Latest spotLight
spotLights is an interview series dedicated to highlighting exciting new preprints in the biological sciences and the early-career researchers driving the work.
Preprint highlights, selected by the biological community
Cell-intrinsic compliance mechanism enables release of tensile stress to prevent tissue rupture
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Cooperation between cortical and cytoplasmic forces shapes planar 4-cell stage embryos
A drought stress-induced MYB transcription factor regulates pavement cell shape in leaves of European aspen (Populus tremula)
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Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Imaging Reveals Spatiotemporal Divergence in Morphogenesis and Cell Lineage Specification between in-vivo and in-vitro Mouse Embryo during Pre- and Peri-implantation
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Resilience to cardiac aging in Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus
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PPARδ activation in microglia drives a transcriptional response that primes phagocytic function while countering inflammatory activation
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Cell-intrinsic compliance mechanism enables release of tensile stress to prevent tissue rupture
Selected by
04 March 2026
Ruoheng Li
'Preprints by preLighters': Cell loss disrupts mechanical homeostasis to drive retinal pigment epithelium ageing-like phenotype in vitro
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03 March 2026
Reinier Prosee, Teodora Piskova
Electrophysiological correlates of conscious experiences during sleep: Lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, out-of-body experiences, and false awakenings
Selected by
24 February 2026
uMontreal Neuro preLighters et al.
Cooperation between cortical and cytoplasmic forces shapes planar 4-cell stage embryos
Selected by
23 February 2026
Corentin Mollier, Shivani Dharmadhikari
A drought stress-induced MYB transcription factor regulates pavement cell shape in leaves of European aspen (Populus tremula)
Selected by
20 February 2026
Jeny Jose
Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Imaging Reveals Spatiotemporal Divergence in Morphogenesis and Cell Lineage Specification between in-vivo and in-vitro Mouse Embryo during Pre- and Peri-implantation
Selected by
19 February 2026
Heather Pollington
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Preprints without borders: SciELO Preprints’ push for multilingual, Open Science in Latin America and beyond
preLights recently spoke with Carolina Tanigushi who now looks after SciELO Preprints, the preprint server that is part of the SciELO Network. We talked about SciELO’s shift into an Open Science programme, the opportunities and challenges of running a preprint service across 16 national collections, and practical steps to boost…
| Posted on | 14 January 2026 |
Reflecting on 2025: Popular themes from preLights
As we head into 2026, it seems a good time to reflect on some popular preLights that were posted last year. From the discovery of novel (extra)cellular structures to the adoption of tools reshaping the way we study biological processes up close, these stories together provide a glimpse into the…
| Posted on | 7 January 2026 |
From preLighter to Executive Editor: How Samantha Seah helps students find their voice in science
In this interview, we hear from Samantha Seah, a former preLighter who will soon step into the role of Executive Editor at the Journal of Emerging Investigators. Here, Samantha traces JEI’s origins, explains how student projects are reviewed and supported, describes recent expansions like eiRxiv and teacher resources, and shares…
| Posted on | 10 December 2025 |
Keystone Symposium on Stem Cell Models in Embryology 2026
The Keystone Symposium on Stem Cell Models in Embryology, 2026, was organised by Jun Wu (UT Southwestern), Jianping Fu (University of Michigan) and Miki Ebisuya (TU Dresden) and held at Asilomar Conference Grounds in California (US). The meeting discussed recent advances made in establishing stem-cell-based embryo models, what fundamental insights into developmental processes have been gleaned from them, as well as how they are beginning to be applied more widely. This prelist contains preprints by presenters at the talk and poster sessions at the conference, which our Reviews Editor in attendance spotted. Please do reach out to preLights@biologists.com if you notice any that we’ve missed.
| List by | Ingrid Tsang |
SciELO preprints – From 2025 onwards
SciELO has become a cornerstone of open, multilingual scholarly communication across Latin America. Its preprint server, SciELO preprints, is expanding the global reach of preprinted research from the region (for more information, see our interview with Carolina Tanigushi). This preList brings together biological, English language SciELO preprints to help readers discover emerging work from the Global South. By highlighting these preprints in one place, we aim to support visibility, encourage early feedback, and showcase the vibrant research communities contributing to SciELO’s open science ecosystem.
| List by | Carolina Tanigushi |
November in preprints – DevBio & Stem cell biology
preLighters with expertise across developmental and stem cell biology have nominated a few developmental and stem cell biology (and related) preprints posted in November they’re excited about and explain in a single paragraph why. Concise preprint highlights, prepared by the preLighter community – a quick way to spot upcoming trends, new methods and fresh ideas.
| List by | Aline Grata et al. |
October in preprints – DevBio & Stem cell biology
Each month, preLighters with expertise across developmental and stem cell biology nominate a few recent developmental and stem cell biology (and related) preprints they’re excited about and explain in a single paragraph why. Short, snappy picks from working scientists — a quick way to spot fresh ideas, bold methods and papers worth reading in full. These preprints can all be found in the October preprint list published on the Node.
| List by | Deevitha Balasubramanian et al. |
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