A Place to Discuss the Science of the Flu

The Public Library of Science launched a new website, PLoS Currents. According to a post by Harold Varmus, it is "a new and experimental website for the rapid communication of research results and ideas." The first of the PLoS Currents sites will focus on influenza and contributions can range from epidemiology to genomics and from virology to policy. Submissions will not be subject to "in-depth peer review" but will be screened by a panel led by Penn State's Eddie Holmes and Mount Sinai's Peter Palese. The site will be given a unique NCBI identifier so it can be easily cited. "Given that the contributions to PLoS Currents are not peer-reviewed in detail, however, the results and conclusions must be regarded as preliminary," Varmus writes. "In time, it is therefore likely that PLoS Currents contributors will submit their work for publication in a formal journal."