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Linking citation and retraction data reveals the demographics of scientific retractions among highly cited authors

#TrendingNow | Retractions are becoming more common but still account for a small minority of published papers. This study reveals that highly cited authors with #retracted publications tend to have higher self-citation rates and larger publication volumes #ICYMI #AcademicSky🧪 plos.io/4aWNBpT

plos.io

Retractions are becoming increasingly common but still account for a small minority of published papers. Using a database that links retractions to the top 2% most highly-cited scientists across…

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Reposted by PLOS Biology

PLOS One @plosone.org · 29/09/2026

For #WorldHeartDay, these recent articles examine physical activity in individuals with cardiovascular disease, the link between blood pressure in pregnancy and cardiovascular health, and the use of smart watches to monitor heart rate. plos.io/4z4zHMT plos.io/4iVoBoN plos.io/4ju9T8n plos.io/4iPPVF1

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Cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) can disrupt lysosomal function. Peter Roy &co show that a xenobiotic module couples CYP-35B–mediated CAD catabolism to efflux in #Celegans, possibly to #detoxify natural products generated by microbes in the soil 🧪 buff.ly/4BFpg7V

Working model of the CAD Defense Pathway. CAD metabolites and polar lipids are exported by PGP‑13 and PGP‑14 across the plasma membrane; CAD also signals (directly or indirectly) to nuclear receptors (NHRs) to activate cyp‑35b, cror‑1 and pgp‑13, forming a feedback loop.

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Why do we not see evolutionary change in heritable, fitness-related traits in free-living populations? @erikpostma.bsky.social &co use the #evolution of clutch size in great tits to show the importance of gene flow in explaining contemporary evolutionary change and stasis 🧪 buff.ly/ngAKH6r

Scatter plot comparing individual breeding values at year t−1 and year t, with blue dots = survivors, orange dots = non‑survivors, green dots = native recruits and magenta triangles = immigrant recruits. The genetic change attributable to local adaptation (i.e., the net effect of breeder mortality and the recruitment of local-origin individuals) is represented by a grey dashed line, which differs from the total genetic change in the breeding population (solid black line) that additionally includes the contribution of immigrant recruitment.

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What stimulates regeneration programs in animals? @kenposs.bsky.social &co show that mutations causing #developmental defects activate #regeneration responses that buffer the deleterious effects of congenital disease in #zebrafish embryos. 🧪 buff.ly/jhUAiBu

Lateral views of stacked zebrafish larvae showing green fluorescent labeling concentrated in the head, spinal cord and tail tip. Green marks activation of an fgf20a enhancer trap in developing fin fold tissue of fras1 mutant zebrafish larvae, in which disruption of a gene mutated in Fraser syndrome destabilizes the fin fold epithelium. Regeneration programs that respond to injury are also deployed against damage arising from congenital genetic lesions, indicating a function in limiting developmental defects. Image credit: Kazunori Ando & Sushant Bangru.

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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 26/09/2026

How do monovalent cations regulate sodium-activated fluoride exporters (FEX)?Hedieh Torabifard, Randy Stockbridge &co show how cation-dependent conformational changes control fluoride resistance, identifying lithium as an antagonist of eukaryotic fluoride export. 🧪 #StructuralBiology buff.ly/oCiMX4L

Model of cation-dependent channel opening in FEX-CA. Comparison of Na+-bound and Li+-bound conformations of a membrane FEX fluoride transporter, showing blue transmembrane helices with labeled residues S158 and F159, yellow side chains, a helix rotation and displacement on Li+ binding, red F− ions, and an arrow indicating Li+↔Na+ exchange.

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Some genomic inversions can persist for millions of years. This study by @judithmank.bsky.social @vdbijl.bsky.social & Yuying Lin reveals how ecological conditions and mate choice help maintain this hidden layer of #genomic diversity in guppies. 🧪#evolution #academicSky buff.ly/6sEgmgT

Male wild type guppies. Image credit Wouter van der Bijl.

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Protein function depends on dynamic conformational changes. Patrick Barth &co present AlloPool, a #DeepLearning framework that reveals how protein motions give rise to biological function across diverse systems. 🧪 #ProteinStructure buff.ly/sTHTDBQ

PDZ3 protein structure with peptide agonist binding site highlighted in cyan, an allosteric loop in red, and purple lines tracing the binding path; right panels show WT conformations with a green arrow for enhanced and red arrow for decreased allosteric coupling.

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A long-standing mystery in #neuroscience is how the length of myelin sheaths are matched to the axons they wrap. Marie Bechler &co show that #oligodendrocytes use Piezo1 to sense axon diameter and locally control sheath elongation 🧪 #NeuroSky buff.ly/9HdgiHt

This image depicts a single oligodendrocyte cell myelinating mixed diameter synthetic axons. The myelin basic protein immunofluorescence image has been colorized by confocal z-plane and modified with edge detection to highlight numerous myelin sheaths of different lengths formed by a single oligodendrocyte. The longer myelin sheath formed on a larger diameter synthetic axon stands out in blue-green. Image credit: Marie E. Bechler

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#CitizenScience photographs contain a vast and underused record of species interactions. This Community Page by Bradley Allf, Robert Dunn &co introduces Who Eats Whom, an interactive, searchable food web created from photographs uploaded to #iNaturalist. 🧪 #ecologySky buff.ly/pvY2fex

Examples of observations submitted to Who Eats Whom.
A. Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) feeding on a Mottled Star (Evasterias troschelii) by Scott Veirs (PSEMP.net). B. South African giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) feeding on Duiker-Berry (Sclerocroton integerrimus) by MJ Botha. C. Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) feeding on a Six-lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus) by Jody Shugart. D. American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) feeding on a Common Lionfish (Pterois volitans) by Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez. E. Tan Jumping Spider (Platycryptus undatus) feeding on bluebottle fly (Calliphora sp.) by Mirko Schoenitz.

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#PhageTherapy can fail when the immune system makes antibodies against therapeutic viruses. This study shows that fiber- and nozzle-specific antibodies block phage infection and promote aggregation-driven, Fc receptor-independent phagocytosis. 🧪 #ImmuneSky #structure #virus buff.ly/J0FOg9g

The image shows a reconstructed model of antibody-induced phage aggregation. Phage therapy, which uses bacteria-specific viruses to treat bacterial infections, is a highly promising therapeutic strategy in the era of precision medicine. Increasing evidence suggests that antibodies generated during phage therapy can affect the efficacy of phage therapy and, in some cases, even lead to treatment failure. However, the molecular mechanisms by which phage-specific antibodies cause phage therapy failure remain to be elucidated. Using Acinetobacter baumannii and its podovirus phage AbP20 as a model, the authors revealed the antibodies targeting phage fiber and nozzle proteins induced the formation of large-sized tail-to-tail phage aggregates which possess reduced infection and facilitated susceptibility to phagocytosis, providing a new clue to understand phage-specific antibodies induced therapy failure.
This image was created by Heng Xue and Hang Yang.

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How do herbivorous insects coordinate detoxification pathways to counter plant defenses and diversify host use? This study identifies a pathway driving furanocoumarin detoxification in Helicoverpa, providing insights into toxin tolerance and host range variation. 🧪 #AcademicSky buff.ly/6LxF1gl

Comparative schematic of the CYP6AE19–UGT33 detoxification cascade mediating xanthotoxin metabolism in H. armigera and H. assulta.
In H. armigera, dietary xanthotoxin is efficiently metabolised through a sequential Phase I–Phase II pathway. CYP6AE19 first catalyses O-dealkylation to produce xanthotoxol or aromatic-ring hydroxylation to generate 5-hydroxyxanthotoxin. These hydroxyl-containing intermediates are then glucosylated by UGT33 enzymes to form xanthotoxol glucoside and 5-hydroxyxanthotoxin glucoside, thereby increasing their hydrophilicity and promoting detoxification. In H. assulta, HsCYP6AE19 lacks detectable activity towards xanthotoxin, and only a subset of HsUGT33 enzymes show weak glucosylation activity towards xanthotoxol and 5-hydroxyxanthotoxin, indicating attenuation of this coordinated P450–UGT detoxification cascade.

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How do pathogens alter neuro-epidermal communication to compromise epidermal integrity? This study shows that Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in C. elegans induces a neuropeptide-like factor, impairing epidermal lysosomes and collagen organization. 🧪 #MicroSky #hostPathogen buff.ly/l2mgbTN

Schematic model of a neuro-epidermal signaling axis in which Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 exploits neuronal NSIF-1 to disrupt epidermal lysosomal function, compromise collagen integrity, and suppress host immunity in C. elegans. NSIF-1 acts as a neuronal secreted factor that mediates PA14-induced pathogenesis, inhibiting epidermal lysosomal activity via the transcription factor ELT-3.

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The persistence of P. aeruginosa during chronic infection relies on the serine protease MucD to regulate alginate production. Yong-Gui Gao &co show that MucD can represse alginate biosynthesis post-translationally, in addition to its role in transcriptional regulation 🧪 #MicroSky buff.ly/IYXug6I

Surface representations of MucD trimer, 12-mer and 24-mer structures on a black background, highlighting the assembly of its different oligomeric states. Image created by Jiang Yujun.

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How are mitochondrial transcription and DNA replication coordinated in Trypanosoma brucei? Torsten Ochsenreiter &co identify mtTF1, the first mitochondrial #TranscriptionFactor in Kinetoplastea required for #GeneExpression and maxicircle replication.🧪 buff.ly/ZhYVzts

Immunofluorescence microscopy image of procyclic-form cells stained for tubulin (white) and nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (cyan) and the mitochondrial transcription factor mtTF1. Image created by Enrico Santini

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