PLOSable Biology

Scientists are learning new things every day. They are also writing about their discoveries. In most cases they publish in science magazines called journals like the Public Library of Science (PLOS). In our PLOSable section you will find stories that will help you read and explore the articles written by scientists.

Now jump in and start exploring PLOSable - a place where firsthand science is only a mouse click away. If you're interested in diving even further into the world of the scientific article, check out our Anatomy of an Article story. We also have stories exploring articles in evolutionary medicine in our EvMed Edits section.

Is a City Slicker Sicker?

Written by:

Pierce Hutton

City life can be stressfull for people, but what about for other animals? Learn what scientists found out about the effects of city life on the stress and health levels of birds.

Is It Easy Being Green?

Written by:

Brett Seymoure

The story of a frog's life in the rainforest can be one filled with danger. Some frogs are brightly colored and other blend into the forest. Do bright colors work better than dull colors for keeping a frog from being eaten?

Is The Letter "A" Red?

Written by:

Wesley Tierney

Do you think math would be easier if the numbers were color coded? For people with synesthesia, remembering might be a bit easier due to differences in how their brains work. Synesthesia happens when senses—taste, hearing, smell, sight, or touch—that are normally not closely linked are experienced together.

Isn't It Ionic?

Written by:

Ryan LaMarca

Mud may look boring, but it has a lot more going than you might think. Some clays can kill bacteria, but exactly why they could wasn't clear. Scientists tested whether bacterial killing ability of some clays is due to the ions attached to them.

It's Raining Cats and Dogs... and Mushrooms

Written by:

Michele Clark

Mushrooms release billions of spores into the air each year. Could those spores help promote rain by seeding new rain clouds?

Jumping Genes of the Kangaroo

Written by:

Sarah Ly

Have you ever wondered how different animals are related? Marsupials like kangaroos live in Australia, but scientists think they may have traveled there from as far away as South America.

Larval Beetles Spin Their Wheels on the Beach

Written by:

David L. Pearson

Wheels are common in our lives but rare in nature. A larval tiger beetle is one of the few animals in the world that turns into its own wheel to help it move along sandy beaches.

Lazy Eyes Hard at Work

Written by:

Juliana Goenaga

Mom might have told you that video games would rot your brain, but scientists are finding ways to use video games to make your brain stronger. This is especially true when it comes to treating vision disorders like a "lazy eye."

Learning Science With the Hobbits

Written by:

Sareh Seyedi, Stefania E. Kapsetaki and Carlo C. Maley

We use analogies all the time to help us explain things. But what if we could use characters from a famous story – the Lord of the Rings – to learn about different life strategies of organisms?

Local Fly Food Secrets

Written by:

Madeline Sopa

Could differences in the food animals like be enough to eventually separate one species into two? Learn what flies are teaching us about what can cause new species to form.