PLOS Biology

Molecular characterization of nervous system organization in the hemichordate acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii Hemichordates are crucial for understanding vertebrate nervous system origins. This study of the acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii reveals a complex and regionalized neural plexus at the proboscis b...

Going to be presenting the journal club for the Postbacs this month. I have been thinking a lot about hemichordates and their patterning these past two weeks so I thought this would be a great paper to present ☺️

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

"not perfect" for prophages either, "very not perfect" for lytic viruses 😁
We touch on this a bit in our "host prediction" review www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
and the Sullivan lab has done benchmarking that highlights the potential noise in these data
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social geeked out about #BChromosomes w/ Patrick Ferree from @scrippscollege.bsky.social about his @plosbiology.org paper on female meiotic drag in Nasonia: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher l...

Our story on the evolution of colistin resistance is just out on @plosbiology.org (journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... Evolution doesn’t happen in isolation. We show that competing fungi can rewire the evolutionary trajectory of colistin resistance in P. aeruginosa. Great teamwork with the Ernst lab

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Shot:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Chaser:

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4

Glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus regulate male social hierarchies The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. This study in male mice shows that glutamatergic projections from the…

In a new study, Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang &co show that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels in male mice, adding to our knowledge of these important circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher…

In new research, Yu-Ying Phoebe Hsieh, Ian O’Keefe, Ajai Dandekar, Harmit Malik &co reveal how magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher levels of resistance to colistin (a last-resort #antibiotic).
🧪#MicroSky

An illustration of a cross-section of a human head superimposed on computer chip details. Image Credit: Artificial Intelligence Brain by Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Deep learning is increasingly being used in #biology, but evidence suggests that models may not be as generalizable as hoped. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller & Katie Murray @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk outline the scale and severity of the issue, suggesting potential solutions.
🧪 #AI
plos.io/40H9ogJ

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4

Glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus regulate male social hierarchies The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. This study in male mice shows that glutamatergic projections from the…

In a new study, Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang &co show that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels in male mice, adding to our knowledge of these important circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher…

In new research, Yu-Ying Phoebe Hsieh, Ian O’Keefe, Ajai Dandekar, Harmit Malik &co reveal how magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher levels of resistance to colistin (a last-resort #antibiotic).
🧪#MicroSky

An illustration of a cross-section of a human head superimposed on computer chip details. Image Credit: Artificial Intelligence Brain by Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Deep learning is increasingly being used in #biology, but evidence suggests that models may not be as generalizable as hoped. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller & Katie Murray @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk outline the scale and severity of the issue, suggesting potential solutions.
🧪 #AI
plos.io/40H9ogJ

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4

Glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus regulate male social hierarchies The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. This study in male mice shows that glutamatergic projections from the…

In a new study, Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang &co show that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels in male mice, adding to our knowledge of these important circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher…

In new research, Yu-Ying Phoebe Hsieh, Ian O’Keefe, Ajai Dandekar, Harmit Malik &co reveal how magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher levels of resistance to colistin (a last-resort #antibiotic).
🧪#MicroSky

An illustration of a cross-section of a human head superimposed on computer chip details. Image Credit: Artificial Intelligence Brain by Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Deep learning is increasingly being used in #biology, but evidence suggests that models may not be as generalizable as hoped. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller & Katie Murray @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk outline the scale and severity of the issue, suggesting potential solutions.
🧪 #AI
plos.io/40H9ogJ

Dynamic expectation strength and precision shape human pain perception through shared and dissociable α-oscillatory mechanisms Expectations strongly shape pain perception, but how their temporal dynamics influence neural processing is unclear. This study shows that expectation strength and precision have opposite effects on…

Pain perception is shaped by expectations, but it is unclear how temporal dynamics influence neural processing. Jia Li, Weiwei Peng &co reveal a dynamic neural framework for predictive pain modulation mediated by distinct α‑band mechanisms and prefrontal cortex circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky

Ischemic stroke triggers brain-wide synaptic remodeling within four hours Ischemic stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling, which is often studied in the context of mid-to-long term functional rehabilitation. This study characterizes early synaptic remodeling in a…

Ischemic #stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling. Huanhuan Chen, Ye Wei, Mikhail Spivakov, Oleg O Glebov &co find a loss of synapses in the ischemic core, but functional enhancement of synapses in the contralateral cortex in a mouse model of stroke.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) nesting on a small pond island in one of Prague’s largest parks, Czechia (photo credit: Peter Mikula; 24 April 2021)

Anthropogenic change is causing behavioral traits to converge across individuals, populations, and species, often in urban environments. @birder158.bsky.social &co describe these changes and discusses their ecological and evolutionary consequences.
🧪 #EcoSky #GlobalChangeBiology
plos.io/4b6FcRb

Ischemic stroke triggers brain-wide synaptic remodeling within four hours Ischemic stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling, which is often studied in the context of mid-to-long term functional rehabilitation. This study characterizes early synaptic remodeling in a…

Ischemic #stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling. Huanhuan Chen, Ye Wei, Mikhail Spivakov, Oleg O Glebov &co find a loss of synapses in the ischemic core, but functional enhancement of synapses in the contralateral cortex in a mouse model of stroke.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) nesting on a small pond island in one of Prague’s largest parks, Czechia (photo credit: Peter Mikula; 24 April 2021)

Anthropogenic change is causing behavioral traits to converge across individuals, populations, and species, often in urban environments. @birder158.bsky.social &co describe these changes and discusses their ecological and evolutionary consequences.
🧪 #EcoSky #GlobalChangeBiology
plos.io/4b6FcRb

A promotional graphic for an EMBO Workshop titled "Brain (epi)genome," scheduled for 21-24 April 2026 at EMBL Heidelberg and virtually. The background features colorful illustrations of brain cells and synapses. Logos for EMBO and EMBL are displayed at the bottom.

How does the (epi)genome generate the brain’s huge diversity of cell types? This @‌events.embl.org workshop brings together leaders in genomics, neuroscience, and epigenetics to explore the mechanisms shaping neural identity, connectivity, memory, and disease.

🔗 plos.io/4aJ9IS2

#EMBOBrainEpi

Have you ever notice that while speaking about biotic homogenization, we almost never speak about behavior? It’s literally true. But that doesn’t mean behavioral homogenization isn't happening. Our new paper is finally out!
plos.io/4b6FcRb

Dynamic expectation strength and precision shape human pain perception through shared and dissociable α-oscillatory mechanisms Expectations strongly shape pain perception, but how their temporal dynamics influence neural processing is unclear. This study shows that expectation strength and precision have opposite effects on…

Pain perception is shaped by expectations, but it is unclear how temporal dynamics influence neural processing. Jia Li, Weiwei Peng &co reveal a dynamic neural framework for predictive pain modulation mediated by distinct α‑band mechanisms and prefrontal cortex circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky

Ischemic stroke triggers brain-wide synaptic remodeling within four hours Ischemic stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling, which is often studied in the context of mid-to-long term functional rehabilitation. This study characterizes early synaptic remodeling in a…

Ischemic #stroke induces substantial neuronal remodeling. Huanhuan Chen, Ye Wei, Mikhail Spivakov, Oleg O Glebov &co find a loss of synapses in the ischemic core, but functional enhancement of synapses in the contralateral cortex in a mouse model of stroke.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) nesting on a small pond island in one of Prague’s largest parks, Czechia (photo credit: Peter Mikula; 24 April 2021)

Anthropogenic change is causing behavioral traits to converge across individuals, populations, and species, often in urban environments. @birder158.bsky.social &co describe these changes and discusses their ecological and evolutionary consequences.
🧪 #EcoSky #GlobalChangeBiology
plos.io/4b6FcRb