Yvonne Su challenges the academy to stop tokenizing women of colour in academia. In this World View, she explains how embracing diversity must go beyond optics and calls for true transformation.

Big team science has the potential to reshape comparative cognition research, but its implementation — especially in making fair comparisons between species, handling multisite variation and reaching researcher consensus — poses daunting challenges. Here, we propose solutions and discuss how big team science can transform the field.

Despite rising school enrolments, in many places learning achievement has remained very low. Crawford et al. analyse data on half a million pupils from 48 low- and middle-income countries and find that children fall further behind literacy benchmarks with each grade. They suggest that a greater focus on phonics instruction and decoding skills may improve outcomes.

Mental health problems pose a great burden for today’s societies. The internet and social media are blamed for contributing to the burden, but the evidence to date is inconsistent. Kelly and Sharot shed light on the causal relationships while focusing on the affective properties of website content, and show how web browsing reflects and shapes mental health.

A useful way to evaluate any public policy is to use the ‘what’s the problem represented to be’ approach2: what a policy proposes to do reveals what the creators assume is problematic (needs to change). In the case of most menstrual and menopausal policies to date, this appears to be the menstruating body (and ‘women’ by association), rather than universal menstrual ignorance and taboos, associated

In India, menstruation is stigmatized. Yet, the beginning of menstruation is a crucial time for adolescents. Merely ensuring hygienic practices is not enough to support adolescent well-being. We explain the value of a broader approach to menstrual health.

Many trans people menstruate, yet they are often ignored in discourses around menstruation. A.J. Lowik, a trans person and reproductive health researcher, explains why this needs to change.

We want to talk about periods — and not the grammatical kind. Across the world, we often shy away from the topic of menstruation owing to pervasive cultural and gender norms. Yet periods are a natural and biological process that is experienced by approximately half of the global population. To manage menstrual health, we need open and accurate communication that includes all genders. Credit: Lyudinka/iStock/Getty

For many women worldwide, menstruation brings debilitating physical and mental side effects. This can make menopause a welcome change. For others, including those who have prioritized professional ambitions or suffered medical setbacks, the years of peak fertility are far too short. And with menopause comes a new menu of irksome side effects and serious health concerns, which include a sharp increase

Menstrual taboos are pervasive today and are often based on ideas of purity and impurity and include practices of seclusion. In western Nepal, the tradition of chhaupadi prohibits menstruating individuals from cooking and they must spend the time outside the home2. Seclusion may also be evident in ancient societies. In the UK, taboos surrounding menstruation have led to period poverty. Although negative

The use of menstrual tracking applications (apps) raises important ethical questions related to evaluating the quality of provided services, the exploitation of personal data and respect of privacy. Indeed, a number of bad practices have recently been revealed. Credit: Svetlana Larshina/Alamy Stock Vector

Menstruation is a natural part of life that has important health and societal implications, yet it remains rarely spoken about and stigmatized. Our November issue discusses why talking openly about menstruation matters and what to include in the conversation. A stigma-free and inclusive environment for discussion will help to address period poverty and gender inequity, and ensure health and dignity

Myths about menstruation are pervasive and it is time to shatter them. We asked six scientists for their perspective on menstrual myths, including beliefs about food, mood, blood and pain. They highlight gaps between misconceptions, traditions and scientific understanding, and the hurt caused by our collective ignorance and persistent social norms.

Mental health disorders among older adults rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have since continued to increase. A recent study provides timely insights into a positive association between internet use and mental wellbeing among adults aged 50 and older across 23 countries, which highlights the potential of digital technology for addressing these challenges.

Hinduism seeks to provide insight into the nature of the universe and is not antithetical to science. Rohitash Chandra explains why he sees value in bringing together science and spirituality in the quest for knowledge.

Research conducted in classrooms has theoretical, methodological and practical implications, but also entails addressing challenges related to internal and external validity, replicability and ethics. Here we illuminate the issues involved in each step of the research process and offer practical recommendations to address them.

Correction to: Nature Human Behaviour https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01965-x, published online 14 October 2024.

Intergenerational mobility — an adult’s ability to exit poverty and earn more than their parents — is falling in the USA. Parolin et al. compare intergenerational poverty persistence (a measure of immobility) in the USA to four peer countries and conclude that disproportionately high poverty persistence in the USA is due to a weak safety net.

Early into the COVID-19 pandemic human activities were severely restricted for several months. Because physical face-to-face interactions were limited, virtual online interactions became the norm in a remarkably short period of time. Since then, people worldwide have embraced a society in which meetings can occur anytime without geographical constraints through online video calls, and in environments

As digital technologies become ever more pervasive and sophisticated, understanding the nuances of the relationship between humans and machines becomes increasingly important. Spanning a range of disciplines, from computer science and psychology to medicine and education, this issue’s Focus includes a diverse array of voices and perspectives on the many ways in which humans and digital machines interact

The rapid integration of these artificial intelligence (AI) tools into our daily lives is reshaping how we think and make decisions1. We propose that data-driven AI systems, by transcending individual artefacts and interfacing with a dynamic, multiartefact ecosystem, constitute a distinct psychological system. We call this ‘system 0’, and position it alongside Kahneman’s system 1 (fast, intuitive thinking)

As artificial intelligence tools become more sophisticated, humans build synthetic relationships with them. Synthetic relationships differ fundamentally from traditional human–machine interactions and present new risks, such as privacy breaches, psychological manipulation and the erosion of human autonomy. This necessitates proactive, human-centred policies.