07/11/2025
Research Article
The CD163 scavenger receptor on macrophages clears free hemoglobin in the bloodstream via binding to the haptoglobin-hemoglobin (HpHb) complex. Ching-Shin Huang, Lidia Mosyak and co-workers solve the cryo-EM structure of CD163 in complex with HpHb and reveal the mechanism by which CD163-mediated endocytosis efficiently clears different isoforms of HpHb.
Image credit: pbio.3003264
Current Issue June 2025
07/11/2025
Methods and Resources
Using a high-throughput spatiotemporal analysis of over 10 million primary cilia in 22 mouse brain regions, Roudabeh Monfared, Sherif Abdelkarim, Pierre Baldi, Amal Alachkar and co-authors show that cilia have region-specific length and orientation patterns, and characterize circadian rhythms of cilia length in five brain regions. The findings suggest a role for cilia in the brain’s response to environmental changes.
Image credit: pbio.3003197
07/10/2025
Methods and Resources
ER-membrane contact sites are often distorted by existing labeling methods. Laura Downie, Stephen Royle and co-workers develop an inducible labeling system called LaBeRling that uses the Lamin B receptor to fluorescently tag a variety of ER-membrane contact sites in live cells preserving their morphology.
Image credit: Laura Downie & Stephen Royle
07/07/2025
Research Article
Electrical brain stimulation can be used to modulate brain activity but it is unclear how it affects the cortical layers. Sangjun Lee, Alexander Opitz and co-authors show that only the deeper layers, but not the superficial layers, show phase-dependent changes in local field potential components upon electrical stimulation.
Image credit: pbio.3003278
07/07/2025
Research Article
Reward expectation modulates attention and decision making, but are these mediated by common or distinct mechanisms? Ankita Sengupta and Devarajan Sridharan show that spatial manipulation of reward expectation selectively modulates sensitivity, while choice-based manipulation of reward expectation selectively affects decision making.
Image credit: Ankita Sengupta
07/07/2025
Methods and Resources
Chantal Wissing, Lena Eschholz, Simon Wiegert, Alexander Dieter and colleagues report substantial heterogeneity in transgene expression patterns when using different strategies to virally transduce noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus, highlighting the need to carefully validate each experimental approach in order to avoid misinterpretations when studying locus coeruleus function.
Image credit: Lena Eschholz, Alexander Dieter & Chantal Wissing
06/30/2025
Editorial
AI tools can aid almost every aspect of the research process, from hypothesis generation and data analysis to manuscript drafting and publication. This Editorial explores what the future might hold for researchers and publishers.
Image credit: Unsplash user Igor Omilaev
06/23/2025
Perspective
A career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, and proposes structural changes to support equity and inclusion.
Image credit: Pixabay user kschneider2991
06/23/2025
Perspective
As the availability and performance of AI for language editing and translation continues to improve, we can imagine a future in which everyone can use their own language to write, assess and read science. The question is, how can we achieve it?
Image credit: pbio.3003215
06/20/2025
Perspective
Educational equity faces renewed threats across higher education in the United States. This Perspective addresses what can be done by life science instructors and researchers to prioritize equitable, evidence-based teaching for all.
Image credit: Unsplash user Sam Balye
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.
July 13 - 17
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia (ialvarez-garcia@plos.org)
July 20 - 24
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
August 26 - 30
Meet Senior Editor Richard Hodge (rhodge@plos.org)
September 9 - 12
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia (ialvarez-garcia@plos.org)
September 16 - 19
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
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