Journal of Experimental Biology is the leading journal in comparative animal physiology and biomechanics. We cover a broad range of integrative, comparative, ecological and evolutionary physiology and biomechanics research in animals at all levels of biological organisation, from the molecular to the integrated whole animal.
Our authors and readers reflect a broad interdisciplinary group of scientists who study comparative biomechanics and molecular, cellular and organismal physiology in an evolutionary and environmental context.
SPECIAL ISSUE – The Integrative Biology of the Heart
SPECIAL ISSUE – Integrating Biomechanics, Energetics and Ecology in Locomotion
This special issue seeks to break down traditional boundaries that exist between the fields of locomotion biomechanics, energetics and ecology. Containing Reviews and Commentaries authored by scientists researching terrestrial, aerial and aquatic species across many of the planet’s major ecosystems, the issue seeks to identify themes and concepts that unify these fields, with the intention of building interdisciplinary understanding by integrating laboratory and field studies through novel technologies. To get a sense of the breadth of the issue, read the Commentary by Guest Editors Andrew Biewener and Alan Wilson.
We invite you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – The Integrative Biology of Exercise. Coordinated by Guest Editors Erika Eliason, Christopher Guglielmo, Natalie Holt and Monica Daley, this special issue will consider all aspects of exercise, across all animal groups and across disciplines. Deadline for for submitting articles is 27 June 2025.
Open Access publishing options
We recognise the benefits of Open Access publishing and, as one of the very first Transformative Journals, we offer several publishing options to all of our authors, whatever their funder or financial status.
Read more about the OA options we offer our authors.
The Forest of Biologists 
As part of a biodiversity initiative from The Company of Biologists, JEB plants a native tree in a UK forest for each published Research and Review article. We are also funding the restoration and preservation of ancient woodland and dedicating these trees to our peer reviewers. All of these trees are represented together in a virtual forest. Find out more about The Forest of Biologists.
Conversation
Extraordinary creatures: mantis shrimp
Tom Cronin and Sheila Patek tell us about the extraordinary mantis shrimp - from their unique visual system to their amazing striking capabilities
Find out more about the series on our Interviews page:
JEB@100
JEB celebrated 100 years of discovery in 2023 - hear the Editors' thoughts about the journal and the future of their fields.
In the field
JEB authors often go to the ends of the earth to answer the questions that intrigue them - read about their experiences in the field.
Early-career researchers
Read our interviews with early-career researchers and find out more about how JEB supports junior scientists
Featured articles
Editors' choice
Insulated by feather coats, it might seem that active birds would be in danger of overheating, but Kristen Crandell, Donald Powers and Bret Tobalske now show that doves use exposed areas of skin like mini radiators to keep cool, reducing the area to stay warm in a chilly wind.
Reviews, Commentaries and Perspectives
Climate change and polar marine invertebrates: life-history responses in a warmer, high CO2 world by Maria Byrne & Miles D. Lamare
A review of the empirical evidence for costs of plasticity in ectothermic animals by Alexander G. Little & Frank Seebacher
Ecophysiological responses to heat waves in the marine intertidal zone by Jonathon H. Stillman, Adrienne B. Amri... Buck M. Bukaty
100 years of discovery
Centenary activities
2023 marked the 100th anniversary of JEB.
See our Centenary webpage and the links below for information on how we marked this historic milestone.
- New funding initiatives to support junior faculty staff
- 100 Years of Discovery subject collection
- Commentary: Journey through the history of Journal of Experimental Biology: a timeline
- Commentary: Through the looking glass: attempting to predict future opportunities and challenges in experimental biology
- Centenary Articles: Commentaries, Reviews and Perspectives documenting the past, present and future of experimental biology
- Special issue: A Century of Comparative Biomechanics: Emerging and Historical Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Field
- ECR Spotlight interviews
