Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each Tuesday from the editors of JSTOR Daily.
Effects of climate change are already here (Pacific Standard)
by Shreya Dasgupta
We often hear predictions about what climate change could do to various species on earth in the years to come. But a new report published in Science shows how seriously ecosystems in the oceans, land, and lakes are already being affected. Some species are having smaller babies, changing migration patterns, or flowering at different times. And that’s after just 1 degree of warming since 1880.
Why Wyoming voters are so powerful (The Washington Post)
by Katy Collins
Four times in U.S. history, the Electoral College has chosen a president who didn’t win a majority of general-election votes. Two of these have been in the last five presidential elections. An international relations scholar explains why our system of electing a president is becoming less democratic.
Enlisting our bodies to fight Zika (The New York Times)
by Katie Thomas
In the race to complete and distribute a Zika vaccine, scientists are trying a new technique that has never been approved for human use before. They’re using DNA from the virus to “teach” the human body itself to manufacture Zika-like particles that spur the development of antibodies.
Perky people make great marks (New York Magazine)
by Cari Romm
Find endlessly cheerful people hard to take? Here’s a study to make you smile. Researchers have found that going around looking really happy can turn people into appealing targets for swindlers.
A viral photo in 1863 (The Boston Globe)
by Christopher Klein
In 1863, it was still possible for many Northern whites to imagine slavery as benign. A historian explains how two Union soldiers, new photographic technology, and a man willing to expose years of pain to the scrutiny of the public, helped change that.
Have you seen a story online that does a good job of bridging the gap between the news and scholarship? Or something that seems particularly well-researched? Let us know and we may include it in next week’s roundup. Email us at jstordaily_submissions (at) jstor (dot) org.
