Can we spot scientific breakthroughs before they happen?
How do funding decisions shape the direction of biomedical research? Can we spot transformative discoveries years before they are recognised by prizes, policies, or the wider community? And what can patterns of scientific communication tell us about how breakthroughs actually emerge? In a new spotLights episode, preLighter Jonathan Townson speaks…
| Posted on | 15 April 2026 |
New ‘spotLights’ Short: Anubhav takes the stage
After launching our very first YouTube Short with Teodora Piskova two weeks ago, we’re back with another video highlighting excellent (preprinted) work from within the preLights community. This time, in Episode 18 of spotLights, we hear from Anubhav Prakash, a postdoctoral researcher in the Wickström lab at the Max Planck…
| Posted on | 18 March 2026 |
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 |
The art of creating a graphical abstract: SciArt workshop recap
As part of the preLights Ambassador programme, we recently hosted a SciArt workshop led by the wonderful Sonhita Chakraborty (featured on the Node). During this workshop, which was suggested by preLights Ambassador Shreya Pramanik, the participants explored the art of visual storytelling in science. The session began with an introduction…
| Posted on | 22 July 2025 |
Gauri Gharpure on hoverflies in the Himalayas – spotLights episode 15 is now live
In episode 15, recorded at the Biologists @ 100 conference in Liverpool, preLighter Jonathan Townson talks to Gauri Gharpure, a PhD student at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bengaluru, India. Gauri shares insights from her recent preprint on how the hoverfly Eristalis tenax adapts to life at different…
| Posted on | 13 June 2025 |