Using propensity score matching, Kim et al. find evidence of higher short- and long-term risk of adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in Korean and Japanese cohorts of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 than in the general population.

In this randomized controlled trial, Gennetian et al. evaluated the impacts of cash transfers on family investments. Families with low income were randomized to receive monthly unconditional cash starting at childbirth. Households spent more money and time on child-specific goods and learning activities.

Korponay et al. show that estimates of functional brain connectivity artifactually inflate over the course of resting-state and task-based fMRI scans.

To study cognition, researchers have traditionally used laboratory-based experiments, but games offer a valuable alternative: they are intuitive and enjoyable. In this Perspective, Schulz et al. discuss the advantages and drawbacks of games and give recommendations for researchers.

Carey and colleagues reveal 35 major latent constructs (factors) in the phenotype data of unrelated individuals with predominantly estimated European genetic ancestry from UK Biobank.

This study reveals 246 behaviour-related and 200 physiological factors associated with genetic predisposition to suicide attempts. Mendelian randomization further indicates causal links for 58 factors.

Australian archaeological finds of 12,000-year-old fireplaces and artefacts match nineteenth-century GunaiKurnai ritual practices. They represent approximately 500 generations of cultural transmission of this ritual.

Using propensity score matching, Kim et al. find evidence of higher short- and long-term risk of adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in Korean and Japanese cohorts of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 than in the general population.

In this randomized controlled trial, Gennetian et al. evaluated the impacts of cash transfers on family investments. Families with low income were randomized to receive monthly unconditional cash starting at childbirth. Households spent more money and time on child-specific goods and learning activities.

Korponay et al. show that estimates of functional brain connectivity artifactually inflate over the course of resting-state and task-based fMRI scans.

Unsupportive university policies force parents to make choices about how to feed their baby. Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, an expert in employment law and advocate for parental rights in the UK, tells us why this needs to change.

This year, 49% of the world will go to the polls. Political support for science-informed policy is not a given. Maria Caffrey, a whistleblower who defended scientific integrity under the Trump administration, offers advice on media engagement during this time.

Science communication often assumes a ‘deficit’ in knowledge on behalf of the recipient, but this deficit-based approach is inequitable and ineffective. We must train all STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students in inclusive science communication, which uses collaboration with diverse people to address misinformation and solve socioscientific issues.

Guoyu Wang leads and serves on Chinese ethics committees. She explains how research ethics have developed in China, and why ethics review promotes responsible innovation.

Mentorship from experienced peers critically improves individual career development and satisfaction in academia, but we have little information on how researchers are supported. We identify and recommend strategies for faculty members, departments, institutions and funders to ensure sustained excellence in academic mentorship.

Behavioural scientists want to see more consideration of context — so why are they not using tools derived from ecology, the science of all life in context? We invite behavioural scientists to align the science of human behaviour with that of behavioural ecology.