Biology Open
LightNews LightNews
banner
biologyopen.bsky.social
Biology Open
@biologyopen.bsky.social
3.3K followers 100 following 240 posts
Facilitating rapid review for accessible research - an online only, #OpenAccess @biologists.bsky.social peer reviewed journal for research across all aspects of the biological sciences.

Posts Replies Media Videos
biologyopen.bsky.social
Moore, @birdbiomech.bsky.social & co discover that desert kangaroo rats don't all behave the same way when placed in the same outdoor enclosure. Some of these differences seemed linked to things like whether the animal was male or female, how big it was and moonlight. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Image of the behavioral arena set up within a natural environment. Note that the shrub in the lower right corner is obscured by the arena wall. One wall panel is lowered, as this photograph was taken during daytime arena set up. During active experiments, all wall panels were raised, and the base of the cloth wall was buried to prevent animal escape.
November 28, 2025 at 4:34 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
@biologyopen.bsky.social is compensating peer reviewers as part of the Fast & Fair peer review initiative. BiO’s Managing Editor Alejandra Clark recently joined reporter Geoff Marsh in a podcast that reviews the concept of paying peer reviewers more closely qspace.fqxi.org/podcasts/125....
A new initiative offering high-quality peer review within 7 working days of submission Biology Open logo to the left Fast & Fair peer review
November 27, 2025 at 2:00 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Plant chemicals can impact the nervous system and behaviour of pollinators. Wade Pike & co find few effects of dietary plant chemicals on honey bee forager aggression and microbiome composition. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Impacts of phytochemical treatment on gut microbiome composition. (A) Number of observed OTUs, a measure of alpha diversity. Each dot represents a sample (N=10 control, N=26 GABA, N=22 p-coumaric acid). Boxplots show the median and interquartile range, with whiskers reaching 1.5*IQR. Black dots indicate outlier samples. (B) Principal component analysis of beta diversity (UniFrac) with each symbol representing a sample. (C) Mean relative abundance of various microbial classes as a function of phytochemical treatment.
November 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Nimmy John and co find that #notch activation remains largely unchanged across temperatures, suggesting the presence of temperature-compensatory mechanisms that maintain robust Notch activation. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Overall changes in sygl-1 transcriptional response as temperature increases. (A) Z projected sygl-1 smFISH images that are representative of the sygl-1 Notch response as temperature increased (15°C, 20°C, 22.5°C and 25°C).
November 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Khatija Nishat and colleagues find that a tiny cellular structure called the primary cilium, which helps cells ‘talk’ to each other during development, depends on a protein called IFT139 to work properly, showing how defects in IFT139 can lead to ciliopathies.
IFT139 regulates Hedgehog signaling and cilia structure through ciliary protein localization
Summary: Our work demonstrates a cell-based approach to study the function of IFT139, part of the IFT-A complex, in protein localization within the cilium. We examined in detail the role of IFT139 in…
doi.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Biology Open
biologists.bsky.social
It’s #PublicationIntegrityWeek, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who support us in our integrity work on the journals – helping to ensure the papers we publish can be trusted. 1/10
November 19, 2025 at 1:12 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Nikita Jhaveri & co identify genetic & genomic hallmarks of the taxonomically restricted genes gon-14 and ivph-3 in #Caenorhabditis, highlighting changes that correlate when a new gene integrates into important biological processes. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Cel-gon-14 and Cel-ivph-3 mutants exhibit similar defects in gonad development and fertility, and are phenotypically distinct from Cbr-gon-14 and Cbr-ivph-3 mutants. (A-D) Gonad arm outgrowth is defective in Cel-gon-14 and Cel-ivph-3 mutants. (A) In wild-type hermaphrodites, two gonad arms develop from the gonad primordium in the animal midbody. In L4 larvae, the arms have developed toward the animal ends, completed a U-turn, and migrated back toward the midbody along the dorsal side of the body cavity. Asterisk indicates the position of the developing vulva opening, and a single gonad arm (posterior) is shown. (B) Cel-gon-14 mutants derived from heterozygous mothers exhibit defects in distal tip cell (DTC) differentiation and subsequent outgrowth of the gonad arms (Siegfried et al., 2004), and the gonad cells fail to migrate and frequently form a single mass of cells in the center of the animal. (C) While the gonads of Cel-ivph-3 mutants derived from heterozygous mothers are generally normal in morphology (not shown), Cel-ivph-3 mutant offspring produced by mutant mothers (m-z-) likewise exhibit gonad arm defects.
November 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Little penguins undergo a catastrophic moult, replacing all feathers within a short timeframe while on land and not foraging. Wells & co examine the 2015 and 2016 moult seasons on Phillip Island, Australia, to explore factors influencing moult timing, duration and mass. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Study site within the Summerland Peninsula on the western end of Phillip Island, Victoria. The study site is represented by ●.
November 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
We are pleased to be a media partner for
@embo.org @embl.org Symposium - Collectivity in living systems: emergence, function, and evolution, 24 - 27 Feb 2026, EMBL Heidelberg & Virtual
#EESCollectivity
Abstract submission: 18 Nov 2025
Find out more bit.ly/3XzZzzy
EMBO|EMBL Symposium Collectivity in living systems: emergence, function, and evolution 24 - 27 February 2026 EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
November 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
#Fasting has become a widely adopted practice. Cesanelli & co show that prolonged fasting disrupts muscle force production & mechanical properties, indicating how energy demands influence the mechanical response of different muscles to metabolic stress. doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#MuscleMechanics
Study design and muscle mechanics testing protocols. Mice from three different strains (C57BL/6J, BEH+/+, and BEH) were randomly assigned to either a control (CON) or 48-h fasting (FAS) group. Isolated SOL and EDL muscles were used for mechanical testing, which included including twitch contractions and determination of optimal length (L0), tetanic contractions at different stimulation frequencies with force–frequency curve analysis, and an isometric–eccentric protocol repeated for 100 cycles.
November 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Samuele Sartori & co use a #zebrafish animal model to uncover the developmental roles of ADAMTS13, whose deficiency causes #congenitalthromboticthrombocytopenicpurpura, in vascular patterning and hematopoietic lineage balance. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
November 14, 2025 at 5:29 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Katarzyna Hencel, @alperakay.bsky.social, @drsull.bsky.social & co demonstrate an
accessible and affordable assay to measure #vitaminB12 in biological samples. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Detection and estimation of vitamin B12 levels in bacterial isolates from wild C. elegans.E. coli B834 (DE3) was cultured in M9 minimal media and supplemented with cell-free bacterial extracts of the indicated strains (A). Growth was compared using AUC analysis coupled with one-way ANOVA with Holm-Šidák multiple comparison corrections (B). The data points are plotted with mean±s.e.m. from three biological replicates derived from two technical replicates corrected for blank readings. Bacterial isolates are as follows: Sphingobacterium multivorum BIGb0170, Comamonas piscis BIGb0172, Pantoea nemavictus BIGb0393, Enterobacter hormaechei CEent1, Sphingomonas molluscorum JUb134, Stenotrophomonas indicatrix JUb19, Chryseobacterium scophthalmum JUb44, Lelliottia amnigena JUb66, Pseudomonas berkeleyensis MSPm1, Acinetobacter guillouiae MYb10 Pseudomonas lurida MYb11, Ochrobactrum vermis MYb71.
November 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Biology Open
biologists.bsky.social
Looking to publish your paper #OpenAccess? Check if your institution is signed up to our Read & Publish initiative and you can publish #OA for free: www.biologists.com/library-hub/...
November 13, 2025 at 8:33 AM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Emily Barker & co generate and characterise mouse models of complete and partial HexA deficiency that are suitable for testing a broad range of therapies for Tay-Sachs disease. 🐭 doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#TaySachsDisease #MouseModel
Immunohistochemical detection of GM2 ganglioside in dKO, KIKO and CON brains. Sections were selected from similar areas of the brain for matched pairs. Sections for each matched pair were stained together and photographed at 63× using a Zeiss Axioimager equipped with ZEN software. Many images are taken from within the same field of view as the 20× images shown in Fig. S6A. Specifically, data in Fig. 6, panels E,F,G,I,J,N, and O are also shown in Fig. S6A, panels A,B,C,I,J,N, and O respectively. The presence of a red-brown staining signal for GM2 ganglioside was present in CON brains but much more broadly and abundantly present in the sections from the dKO and KIKO brains. Arrows indicate cells that have low levels of GM2 in CON (A,C,E,F,I,K,M,O), compared to the higher levels of GM2 present in vacuolated cells (B,D,F,H,J,L,N,P). Arrows in panels A-D identify Purkinje cells. Scale bars: 20 µM. These images are representative of those from three different pairs of animals.
November 12, 2025 at 2:04 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Nazeefa Nashrah & co investigate how wild goldfish respond to rapid changes in temperatures by estimating their aerobic scope. They find that wild goldfish maintain a stable aerobic scope under short-term exposure to temperatures of 26 °C and 30°C. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Comparison of RMR, MMR, and AS tested acutely at 26°C or 30°C. Boxplots depicting the median mass-adjusted (A) RMR, (B) MMR, and (C) AS of wild-caught invasive goldfish (C. auratus) tested at 26°C (N=11) and 30°C (N=10), standardized to the mass of an average fish in the experiment (5.76 g). Points represent individual fish.
November 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
@sciencealyssa.bsky.social, @kourtidislab.bsky.social & co investigate the PIWI-piRNA pathway in #coloncancer using a nuanced bioinformatic and cell-based approach, linking the downregulation of PIWIL2 to disease progression, transposable element activation and DNA damage. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Representative images of Caco2+LZRS, PIWIL2 KO+LZRS and PIWIL2 KO+PIWIL2-FLAG cells grown in anchorage independent conditions after 7 days.
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Issue 10 is done and dusted! Explore here: bit.ly/4nP8CHQ.

On the cover: An image of #zebrafish (prey) and a glass catfish (predator) interaction, from Kurnia et al., who use three-dimensional locomotion-tracking assays to observe fear responses in zebrafish.
An image of zebrafish (prey) and a Glass catfish, K. bicirrhis (predator) interaction from the paper by Kurnia et al., where three-dimensional locomotion-tracking assays were used to observe fear responses in zebrafish.
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
David Klinke II & co provide evidence-based guidance for optimal preclinical model selection in #melanoma research. They show that two different melanoma mouse models exhibit distinct growth kinetics, immune infiltration patterns and therapeutic sensitivities. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
B16F0 tumors have a faster intrinsic growth rate and are more immunogenic than YUMM1.7 tumors. Growth curves of B16F0 (A) and YUMM1.7 (B) tumors in immunocompetent C57BL/6 (black) and severely immunocompromised NSG (red) mice. Each curve corresponds to the tumor size in each mouse measured as a function of time. A mathematical model describing the growth kinetics (C) was regressed to the log-linear growth curves using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. (D) The posterior distribution in the parameter corresponding to the proliferation rate (kP) of YUMM1.7 (unshaded) and B16F0 (gray shaded) cell lines in NSG mice. (E) The posterior distribution in the log ratio of the proliferation rate in NSG mice (kP) relative to the net proliferation rate (kP−kD) of the same cells in C57BL/6 mice. The posterior distribution for YUMM1.7 cells is shown as an unshaded curve and for B16F0 cells in shown as a shaded curve.
November 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Irina Bacila & co from @sheffielduni.bsky.social define dysregulated molecular pathways induced by 21-hydroxylase deficiency in #zebrafish, highlighting its value as a model for adrenal disease. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Adult cyp21a2−/−mutant zebrafish phenotype. (A) Diagram of intrrenal steroid biosynthesis in zebrafish (above) and whole-body steroid measurements in mutant fish (orange) compared to WT (blue). The horizontal lines represent median with interquartile range. n=6 fish per group. (B) Expression of fkbp5 in larvae and adult livers. Comparison of whole-body steroids between WT (blue) and mutant (orange). (C) Weight and length measurements in cyp21a2 male zebrafish, WT (blue) and mutant (orange). The numbers in brackets correspond to two different fish populations. (D) External phenotypes of cyp21a2 mutant and WT sibling fish. (E) Dissection images. The upper pictures show the abdominal visceral fat flanking the gastrointestinal tract. The lower images were obtained on dissecting the skull, visualising the brain and the subcutaneous fat around it. The visceral and subcutaneous fat is indicated by yellow arrows (*indicates statistical significance).
November 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Voice deficits are common in Parkinson's disease & significantly impact quality of life. Now, Brooke Rodgers & Allison Schaser show that overexpression of alpha-synuclein alone does not result in significant vocalisation deficits. doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#Parkinsonism #AlphaSynuclein
USV results averaged over each genotype group (GFP+, A53T SynGFP+; WT, wild type), pooled across sex. Results for simple (left column) and complex (right column) USVs were analyzed and plotted separately as total USV count (A,B), duration (D,E), frequency range (F,G), and maximum intensity (H,I). Group averages for USV complexity ratio are shown in C. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean value (s.e.m.) and points depict values for individual animals. The asterisk above the bars in plot B indicate a statistically significant difference between the group means observed in the analysis of deviance model [Pr(>χ2)<0.05].
November 7, 2025 at 5:01 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Hymenopteran insects such as #honeybees show great potential as biosensors. Lorenzo Corsico & co assess this potential in detecting potato virus Y, exploring a cost-effective approach for monitoring plant health. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Memory retention of the conditioned bees for protocols A and B (n=53 and 83, respectively). The proportion of PER of the bees is displayed per sample type (healthy_O represents old healthy leaf samples, healthy_F represents fresh healthy leaf samples, infected_O represents old infected leaf samples, and infected_F represents fresh infected leaf samples) with standard error around the proportion as error bars.
November 7, 2025 at 12:08 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Neha Jadhav Giridhar, Bita Hambrecht and colleagues build a miniature 3D ‘nerve–muscle’ system in the lab that closely reflects the structure and function of human connections between nerves and muscles – something no other animal model can fully replicate. doi.org/10.1242/bio....
Temporal transcriptomic analysis of human neuromuscular co-cultures reveals dynamic gene expression patterns associated with NMJ development. (A) Schematic overview of the experimental design for temporal transcriptomic profiling at 1, 3, and 6 weeks of co-culture. (B) Venn diagram illustrating the overlap of differentially expressed transcripts between the 3 week versus 1 week and 6 week versus 3 week comparisons. The letters indicate the figure in which the respective transcripts are shown in more detail.
November 6, 2025 at 3:44 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Summer Paulson & co show that physical confinement enhances phagocytosis, and that phagocytosis induces persistent cell migration, or ‘phagocytic priming’. This response could be relevant for innate immune surveillance. doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#Microglia #ConfinedMotility
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Aurélia Joly, @micro-megs.bsky.social & co show that stem cell-intrinsic NF-κB activity is crucial for preventing apoptosis and ensuring proper intestinal epithelial repair following injury in #Drosophila. 🪰

doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#StemCells #Intestine
Rel is not essential for DSS-dependent ISC proliferation but impacts survival rates after DSS treatment. (A) 10-day-old unchallenged (UC) esgts/+ flies fed PBS/5% sucrose solution for 48 h; and DSS-treated esgts/+ or esgts/RelRNAi flies fed 3% DSS in 5% sucrose for 48 h. Scale bars: 25 µm. DNA (cyan), esg+ progenitors (yellow), and Dl+ ISCs (magenta) labelled.
November 5, 2025 at 10:08 AM
biologyopen.bsky.social
Francis Letendre & co describe a strong positive correlation between dinoflagellate cell surface area & mechanically stimulated bioluminescence peak intensity, opening new methods for monitoring harmful algal blooms and dinoflagellate populations. doi.org/10.1242/bio....

#HABs #Bioluminescence
The five species of dinoflagellates tested in this study. Sample size for each species is displayed in parentheses. (A) Lingulodinium polyedra (30). (B) P. bahamense (30). (C) Alexandrium monilatum (44). (D) P. noctiluca (31). (E) P. fusiformis (33). Scale bars are 50 um for A-C and 200 um for D,E.
November 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM