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In this article the author discusses lowering the voting age in Great Britain from 18 to 16 years. She argues that interest in lowering the voting age was catalysed by Scotland's allowance of people aged 16 and 17 to vote on the country's independence referendum in September 2014 and discusses the use of scientific evidence from adolescent brain development studies to inform policy-making and cold cognition in adolescence, which is thinking under conditions of low emotions and/or arousal.

The authors offer opposing arguments on the potential impact of Scottish independence on science in the country, focusing on whether research would benefit from such a vote or not. Topics include the state of research funding through Great Britain with recent budget cuts, the economic factors affecting Scottish research, and Scotland's scientific cooperation with the rest of Great Britain and the European Union (EU).

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues, including a piece by Chris Mooney on science denial from the June 7, 2014 issue, an article on the risks of paracetamol by Tiffany O'Callaghan from the May 31, 2014 issue, and an article on Scottish independence from the May 31, 2014 issue.

The article discusses the role of oil and gas resources on the future of a potential independent Scotland as of May 2014, focusing on the goal of emulating Norway's model of using fossil fuel wealth for social improvement as well as environmental concerns over the use of the resources.

The article discusses the reaction of the scientific community to Scotland's vote to remain part of Great Britain, including the vote's impact of biomedical research and other science projects in Scotland.

The article discusses the upcoming vote on Scottish independence, focusing on analysis of the inability of opinion polls to predict the outcome of close races.

The article discusses the hypothetical future of an independent Scotland in the year 2062, focusing on the potential impacts of population aging and public health on the country's prospects. Topics include the role of oil and gas revenues on Scotland's economy, the country's higher mortality rate than the rest of Great Britain, and a comparison of scientific research in an independent Scotland and other countries.

The article introduces a series of scenarios profiling potential futures for an independent Scotland, focusing on the impacts of scientific, technological, and environmental policies on the country's interests.