July 17, 2026
Axon diameter is important for action potential conduction speed, but what molecular pathways influence this neuronal property? Maria Eichel-Vogel, David Lyons and colleagues report a high-resolution imaging-based chemical screening pipeline for a zebrafish axon, and identify regulators of axon diameter that represent candidates for mechanistic investigation.
Image credit: Maria Eichel-Vogel
07/15/2026
Research Article
Peroxisomes detoxify metabolites and regulate lipid metabolism, but how is their protein import coordinated across brain cell types and circadian time in vivo? Anurag Das, John Vaughen, Hua Bai and co-workers reveal that circadian, glia-specific Pex5-dependent peroxisomal import controls sleep behavior and lipid metabolism.
Image credit: pbio.3003901
07/14/2026
Short Reports
Powered flight has fundamentally shaped diverse aspects of birds. Yanzhu Ji, Lei Wu, Weiwei Zhai, Fumin Lei and co-authors reveal a robust connection between flight, metabolism, and evolutionary rates, suggesting that this influence extends to the tempo of genome evolution.
Image credit: Gang Song
07/14/2026
Research Article
The elongated shape of the Drosophila wing is regulated by the Dachsous-Fat signalling pathway, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Bipin Kumar Tripathi, Zhenru Zhou and Kenneth Irvine show that mechanical forces regulated by this pathway modulate tissue-wide cytoskeletal tension to orient growth during larval development.
Image credit: Bipin Kumar Tripathi
07/14/2026
Methods and Resources
Social interactions in primates rely on both facial expressions and body signals, but creating lifelike monkey avatars with realistic body motion is challenging. Lucas Martini, Martin Giese and colleagues present MacAction, a realistic macaque body avatar animated from multi-camera markerless tracking data, revealing an "uncanny valley" effect in macaque body perception, similar to that described in humans.
Image credit: Lucas Martini et al
07/14/2026
Research Article
How do olfactory early-life memories exert their privileged influence on long-term memory and shape brain structure? Jules Dejou, Anne Didier, Nathalie Mandairon and co-workers show that early experiences with pleasant odorants create persistent memories supported by neonatal neurons and dynamic brain connectivity. Don't miss the related Primer by Chloé Guillaume and Elisa Galliano.
Image credit: Jules Dejou
07/13/2026
Research Article
Meis1 is a transcription factor that is critical for the regulation of cerebellar granule cell progenitor function. Tomoo Owa, Toma Adachi, Mikio Hoshino and co-authors show that distinct spatially regulated isoforms of Meis1 differentially regulate the stability of pro-neural protein, ATOH1, to fine-tune granule neuron differentiation.
Image credit: Ikuko Hasegawa
07/16/2026
Essay
Understanding how signals are exchanged across the cerebral cortex is a central challenge for theories of perception and cognition. This Essay proposes that several anatomical features of the claustrum suggest a role in signal integration.
Image credit: pbio.3003906
07/16/2026
Unsolved Mystery
G-quadruplexes are dynamic four-stranded DNA knots that may control genes, protect genomes, and drive disease, but when do they form, how do they work, and why do cells need them?
Image credit: pbio.3003874
07/06/2026
Essay
How do bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics? This Essay argues that the evolution of antibiotic resistance is frequently catalyzed by the presence of ‘resistance potentiators’: genes, elements, or pathways that accelerate evolution in a trait-specific manner.
Image credit: pbio.3003852
07/02/2026
Perspective
Immune cells exist as continuous clouds, not discrete categories. This Perspective reframes immune identity through systems biology, and redirects where immunotherapies should aim: at the dynamics of the cloud, not just its center.
Image credit: pbio.3003853
Aging affects us all, but we still do not know how the process evolves or if we can modulate its pace. This issue of PLOS Biology presents a Collection of articles that explores different aspects of aging, discussing what challenges still need to be overcome.
This PLOS Biology collection aims to shine a light on the many facets of immunometabolism, highlighting how molecular and cellular mechanisms impact diverse tissue and organismal functions and the exciting potential for leveraging immunometabolism for therapeutic interventions.
Recent technological advancements in omics have unveiled the mechanisms governing tumor progression across spatial and temporal scales. This collection reveals the complexities of the crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment.
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.
July 21 - 24
Meet Senior Editor Roli Roberts (rroberts@plos.org)
August 2 - 7
Meet Senior Editor Christian Schnell (cschnell@plos.org)
August 2 - 7
Meet Senior Editor Richard Hodge (rhodge@plos.org)
August 16 - 21
Meet Senior Editor Luke Smith (lsmith@plos.org)
August 17 - 19
Meet Associate Editor Taylor Hart (thart@plos.org)