PLOS ONE now offers the ability to enlarge a figure to nearly your computer’s screen size so you can examine the minute details of a given figure and zoom-in and -out. The ability to easily click “in context” allows readers to see the image alongside relevant text and understand what the author is trying to show by including this particular image in his/her research article.

A good article to test this out on is one on transcription factors of Hydrozoan Jellyfish. Scroll down to the box where the figures appear, choose the one with the actual photos or internal snapshots of jellyfish, and use the zoom function at the bottom of the screen to take a close look at the pictures. You’ll notice that the high definition images do not pixelate or blur as you get closer.

Just another reason to check out this Open Access resource for up-to-date information and publications in your field.