06/26/2025
Short Reports
Sleep supports memory consolidation, but can it also facilitate memory reorganization? Anika Löwe, Marit Petzka, Maria Tzegka and Nicolas Schuck reveal that N2 sleep, but not N1 sleep during a nap, increases the likelihood of having an 'aha' moment about a previous decision-making task, and that spectral slopes of EEG power spectra predict future insights.
Image credit: pbio.3003185 credit Pixabay user ColiN00B
Current Issue May 2025
06/24/2025
Short Reports
Large teeth and highly protrusible jaws are two feeding innovations that have evolved in fishes. Nick Peoples, Michalis Mihalitsis and Peter Wainwright use high-speed videography and comparative phylogenetic analyses to show that they are incompatible with each other. Large teeth unlock new feeding modes, but constrain the way in which prey can be captured; this antagonistic interaction has shaped the evolution of fish feeding.
Image credit: pbio.3003225
06/24/2025
Methods and Resources
Ovulation is a complex process that is tightly controlled in a spatiotemporal manner, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Ruixu Huang, Caroline Kratka, Samouil Farhi, Francesca Duncan, Brittany Goods and colleagues use single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in mouse ovarian cells to provide specific temporal and localization profiles across ovulation as a community resource.
Image credit: pbio.3003193
06/24/2025
Research Article
The ‘sprawling-to-parasagittal’ postural transition is a key part of mammalian evolution from non-mammalian synapsids. Robert Brocklehurst, Stephanie Pierce and co-workers use evolutionary adaptive landscapes to reveal parasagittal postures in stem therians, implying that synapsids evolved and radiated with distinct forelimb trait combinations for most of their recorded history.
Image credit: pbio.3003188
06/23/2025
Short Reports
Glycoprotein 2 (GP2) filaments protect against gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections by acting as decoys for the bacterial lectin FimH. Jianting Han, Fei Zhang, Qin Cao and co-authors use the cryo-EM structure of GP2 filaments to provide molecular insights into filament assembly and antibacterial function in the proteolytic environment of the digestive tract.
Image credit: pbio.3003238
06/23/2025
Short Reports
Ovarian multinucleated giant cells are a unique macrophage population that arise within the aging mammalian ovary. Aubrey Converse, Michele Pritchard, Francesca Duncan and colleagues reveal a potential role in degradation of cellular debris and immune signaling, suggesting a potential contribution to ovarian inflammation during aging. Don't miss the related Primer by Avery Ahmed and Stephanie Pangas.
Image credit: pbio.3003204
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
06/16/2025
Perspective
Functional MRI has been invaluable in understanding brain function. This Perspective explores how neuroimaging in more naturalistic environments may reveal crucial insights into human cognition and social interactions in everyday life.
Image credit: pbio.3003210
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.
June 30 - July 2
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
July 8 - 9
Meet Senior Editor Christian Schnell (cschnell@plos.org)
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)
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