Know thyself | Open Biology | The Royal Society

Jonathon Pines; Know thyself. Open Biol 1 March 2026; 16 (3): 260065. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.260065 Download citation file: The meaning of these two words, reportedly inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, has been the subject of much interpretation since their first written mention in the 5th century BC, but the earliest interpretation by pre-Socratic philosophers was to know one’s limits or one’s place in the world. This is the sense I use here. Fittingly, this was the interpretation of the philosopher Heraclitus, whose most well-known maxim is panta rhei, or ‘everything is in flux’, and that is certainly the case as I write this editorial. The world of publishing is also in flux: fundamental questions are being asked about the role of journals; the role and mechanisms of peer review; and how to maintain trusted sources of information and combat disinformation. Within this broader discussion, the editorial team of Royal Society Open Biology (RSOB) has identified more sp

Jonathon Pines; Know thyself. Open Biol 1 March 2026; 16 (3): 260065. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.260065 Download citation file: The meaning of these two words, reportedly inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, has been the subject of much interpretation since their first written mention in the 5th century BC, but the earliest interpretation by pre-Socratic philosophers was to know one’s limits or one’s place in the world. This is the sense I use here. Fittingly, this was the interpretation of the philosopher Heraclitus, whose most well-known maxim is panta rhei, or ‘everything is in