A card announcing the call for papers stating 'Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction Guest Editors: Etya Amsalem, Tony D. Williams and Kathryn Wilsterman. Submission deadline: 30 June 2026' with the Journal of Experimental Biology logo and the logo for the Special Issue containing an egg cell surrounded by eight sperm cells. The eighth sperm, on the top right, is penetrating the egg.

We are calling for Reviews, Commentaries or research papers for our upcoming Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction, covering the entire reproductive process, from mate selection, mating and egg-laying or pregnancy through to parental care

bit.ly/3ZT42hY

PDF of Research Article, The hidden sweet tooth of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), by Marie Merle, Tasnim Gueddes, Mouhamadou Moustapha Gueye, Meroua Foughar, Jessica Jiogue-Lacdo, Pierre-Olivier Maquart, Frédéric Marion-Poll and Jonathan Filée. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb252160. doi:10.1242/jeb.252160. The first sentence of the abstract reads: The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, is increasingly studied for its ability to convert organic waste into protein, offering solutions for waste valorisation and livestock feeding.

Read the full research at doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) (Piazzo, Segonzano, Trentino, Italy). Photo credit: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Black soldier fly larvae are great recyclers, but adult flies are necessary to produce larvae & a sugar diet helps females produce more eggs. Now researchers @UnivParisSaclay reveal that female flies have a sweet tooth with sugar sensors around the mouth

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Propose a new Workshop Propose a new Workshop for 2028 Applications close on Friday 29 May 2026 If you would like to run a fully funded Workshop with The Company of Biologists then please read the details below on how to ap...

Do you work in the Global South? @biologists.bsky.social is seeking Workshop proposals for their 2028 programme from researchers based in Global South countries. The Company is looking for an exciting proposal to bring a Workshop to your region. Find out more at

www.biologists.com/workshops/pr...

“Applying for a grant from the Fund for Innovations in Sustainable Conferencing offered by The Company of Biologists helped us structure the conference under a unified vision of environmental responsibility and ensure coherence with our everyday habits throughout the event—something we knew was shared by most attendees, as confirmed by the feedback we received.” Feedback received from an organiser who was awarded with a grant from the Fund for Innovations in Sustainable Conferencing

Organisers awarded with grants from our Fund for Innovations in Sustainable Conferencing use the funding to integrate sustainability in their events in a balanced and efficient manner. Learn more about our £2,500 grants at biologists.com/sustainabili...

Screenshot of PDF of the Special Issue Commentary, 'Six questions in fish locomotor biology and the technical approaches needed to address them', by George V. Lauder, Connor F. White, Divya Ramesh, YuPan, Julia Chaumel and Yangfan Zhang. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251375. doi:10.1242/jeb.251375. The first sentence reads: 'For nearly a century, fish have served as a model experimental system to understand how major organ systems both allow and respond to exercise'.

Fish have served as models to understand how organ systems both allow and respond to exercise for almost a century. In their SI Commentary, Lauder & co suggest 6 outstanding questions that remain unanswered in fish locomotion

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

The front cover of Issue 7 of Volume 229 of Journal of Experimental Biology. The journal title is at the top of the cover. Beneath it is The Integrative Biology of Exercise logo, including a flying goose, a trout making a turn and a dumbbell weight. The Company of Biologists logo is in the bottom left of the image. In the top left it states: Special Issue, The Integrative Biology of Exercise, followed by the names of the Guest Editors Erika Eliason, Christopher Guglielmo, Natalie Holt and Monica Daley

Issue 7, a Special Issue dedicated to The Integrative Biology of Exercise has closed and issue 8 has opened

journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...

The front cover depicts the Integrative Biology of Exercise Special Issue logo, including a flying goose, a turning trout and a dumbbell weight

A screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the SI Research Article, Energetic constraints on multi-day flights in migratory locusts, by Arianne J. Cease, Stav Talal, Geoffrey Osgood, Tree Pulver, Sydney Millerwise, Rick P. Overson and Jon F. Harrison. The publication information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251191. doi:10.1242/jeb.251191. The first sentence of the abstract says, 'To migrate successfully, animals must meet elevated energy demands, often from lipid stores built through direct consumption or lipogenesis from carbohydrates'.

Locusts can potentially migrate thousands of kilometres. In their recent SI article, Cease & co show that locusts need to stop along the way to replenish their fat stores before continuing on, decimating fields of crops in the process

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the SI Research Article, Swimming performance, maximum O2 consumption, EPOC, post-exercise recovery and tissue metabolites after fatigue by Ucrit versus chase protocols in mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), a high-performance pelagic teleost, by Rachael M. Heuer, Chris M. Wood, John D. Stieglitz, LeeAnn Frank, Daniel Benetti and Martin Grosell. The publication information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251301. doi:10.1242/jeb.251301. The first sentence of the abstract says, 'Carangiform fishes are highly active pelagic teleosts, but there have been relatively few studies of their swimming physiology'.

In their recent SI article, Heuer, Wood & co show that a chase protocol causes an increase in excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, but maximum oxygen consumption is much higher when using a critical swimming speed protocol
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the SI Review Article, A life-history perspective on exercise, by Jerry Husak and Simon Lailvaux. The publication information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251271. doi:10.1242/jeb.251271. The first sentence of the abstract says, 'Exercise has been extensively studied in humans because of its multiple benefits, yet it is unclear how relevant ‘exercise’ is to nonhuman animals and whether the effects of exercise are identical to those in humans'.

Species from fish to lizards have similar responses to exercise. In their SI Review, Husak & Lailvaux suggest that this response plays a role in life-history strategies and advocate for considering exercise from a life-history perspective in future studies
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the Research Article, Sprinting performance is linked to surface activity in scorpions, by Eran Gefen, Shoval Atiya, Li-Mor David and Stav Talal. The publication information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251978. doi:10.1242/jeb.251978. The first sentence of the abstract says, 'Aerobic capacity in arachnids is closely linked with considerable structural variation in their respiratory systems'.

Read the full research at

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A surface-dwelling buthid scorpion (Hottentotta judaicus). The scorpion is brown with glue-green markings, holding its claws in front, standing on gravely soil. Photo credit: Eran Gefen.

Some scorpions dwell on the surface, while other species are burrowers & now Eran Gefen & colleagues reveal that surface dwelling scorpion species depend more on anaerobic respiration like sprinters while burrowers are more like aerobic Marathon runners

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A life-history perspective on exercise Summary: The phenotypic responses to exercise are ancestral in vertebrates, but a lack of studies that restrict resources during training limits our knowledge of whether exercise-induced trade-offs are consistent or common.

This paper was so fun to write! Special @jexpbiol.bsky.social issue on the integrative physiology of exercise. Check it out for the description of trying to train flounder!

A life-history perspective on exercise url: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...

Screenshot of PDF of the Special Issue Commentary, 'Comparative and evolutionary perspectives on the integrative biology of exercise', by Monica A. Daley, Erika J. Eliason, Christopher G. Guglielmo and Natalie Holt. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb252325. doi:10.1242/jeb.252325. The first sentence reads: 'Understanding how animals achieve movement and athletic performance in varied conditions requires integration across physiological systems and structural scales from molecules to ecosystems'.

Understanding how animals perform bouts of physical activity involves integration across scales & physiological systems. In their Commentary the Guest Editors of the Integrative Biology of Exercise SI highlight 5 themes, bridging fields & scales of study
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Social media card advertising the JEB Integrative Biology of Exercise Special issue. The card as a black background. The text (left justified) reads: Special Issue the Integrative Biology of Exercise Guest Editors: Erika Eliason, Christopher Guglielmo, Natalie Holt and Monica Daley Beneath the text is the JEB logo. On the right of the card is the 'Integrative Biology of Exercise' logo, including a flying goose, a trout making a turn and a dumbbell weight.

Check out the new articles posted in our special issue, The Integrative Biology of Exercise, drawing on work in vertebrates and invertebrates to illustrate the plasticity or evolutionary changes necessary for exercise or sustained locomotion
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...

Screenshot of PDF of the Special Issue Review article, 'Swimming in fish: integrating redox homeostasis and immune responses', by Carlos Espı́rito-Santo, Francisco A. Guardiola, Rodrigo O. A. Ozório and Leonardo J. Magnoni. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251212. doi:10.1242/jeb.251212. The first sentence reads: 'Swimming is an essential behaviour in fish, underpinning crucial biological functions, such as locomotion, foraging, predator evasion and reproduction'.

Induced swimming has become a way for fisheries to improve the overall welfare of their fish. In their SI Review, Espírito-Santo & co discuss the effect swimming has on reactive oxygen species and the immune response of fishes

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Screenshot of PDF of the Special Issue Review article, 'The sugar oxidation cascade: convergent metabolic strategies in hovering vertebrate nectarivores', by Kenneth Welch and Guilia Rossi. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251216. doi:10.1242/jeb.251216. The first sentence reads: 'The smallest flying vertebrate pollinators, including hummingbirds and nectar bats, exist at an energetic extreme'.

Hummingbirds and nectar bats sustain hovering flight using sugar as a fuel source. In their SI Review, Welch & Rossi discuss the convergent and divergent mechanisms that these animals use to fuel this energetically costly mode of flight

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A card announcing the call for papers stating 'Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction Guest Editors: Etya Amsalem, Tony D. Williams and Kathryn Wilsterman. Submission deadline: 30 June 2026' with the Journal of Experimental Biology logo and the logo for the Special Issue containing an egg cell surrounded by eight sperm cells. The eighth sperm, on the top right, is penetrating the egg.

We are calling for Reviews, Commentaries or research papers for our upcoming Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction, covering the entire reproductive process, from mate selection, mating and egg-laying or pregnancy through to parental care

bit.ly/3ZT42hY

Faster fowl fall frequently: speed and force regulation during turning maneuvers by guinea fowl on high and low friction terrains Summary: Birds run slower and modulate limb–substrate reaction forces when executing turns on slippery terrain, but individual speed preferences persist even with practice and experience of higher sli...

New research in The Journal of Experimental Biology (@jexpbiol.bsky.social) by Hannah Goldsmith, Jade Hall, and Monica A. Daley:

Turning in guinea fowl on low-friction terrain reveals a trade-off between speed and stability.

Article:
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Dataset:
doi.org/10.5061/drya...

Photo of the Florida International University tagging team bringing a great hammerhead shark to the stern of the vessel to attach a biologger. Photo credit: Angela Rosenberg, ANGARI Foundation.

Animals that rely on the temperature of their surroundings to keep warm usually slow down when the temperature is too hot or cold, but Spencer & co show that this isn't true for great hammerheads, which are quite active even when the temperature isn't ideal
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

The front cover if Issue 6 of Volume 229 of Journal of Experimental Biology. The journal title is at the top of the cover. Beneath it is a photo of a great hammerhead shark swimming almost toward the camera with some smaller fish below, near the sandy bottom of the sea. The Company of Biologists logo is in the bottom left of the image.

Issue 6 has closed and issue 7, a Special Issue dedicated to The Integrative Biology of Exercise, has opened

journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...

The front cover of Issue 6, by Yannis Papastamatiou, shows a great hammerhead shark

Screenshot of PDF of the Journal of Experimental Biology Editorial, 'Why is publishing so expensive?', by Katherine Brown, Craig E. Franklin and Michaela J. P. Handel. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb252490. doi:10.1242/jeb.252490. The first sentence reads: 'For many of us who work in scientific publishing, the title of this Editorial is a question we hear all the time when we’re out talking to academics'.

Why is publishing so expensive? In this editorial we tackle this & other FAQs on publishing finances, providing context around the revenues & costs @ JEB & highlighting the people, workflows & tools that go into publishing a paper with us @biologists.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A screenshot of the Research Article, ‘Photoperiod‑driven browning of white adipose tissue via the calcium signaling pathway in Brandt’s voles', by Desheng Zou, Tong Wang, Xinran Gao, Yunhui Luo, Yifei Zhao, Na Guo, and Dehua Wang. the publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb252066. doi:10.1242/jeb.252066 The first sentence of the Abstract states: Seasonal fluctuations in energy pose major energetic challenges to temperate small mammals. The abstract discusses seasonal energy balance in small mammals, the role of photoperiod as an environmental cue, and how photoperiod may drive browning of white adipose tissue.

Read the full research at doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

A photo of two Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) in Inner Mongolia, China. Photo credit: Qingsheng Chi.

Each fall Brandt's voles prepare for winter, including converting their white fat into heat-generating brown fat, & now Dehua Wang & co reveal that daylength is the key factor that triggers the transformation as well as finetuning their metabolism for winter

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Social media card advertising the JEB Integrative Biology of Exercise Special issue. The card as a black background. The text (left justified) reads: Special Issue the Integrative Biology of Exercise Guest Editors: Erika Eliason, Christopher Guglielmo, Natalie Holt and Monica Daley Beneath the text is the JEB logo. On the right of the card is the 'Integrative Biology of Exercise' logo, including a flying goose, a trout making a turn and a dumbbell weight.

Our special issue The integrative Biology of Exercise is building. It addresses questions regarding the physiology and biomechanics of organisms performing sustained bouts of aerobic activity
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...

The Field Station Perspective series logo. The logo shows four images arranged in four quarters of a circle. The top right quarter shows a cartoon of a seal with icy mountains behind. The quadrant is coloured in shades of blue and white. The bottom right quadrant shows a beetle (black), the quadrant is yellow. The bottom left quadrant shows a salmon leaping above a wave; the quadrant is coloured shades of teal. The top left quadrant shows an emu running across savannah with the sun behind in the sky; the quadrant is in shades of red.

From the Otsuchi Coastal Research Center in Japan to Harvard University's Concord Field Station, field stations are essential homes for groundbreaking research, & JEB's new Perspective series tells the stories behind some of these amazing research centres
journals.biologists.com/jeb/collecti...

A worker honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica). Photo credit: Markéta Hejníková.

Honeybee venom is a potent toxin and now Dalibor Kodrick & co reveal how worker bees protect themselves from the effects, while drones are particularly vulnerable

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Read the full research here
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Card advertising the JEB Highlights booklet. The card has a black background. Top left: Journal of Experimental Biology logo. Beneath: JEB Highlights (yellow text) Beneath: From a caterpillars diplomatic defence to a tarantula's phenomenal footwork Right side of card: image of the Highlights booklet cover, showing 9 JEB covers from 2025 on a yellow background, with the title, 'Highlights 2025' in a white bar at the top

Each year, we pull together a selection of Inside JEB articles in the Highlights booklet. You can pick up the PDF of the 2025 booklet to find out about the smallest kings of the castle and how snakes sink their fangs in

journals.biologists.com/jeb/pages/hi...

A brown anole on a thin branch with its dewlap extended. Photo credit: Wayne Wang.

As the world gets hotter, animals are struggling to cope. In their recent study, Williams & co show that the microbes in the gut of anole lizards might be able help them the tolerate warmer temperatures
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Read the full research here
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Screen shot of the PDF of the first page of the Research Article, Predation via motion parallax in one of two gleaning insects, by Sergio Rossoni, Mary E. Sumner, Doekele G. Stavenga, Samuel T. Fabian, Jack A. Supple and Paloma T. Gonzalez-Bellido. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251710. doi:10.1242/jeb.251710. The first sentence of the Abstract states: A predator’s survival is highly dependent on correctly deciding whether to attack potential prey.

Read the full research at doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

@rossonisergio.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk @uminnpress.bsky.social