Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each Tuesday from the editors of JSTOR Daily.

Was American painter Marsden Hartley an innovator, or an imitator? Some call him a great artist, while others say he didn't know how to paint.

The term "filibuster" used to refer to Americans who went to foreign countries to fight in their wars without the government’s permission.

New research scans three Viking swords and finds that, while well-made, they were not strong enough to withstand a fight.

How can it be helpful to disclose secrets online? A look at sites like PostSecret, where users anonymously confess to things they've never told anyone.

Best-selling Canadian novelist Claire Cameron on how she researched her new novel The Last Neanderthal, with a little help from JSTOR.

The world represented in the media greatly influences our understanding and beliefs about reality. But our lived experiences might be more important.

Butter sculpture is a fixture of American state fairs. The practice of using food as a medium for art dates back centuries.

Cuban American Margarita Engle is the new Young People’s Poet Laureate. Engle has written many books for children, young adults and adults.

Humans may have inhabited the Americas much longer than initially suspected. But questions like who these people were remain unanswered.