Note: PLOS, Jisc and cOAlition S issued the following press release on Wednesday, September 18. A new online tool designed to assess…
A 2020 look at PLOS in the news!
Trying to sum up a year like 2020 feels daunting, if not impossible. That said, this is a subjective list of PLOS papers that achieved significant public notice in some way–notable papers from a notable year.
— Charlotte Bhaskar, PLOS Media Relations Manager
January
- Learning from animals: moths’ flight data helps drones navigate complex environments –PLOS Computational Biology
(Many of our most popular papers continue to sound the alarm regarding the climate crisis and the need to steward our planet with greater care and consideration. Other popular papers highlight all we can learn from our fellow earthlings–like the moths in this Computational Biology paper.)- News coverage: Daily Mail Online, News18
- Marine heatwave from 2014-2016 caused mass starvation of common murre seabirds off the U.S. West Coast and Alaska –PLOS ONE
- News coverage: The Washington Post, USA Today, Daily Mail Online
February
- UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (implemented April 2018) reduced proportion of sugary drinks on sale –PLOS Medicine
- Consumers throw out more food than widely believed, global food waste estimates show (with more affluent consumers wasting more) —PLOS ONE
- News coverage: The Indian Express
March
- Wikipedia visits illuminate the impact of news media on public attention to disease outbreaks —PLOS Computational Biology
(This paper looked at information-seeking in the US during the 2016 Zika virus epidemic–but clearly foreshadows the COVID 19 response in the US, publishing the same week PLOS’ San Francisco office closed as we shifted to working from home.)- News coverage: Forbes
- Rats give more generously in response to the smell of hunger —PLOS Biology
(This popular and poignant paper made me think about the systems of mutual aid and community care that have sprung up in the pandemic’s devastating wake. Plus, rats are neat!)- News coverage: Newsweek, Daily Mail Online, Hindustan Times
April
- Six new coronaviruses are discovered in Myanmar bats —PLOS ONE
(PLOS didn’t press release this paper ourselves, but it was one of our first papers referencing COVID-19 to publish, and widely picked up by the media.)- News coverage: New York Post, Fox News
May
- In stressed ecosystems Jurassic dinosaurs turned to scavenging and likely even cannibalism —PLOS ONE
(This fascinating paper has some of my favorite paleoart from this year!)- News coverage: Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Guardian
June
- How COVID-19 affects pediatric patients —PLOS Medicine
(This paper is part of the initial submissions wave we received directly addressing the COVID 19 outbreak–this specific article looks at pediatric patients across multiple hospitals in China from January-March 2020.) - Mapping fatal police violence across US metropolitan areas (rates overall and racial/ethnic inequity) —PLOS ONE
(This paper is in clear conversation with the Black Lives Matter global social justice movement that has gained massive momentum throughout 2020.)- News Coverage: Newswise
July
- A combination of handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing is best for preventing COVID-19 –PLOS Medicine
(PLOS has stayed at the forefront of publishing timely–and fully publicly accessible–research relating to the COVID 19 pandemic. This PLOS Med paper is a nice example!) - Undiscovered artefacts at a well-known Mesolithic site in Sweden rapidly deteriorating thanks to climate change, human encroachment —PLOS ONE
- News coverage: Smithsonian
August
- Voice box in primates ‘evolved faster’ compared with carnivores —PLOS Biology
(Another great animal evolution paper from PLOS Biology–with fascinating implications around language and communication.)- News coverage: Irish News, Daily Mail
- Coronavirus transmission risk increases along wildlife supply chains —PLOS ONE
(This paper draws the connection between exploiting natural resources and a pandemic situation, using data from 2013-2014.)- News coverage: The Indian Express, Business Standard
September
- Analysis of Australian labradoodle genome reveals an emphasis on the ‘oodle’ PLOS Genetics
(This dog paper was a pleasant respite from the rest of the news cycle!)- News coverage: The Guardian
- Synthetic clothing fibers contribute vast amounts of plastic pollution to terrestrial environments –PLOS ONE
(This paper made me feel really conflicted about the “eco-friendly” leggings made of recycled plastic bottles I’ve had my eye on.)- News coverage: BBC
- –Researchers call for loss of smell to be recognized globally as a symptom of COVID-19 –PLOS Medicine
(Another landmark COVID 19 paper from PLOS Med.) - Antibody responses in COVID-19 patients could guide vaccine design —PLOS Pathogens
- News coverage: US News & World Report
October
- Social distancing appears to be leading to a surge in dengue cases in Thailand —PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
(A look at the pandemic’s wider impacts in Thailand.) - DNA in seawater can reveal fish diversity in the deep ocean —PLOS ONE
(This eDNA metabarcoding sampling protocol offers us a new way to understand life in the deepest waters.)- News coverage: Popular Science
- Neonatal herpes infection may impair brain development —PLOS Pathogens
November
- 3D protein modeling suggests why Covid-19 infects some animals, but not others — PLOS Computational Biology
(This PLOS Comp Bio paper takes a look at the cross-species potential of COVID 19.) - Message in a bottle: satellite-tagged bottles show promise for tracking plastic litter through rivers —PLOS ONE
(This popular paper shows just how widespread plastic pollution is in the sacred Ganges River system of India–and suggests potential as a method to stimulate public awareness and change.)
December
- Honey bees use animal feces to deter deadly giant hornet attacks — PLOS ONE
(Not today, murder hornets!)- News coverage: The New York Times