schulz, Pragya Singh, Helene Richter and co-authors reveal cases of both sufficient and poor reproducibility, highlighting critical opportunities for improving experimental rigor in insect research.
Image credit: Holger Schielzeth
04/21/2025
Research Article
The neuromuscular system is highly plastic during early life development. Camille Quilgars, Sandrine Bertrand and colleagues show that brief swim training in mouse pups accelerated swimming pattern acquisition and altered motoneuron properties, highlighting the sensitivity of the neuromuscular apparatus during development.
Image credit: pbio.3003153
04/21/2025
Research Article
How does transcriptional patterning regulate salivary gland morphogenesis? Annabel May and Katja Röper provide a detailed scRNA-seq characterization of transcriptional changes during early morphogenesis of the Drosophila salivary gland placode, revealing that this process is regulated by both the induction, but also exclusion of regulatory factors, such as tollo.
Image credit: pbio.3003133
04/18/2025
Editorial
Vaccines have saved millions of lives, yet their importance and safety is repeatedly in question. This editorial argues that we cannot let disinformation campaigns get in the way of global public health.
Image credit: Unsplash user Ed Us
04/15/2025
Perspective
Gene drive can modify or suppress plant populations, offering solutions to challenges associated with globalization and climate change. Bruce Hay discusses how self-limiting gene drive methods provide a controlled, reversible path forward.
Image credit: pbio.3003148
04/15/2025
Unsolved Mystery
Did human language evolve via a gestural or a vocal route? This Unsolved Mystery discusses evidence suggesting that fetal auditory development and learning in the womb are important evolutionary factors in the dominance of vocal communication.
Image credit: pbio.3003141
04/14/2025
Perspective
Filoviruses continue to re-emerge in Africa, causing localized public health emergencies. Andrea Marzi highlights the importance of taking a holistic approach to protect against filoviruses, discussing possible strategies to achieve cross-protection.
Image credit: pbio.3003142
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.
PLOS Biology is 20 and we are celebrating with a collection that contains articles that look back at landmark studies that we published, others that look past and future, and others discussing how publishing and open science have evolved and what is to come.
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This collection explores engineering strategies to help us adapt plants to a changing climate, including breeding techniques, genome engineering, synthetic biology and microbiome engineering.
May 11 - 16
Meet Associate Editor Melissa Vazquez Hernandez (mvazquezhernandez@plos.org)
May 13 - 17
Meet Senior Editor Luke Smith (lsmith@plos.org)
May 18 - 23
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
May 26 - 28
Meet Associate Editor Melissa Vazquez Hernandez (mvazquezhernandez@plos.org)
June 16 - 20
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
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