This is the 1872nd most frequent French word.
mènent
"Lead" (third-person plural of "mener").
In this sentence, 'mènent' is the third-person plural form of the verb 'mener', which means 'to lead' or 'to conduct'. Here, it refers to the action of conducting studies.
Les chercheurs mènent des études approfondies sur ce sujet.
The researchers are conducting thorough studies on this topic.
Here, 'mènent' is used to mean 'lead', illustrating someone guiding others to follow a certain path or route.
Les guides mènent les touristes à travers la ville.
The guides lead the tourists through the city.
In this instance, 'mènent' figuratively expresses causation or the result of actions or initiatives leading to changes.