This primer explores research by Diane Lawrence et al., which shows how multi-species interactions can influence evolution in ways that cannot be predicted from studies that focus on simpler communities, because direct and indirect species interactions alter the strength and direction of selection.
The study of human evolution is filled with exciting discoveries, contentious disputes, and immense promise. Johannes Krause reviews John Reader's book on the history of paleoanthropology.
Why do we have so much trouble distinguishing life from non-life, and whether a potentially new life form is truly alien? In this essay, Gerald Joyce outlines how to define life at the molecular level, by using so-called “bits” – heritable information contained in DNA. In the accompanying PLoS Biology Podcast, Dr. Joyce discusses the probability of finding new life forms, and whether synthetic biology can lead to new definitions of life.
This synopsis details a new experimental approach revealing a bet hedging strategy in unstressed, clonal yeast cells, whereby they adopt a range of growth states that correlate with expression of a trehalose-synthesis regulator and that predict resistance to future stress. Read the related research article by Mark Siegal and colleagues.
Hearing and touch are genetically related, and people with excellent hearing are more likely to have a fine sense of touch and vice versa. Read more in this synopsis describing research by Gary Lewin and colleagues.
PLoS Biology is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal featuring research articles of exceptional significance in all areas of biological science, from molecules to ecosystems.
Read the PLoS Blogs 
The Structural Genomics Consortium
The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is a not-for-profit organization that aims to determine the three dimensional structures of proteins of medical relevance, and place them in the public domain without restriction.
All site content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
