Tuberculosis: A surprising new hiding place for a dangerous pathogen The bacterium that causes TB can hide in liver cells called hepatocytes and reprogram their metabolism for its own benefit. buff.ly/DjdnT51

Browsing @elife.bsky.social, I found lots of candidates for this week's #Snippet at @lifescienceeditors.bsky.social, have narrowed to: 1. moths choosing where to lay eggs based on sound emitted by plant leaves elifesciences.org/articles/104...

Now up as a reviewed @elife.bsky.social preprint: "Continuous developmental changes in word recognition support language learning across early childhood" elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre... Using data from ~2000 kids ages 1-6, we quantify links between word recognition and early vocabulary growth!

eLife has long supported @DORAssessment and was an early signatory, committing to reforming research assessment, encouraging responsible research practices, and eliminating journal-based metrics like the impact factor. sfdora.org

Are peer reviewers influenced by their work being cited?

A ‘Fundamental’ study shows that brain glial progenitor cells can be reprogrammed into corticospinal-like neurons with striking accuracy, opening new paths for studying and repairing circuits damaged in ALS and spinal cord injury. buff.ly/Y42pJR5

Bacteria swap DNA far more than we thought. This study shows recombination between species can blur genetic boundaries, with up to 95% of diversity coming from hybrid DNA in some microbes.

T cells must encounter pathogen-derived antigens directly in the skin to differentiate into optimally effective, long-lived tissue-resident memory T cells.

There is a clear problem in research publishing. More and more scientists are valuing transparency, openness and integrity. If that’s you, eLife is the right choice.

The most recognisable feature of the human brain is its folds. So why do other animals’ brains look so different?

This ‘landmark’ study is now a Version of Record! It shows the #herpes simplex virus-1 uses innovative microscopy and x-ray tomography techniques to examine the roles of 9 proteins in viral formation. buff.ly/Qn8OXAC

eLife complies with all major funding agency requirements for #OpenAccess: ✅ Openly available at the point of publication ✅ CC-BY or CC0 licences ✅ Deposited to PubMed Central and other repositories ✅ Published with funding info Our policies: buff.ly/HtKgHTq

Happy that our work on the evolution of Yellowstone cyanobacteria is now published in @elife.bsky.social: doi.org/10.7554/eLif...! Did a lot of work in revision—many thanks to the anonymous reviewers for great suggestions! Also see the eLife digest for a summary: elifesciences.org/digests/9084...

2025 ended with a blast as the version of record of the paper was officially published by @elife.bsky.social at 19h19 on the 31st of December 🥳 doi.org/10.7554/eLif... Be prepared for some cognitive control and modelling follow-ups in 2026 and a happy new year to y'all.

Modelling shows that microorganisms using cilia or flagella can feed just as effectively whether they swim freely or attach and generate feeding currents, helping explain why both strategies persist in nature. buff.ly/oVqhkuh

A study in the chick auditory brainstem shows that differences between oligodendrocytes help set the spacing of myelin along axons, fine-tuning the timing needed for accurate sound localisation. buff.ly/AntxlT0

This study shows that differences between oligodendrocytes, the cells that make myelin, shape how nodes of Ranvier are spaced along axons in the chick auditory brainstem, helping control signal speed with remarkable precision. buff.ly/AntxlT0

In Dictyostelium, this study demonstrates that an enzyme that converts adenosine into ammonia plays a crucial role in triggering tip formation. buff.ly/BU2DKtN

Traditional publishing can take months to years. How does publishing with eLife help researchers on a deadline?

We feel guilt and shame when we do something we think is wrong. These feelings depend on the magnitude of harm we cause and our level of responsibility. How do these interact and drive our resulting behaviour? buff.ly/3pEMkOE

We train scientists to ask questions. Now they’re asking: “Is there a better way?” Research culture scholar Fátima Sancheznieto joins Voices to talk about challenging norms and building evidence-based systems to improve academic training. buff.ly/i2OEqPO #PhDChat

As part of our efforts to make science more reproducible, we integrate Bio-protocol in our methods sections so you can easily view or request detailed protocols directly from any eLife article. #Reproducibility #OpenScience Read more ⬇️ buff.ly/93H8tGn

Can you infer cause and effect between genes without disturbing the cell? 🧬 This study shows how natural “noise” in gene expression can reveal directed gene–gene interactions. buff.ly/iDS91o5

Are peer reviewers influenced by their work being cited?

Already posting preprints? At eLife, our expert editors and reviewers discuss and prepare reviews to be shared publicly, providing quality, constructive feedback that helps the community build on your work. Learn more about peer review at eLife ⬇️

Kangaroos have a remarkable ability to speed up without burning extra energy. Clever posture changes let their tendons store and return extra elastic energy, acting like natural springs and keeping the metabolic cost almost flat even at higher speeds. buff.ly/JGx98pe

Open Journal Systems (OJS) is used by over 52,000 journals in 150+ countries and in 60 languages. Hear how a spirit of public service led to a quiet revolution in research access. Listen to John Willinsky in Voices wherever you get your podcasts.

Zinc plays a crucial role in early embryo development. This study demonstrates that a zinc transporter in mouse eggs is essential after fertilisation for embryos to continue developing, underscoring zinc's crucial role in the earliest stages of life. buff.ly/2bO2gnh

A new community-driven lab handbook for reducing conflict and creating more positive and equitable work environments gets strong support from a survey of 200 researchers. buff.ly/K7CGFLV

Strikingly different neurotransmitter release strategies in dopaminergic subclasses. buff.ly/Jr3RdzA

"When you meet a Mexican [...] you will always find a great friend in them” Beneath that warmth, researchers like Christian Molina-Aguilar face long hours, low pay, and limited resources. Listen to how he’s addressing attitudes to #MentalHealth in Mexico: buff.ly/Vkslf3p

This ‘fundamental’ study uncovers how directing pyruvate into mitochondria can shrink cells by shifting their metabolism away from building amino acids and proteins. buff.ly/hFHjKy9

New maps of brain folds from 26 carnivoran species show how differences in behaviour and ecology appear in their anatomy. buff.ly/IQvBHbh

Daniela experienced a commonly felt mid-PhD crisis and was searching for meaning when she found a flyer for a conference. It was this event that catalysed her to merge her passion for activism with her research career. Listen now in Voices: buff.ly/YP1Xfhz

High impact, small size. We welcome papers that address findings from a single set of experiments, or that are substantial enough to stand alone in 1,500 words or fewer. Find out more: buff.ly/mVtikMw

A new #OpenSource computer algorithm, Track2p, allows the recording of the same developing neurons over time.

Brawn before bite in endemic Asian mammals after the end-Cretaceous extinction. buff.ly/iFkisje

Review at eLife isn’t here to gatekeep. Our reviews are constructive for authors, and eLife Assessments help readers evaluate the work. What’s more, since they’re public, they give prominence and recognition to the work of reviewers.

Metabolism: How pyruvate controls cell size 🔗 eLife Insight Articles delve into the real significance of the latest research. Read here: buff.ly/7o7IxtH.

“We are subconsciously embracing how mobility is important in scientific research [...] But that does not come easy to citizens from the Global South.” In Voices, Mayank Chugh discusses creativity, community, and citizenship as privileges in academia. buff.ly/6SJvgZj

Study challenges classic ideas about enhancers, showing that groups of regulatory DNA can act together to control key developmental genes, including those shaping limbs and external genitals, even when individual elements are removed. buff.ly/FQibg7I

Cell atlas of the dorsal vagal complex region of the brainstem that's involved in appetite sensing & metabolism reveals cellular complexity 📷 Cecilia Hes et al @mcgill.ca in @elife.bsky.social ➡️ bpod.org.uk/archive/2025... with @antdlewis.bsky.social

Here's what you'll get when you subscribe to our Magazine newsletter: ✔️ Simple research summaries from across the life sciences ✔️ Deep dives exploring a study's context and impacts ✔️ Insightful opinion pieces, interviews and meta-research 📥: buff.ly/cRLu0zY

🛠️ November's most-read Tools and Resources paper introduces MorphoNet 2.0 for assessment and segmentation curation of large-scale 3D time-lapse imaging datasets: buff.ly/pw1bJtp Learn more about publishing your tools or resources with us: buff.ly/CLW7irz

1/ 2025 is coming to a close, and we’re taking a look back at a few of the things we’re proud of while we prepare for another year of our mission to reform research assessment. We'd also like to wish everyone happy holidays and a new year, and thank you for all your support 🎉

Microglia adopt fundamentally different strategies for surveilling the health of neurons during chronic neurodegeneration. buff.ly/77pl2x9

Brian Spurlock was committed to their fundamentalist Christian upbringing when seemingly competing ideas began growing in their head. They take a thoughtful look at the intersections and tensions of religion, queerness, neurodivergence and science. 🎙️ buff.ly/sEtkhyY

Lysosome-related vacuoles control the metabolism of inorganic polyphosphates to stabilise the concentration of phosphate in the cytosol. buff.ly/gxg2Gyi

Feature article in @elife.bsky.social about the safelabs.info project