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Mathieson et al. carried out a genome-wide association study of reproductive success (number of children born) in humans, revealing the importance of diverse neuro-endocrine and behavioural factors.

By analysing the supermarket purchases of more than 280,000 people over several years, Riefer et al. show that people’s preferences follow their choices, rather than the other way around.

A genome-wide association study of 1.7 million individuals identified 41 genetic variants associated with left-handedness and 7 associated with ambidexterity. The genetic correlation between the traits was low, thereby implying different aetiologies.

Gender-based violence is widespread, affecting women and men worldwide. Stein et al. use a meta-analysis and the Burden of Proof methodology to evaluate associations between gender-based violence and eight health outcomes, including major depressive disorder, substance use and reproductive health.

Around the world, more than a billion children are regularly exposed to violence or neglect. Flor et al. systematically review evidence that links childhood physical violence, psychological violence and neglect to increased risks for 14 health outcomes.

This genome-wide association study identifies 162 genetic loci linked to income, shedding light on the complex interplay between genetics, income, education and health.

Romer’s Gap describes the period with few known fossils when early tetrapods were becoming increasingly terrestrial. Here, five new species, three stem tetrapods and two stem amphibians, are described from a location in Scotland shedding light on the phylogeny and environment of this period.

The team of authors led by Seon-Kyeong Jang use whole-genome sequencing data and show that rare genetic variants explain much of the ‘missing heritability’ in smoking behaviours. These results help address a long-standing mystery in behavioural genetics.

Using whole-genome data for single-nucleotide polymorphism and results from genome-wide association studies, the authors show that people’s preference for pairing with those with similar phenotypic traits has genetic causes and consequences.

From 2018 to 2022, 48 anti-transgender laws were enacted in the USA across 19 states. This study shows that these anti-transgender laws increased past-year suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary young people by as much as 72%.

The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network has constructed a multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex in a landmark effort towards understanding brain cell-type diversity, neural circuit organization and brain function.

This study assessed COVID-19 social science preprints’ replicability using structured groups. Both beginners and more-experienced participants used a elicitation protocol to make better-than-chance predictions about the reliability of research claims under high uncertainty.

Repetto et al. provide an analysis of the genetic basis of variation of neuro-related protein levels in plasma and link this to human behaviour and disorders.

Jones et al. examine the generalizability of the valence–dominance model of social judgements of faces in 41 countries across 11 world regions. They find evidence of both generalizability and variation, depending on the analytical method.

Bhattacharjee and Schaeffer et al. map exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in 94 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), finding increased EBF practice and reduced subnational variation across the majority of LMICs from 2000 to 2018. However, only six LMICs will meet WHO’s target of ≥70% EBF by 2030 nationally, and only three will achieve this in all districts.

Humans use supernatural beliefs as tools for explanation. These explanations are more likely to focus on natural phenomena than social phenomena, according to this quantitative analysis of ethnographic text across 114 societies.

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug proposed as a treatment for COVID19. Here the results are reported from a randomised trial testing DMF treatment in 713 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. DMF was not associated with any improvement in day 5 outcomes.

This genome-wide study of age at first sexual intercourse and first birth identifies 371 signals driven by reproductive biology, externalising behaviour and environmental effects, with later onset associated with lower incidence of some diseases.

In this largest whole-exome sequencing study of epilepsies to date, the Epi25 Collaborative identified extremely rare variants that confer risk for diverse epilepsy subtypes, highlighting roles in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability.

Using a set of experiments, the authors show that discrimination reduces work effort of those who are disadvantaged and those who are advantaged by it.

Four labs discovered and replicated 16 novel findings with practices such as preregistration, large sample sizes and replication fidelity. Their findings suggest that with best practices, high replicability is achievable.

Using a battery of statistical tools, Alagöz et al. examine the genetic overlap between dyslexia and rhythm impairment and shed light on how the genome influences the neural bases of human language and musicality.

How accurate are social scientists in predicting societal change, and what processes underlie their predictions? Grossmann et al. report the findings of two forecasting tournaments. Social scientists’ forecasts were on average no more accurate than those of simple statistical models.

Studying socioeconomic backgrounds and intergenerational transmission in the US academia, Morgan et al. find that faculty have a parent with a Ph.D. degree a striking 25 times more often than the general population.

Thorp et al. use symptom-level genetic modelling to identify 61 and 73 genomic loci associated with depression and anxiety, respectively, and reveal that they possess highly similar genetic architectures.

Judd and Klingberg analysed data from more than 17,000 children who performed mathematical training together with randomly assigned training on spatial tasks. The type of cognitive training had a significant impact on mathematical learning.

Xu et al. show that satellite-measured urbanicity (living in a densely populated area) is correlated with brain volume, cortical surface area and brain network connectivity in a sample of 3,867 people from China and Europe.

The authors show that political gatherings in the USA in 2021–2022 did not have any effect on COVID-19 case counts.

A study of genetic associations identifies 46 new loci associated with alcohol consumption. By assessing their function and potential pleiotropy, the authors suggest genetic mechanisms that are shared with neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.

Including participants from 45 countries, Bago et al. find that the situational factors that affect moral reasoning are shared across countries, with diminished observed cultural variation.

In this Stage 2 Registered Report, Coles et al. present the results of a multicentre global adversarial collaboration on the facial feedback hypothesis.

Niarchou et al. identify 69 genomic loci associated with people’s synchronization to a musical beat. The genetic architecture of beat synchronization was enriched for genes involved in early brain development and lifelong brain function.