Genome-wide analyses reveal a deep history of musical instruments and specialized vocabulary among Central African hunter-gatherers and the long-term cultural interconnectivity of these groups before and after the Bantu expansion.

By combining advanced mathematical modelling with data from a rare sample of patients with brain damage, the authors show that a specific part of the brain in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is associated with putting in effort to help other people.

Testing two families of large language models (LLMs) (GPT and LLaMA2) on a battery of measurements spanning different theory of mind abilities, Strachan et al. find that the performance of LLMs can mirror that of humans on most of these tasks. The authors explored potential reasons for this.

Coastal communities are growing rapidly and face the challenge of climate change with its implications for resource and livelihood sustainability. Raha et al. advocate for collaboration and co-creation of solutions to mitigate these urgent issues.

Kranzler et al. examine the association between adverse childhood events and mood and anxiety disorders and substance dependence. The results show that adverse childhood events are associated with risk of substance dependence, with this effect mediated by mood and anxiety disorders. Similar associations were found for the risk of mood and anxiety disorders with substance dependence as a mediator.

Gretzinger et al. examine genetic evidence from 31 Iron Age individuals in southern Germany and find that this early Celtic society probably had a dynastic system of matrilineal inheritance, with a network of well-connected elites covering a broad territory.

Vassiliadis et al. use transcranial temporal interference stimulation—a non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique—to show that stimulation of the striatum applied at 80 Hz disrupts the ability to learn from reinforcement feedback.

Genome-wide analyses reveal a deep history of musical instruments and specialized vocabulary among Central African hunter-gatherers and the long-term cultural interconnectivity of these groups before and after the Bantu expansion.

By combining advanced mathematical modelling with data from a rare sample of patients with brain damage, the authors show that a specific part of the brain in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is associated with putting in effort to help other people.

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.

Causal inference is needed to understand whether conservation is working. There is a substantial role for behavioural science, as interventions often depend on behaviour change. A focus on design over data, embracing mixed methods and support from funders will help to provide the evidence needed to reverse biodiversity loss.

As an international student and academic, Thuy-vy T. Nguyen experienced the importance of culturally relevant mentoring first hand. In this World View, she shares her learnings for mentors and mentees.