A new Special Report in the journal BioScience introduces the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP), a student-led nonpartisan grassroots coalition founded in 2025 to empower early-career researchers to engage with science policy, advocacy, and public communication. The report details the ways in which SNAP is reshaping the role of scientists in their communities.

About The Study: In this repeated cross-sectional study, the implementation of an abortion ban in Texas was associated with a worsening of maternal mental health among reproductive-age mothers relative to mothers in states without such bans. These results underscore the association of abortion restrictions with maternal mental health and highlight the need to strengthen support in the post-Dobbs policy environment.

A new study published today in JAMA Network Open projects that reductions in federal funding for syringe service programs (SSPs) could lead to substantial increases in mortality among people who inject drugs in the United States. The worst-case scenario projected 39,600 additional deaths and 15,600 additional overdose deaths.

National and international security alike depend on the military being both willing and able to comply with the political preferences of a civilian-led government – but how can we accurately describe the role of the military in politics? Drawing on a new theory of military compliance and a method for structured, theory-grounded analysis, a doctoral thesis at Åbo Akademi University in Finland presents a new framework for describing the role of the military in foreign policy. The thesis applies the framework to Putin’s military campaigns in Georgia and Syria.

Ensuring the research that we all rely on – whether for our health, environment or economy – is trustworthy is important for universities, governments and business. A new study sheds light on the key factors that drive research misconduct in universities, offering crucial insights for strengthening research integrity worldwide.

A major global analysis led by the University of Bath in the UK finds policy reform that removes criminal penalties for cannabis possession, or introduces tightly controlled legalisation, is not associated with increased levels of use. However, legalisation that allows cannabis to be sold for profit is followed by increases in use, addiction and psychiatric hospital admissions.