2026-09-17
David Holtz, Iavor Bojinov, Ramesh Johari, Nathan Kallus, Apoorva Lal, Sathya Anand, Kyle Carlson, Brent Cohn, Tom Cunningham, Alex Deng, Maria Dimakopoulou, Amit Gandhi, Victor Kostyuk, Madhav Kumar, Shyue-Ming Loh, Widad Machmouchi, Jialiang Mao, James McQueen, John Meakin, Konrad Miziolek, Dominique Perrault-Joncas, Vladimir Petrovic, Sven Schmit, James Sorenson, Matthew Wardrop, Michael Zhao, Wenjing Zheng, Martin Tingley
Large-scale experiments now underpin much of modern social science. This Perspective highlights six emerging challenges and suggests directions for future research.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02582-62026-09-17
Max Spohn, Amira Boland, Jessica Lasky-Fink, Elizabeth Linos, Weston Merrick, Pedro Rey-Biel, Theodore Svoronos
Bridging the gap between evidence production and policy impact requires understanding how evidence becomes useful, usable and used. Spohn et al. discuss the obstacles and set a research agenda for evidence adoption.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02593-32026-09-15
Michael V. Reiss, Susanne J. Adler, Christopher Barrie, Jana B. Berkessel, Johannes Breuer, Abel Brodeur, Garret Christensen, Tobias Dienlin, Jeremy Freese, Ben Greiner, Mario Haim, Tom E. Hardwicke, Magnus Johannesson, Gary King, Frauke Kreuter, Christopher Lucas, Ana Martinovici, Christophe Pérignon, Marko Sarstedt, Felix D. Schönbrodt, Oleg Urminsky, Wouter van Atteveldt, Simine Vazire, Lars Vilhuber, Florian von Wangenheim, Eric-Jan Wagenmakers, Nicolas Pröllochs, Claire Robertson, Felix Holzmeister, Stefan Feuerriegel, Hauke Roggenkamp
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02609-y2026-09-15
Rebecca K. Ivic, Scott C. Ratzan, Ruth M. Parker
Can AI do more than deliver health information? This Perspective argues that AI should be designed to support understanding, informed decision-making and action, placing health literacy at the centre of AI design and governance.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02595-12026-09-15
Alan N. Williams, Raymond Tobler, Billy Griffiths, Sean Ulm, Matthew C. Nitschke, Michael I. Bird, Shane Ingrey, Frédérik Saltré, Kirsty Beller, Ian J. McNiven, Nicholas Pitt, Lynette Russell, Alistair Paterson, Christopher Wilson, Corey J. A. Bradshaw
Before the British invasion in 1788, Australia’s Indigenous population is estimated to have numbered about 2.2 million people, exceeding previous estimates. An estimated 2.06 million excess deaths occurred between 1788 and 1861.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02571-92026-09-15
Zui C. Narita, Gemma Knowles, Susan M. Sawyer, Syudo Yamasaki, Darío Moreno-Agostino, Jordan DeVylder, Junko Niimura, Naomi Nakajima, Satoshi Yamaguchi, Mariko Hosozawa, Miharu Nakanishi, Yutaka Sawai, Daiki Nagaoka, Ryo Sasaki, Rui Zhou, Naho Yamane, Jacqueline Cosse, Daniel Stanyon, Haruka Goto, Riki Tanaka, Akito Uno, Satoshi Usami, Shuntaro Ando, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, Toshi A. Furukawa, Tomohiro Shinozaki, Kiyoto Kasai, Vikram Patel, Atsushi Nishida, Yumi Nakaegawa, Yayoi Muramatsu, Riko Suzuki, Nagisa Katoono, Keigo Oyamada, Rin Kataoka, Koutarou Takada
Girls tend to show higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation than boys. This work suggests that loneliness and pressure to be thin explain much of this gap, suggesting that social factors are key targets for youth-focused support, policy and intervention.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02578-22026-09-15
Tal Boger, Chaz Firestone
Boger and Firestone show that humans possess a domain-general, cross-modal representation of complexity.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02502-82026-09-15
Theresa Mercer
Returning to academia after extended leave often depends on luck and goodwill. We need better and formalized systems to facilitate returns and retention, argues Theresa Mercer.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02594-2