News & Comment

Population ageing is too often framed as decline. Drawing on neuroscience and behavioural science, this Comment calls for a shift from brain ageing to brain longevity and argues that brain capital should be treated as a policy and governance priority to support resilient institutions and sustainable economies.

Researchers from authoritarian academic backgrounds often exhibit self-censoring microbehaviours, which cause difficulties when transitioning to nonauthoritarian environments, explains Myint Thu.

Neuroscience is crucial for understanding human behaviour. Yet, its resource-intensive methods contribute to the climate crisis. We call on neuroscientists to align their research with ecological sustainability goals across the research cycle and propose three key steps: replace unfocused data collection, reduce excessive emissions and refine imprecise methods.

Living systematic reviews continuously integrate new research and can provide timely evidence for policy and practice. This format adds value beyond traditional systematic reviews, and we recommend its wider adoption.

Behavioural genetics is prone to harmful misinterpretation. To counter this and its consequences, behavioural geneticists must engage with the communities that they serve, and communicate clearly, responsibly and frequently to build and retain trust. It is crucial that this growing field promotes ethical, inclusive discovery.

Collective knowledge is a human strength. To benefit from the wisdom of experience, we launch a Series of Comments in a dedicated ‘How to’ style. These ‘How to’ Comments provide brief advice and practical recommendations to researchers across the wide spectrum of disciplines covered by the journal.

A supportive research group culture can help to retain talent, promote well-being and improve academic performance. Here we provide practical guidance for cultivating kindness and constructive communication within academic teams.

Online data offer substantial opportunities for researchers but, despite much discussion in the literature, continue to be accompanied by complex ethical issues. This Comment proposes some pragmatic steps for developing an ethical defence in research that involves this type of data, particularly for researchers new to its use.

Writing produced using artificial intelligence is becoming more common in academia, which has prompted institutions to look for ways to detect it. Bo Hu warns that an overreliance on fixed linguistic markers may push scholars to flatten their writing to avoid claims it is generated by artificial intelligence.

We discuss six reasons why we need to study the emotional support of human–artificial intelligence (AI) interactions, and offer suggestions on future avenues for evidence-based research and policies regarding user-facing conversational AI.

Natural hazards claim thousands of lives annually, yet warnings often fail to compel action. This is not just a technological issue but also a communication failure. The next leap in disaster risk reduction must be psychological and social: transforming warnings into personalized, actionable messages that are tailored to individuals’ needs.

Big team science promises to globalize the social behavioural sciences. However, without structural reform, it will reproduce a research model in which data are gathered globally but intellectual power stays centralized. Justice, rather than symbolic inclusion, must define the future of collaboration.

Older adults face higher risks from climate change. We propose an age-sensitive climate adaptation framework, which emphasizes non-digital communication, financial assistance and community-based strategies for older populations.

Navigating the academic job market is never easy. I-An ‘Amy’ Su reflects on her experience searching for a faculty position during the Trump-era hiring freeze and the lessons she learned on her path to a tenure-track role.

Changing research culture begins with the kind of engaged, collaborative, critical reflection that can spark collective action. This Comment outlines how to design participatory workshops as an effective tool for culture change in scientific communities.