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.

The deadly fallout from California’s illegal grow sites (bioGraphic)
by Julian Smith
In California’s wild and beautiful forests, illegal marijuana growers use poisons capable of bringing down a lion to protect their crops from gnawing animals. Biologists are studying the results, which are causing sickness and death on a massive scale among the region’s wildlife, and potentially contaminating the water supplies of downstream cities and towns. But investigating the grow sites is dangerous work.

Changing our minds, with circuitry (Wired)
Big-name Silicon Valley players want to integrate computers into the human brain, letting us upload and download thoughts, and augmenting our mental functions. But what have neuroscientists actually figured out about how to understand and alter our brains?

Life lessons at school (The Atlantic)
by Victoria Clayton
Beyond reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, schools are trying new programs to help students stay organized, take responsibility for their work, and understand their own emotions. Studies suggest they have promise for achieving academic goals, and beyond.

Understanding rape (Aeon)
by Sandra Newman
Do some men rape because they have extraordinarily high sex drives, weak self-control, or a need for power? Over time all these theories have driven our popular understanding of the crime. But newer evidence suggests something different, and simpler: rapes happen when, in a rapist’s mind, the benefits outweigh the likely consequences.

Police, communities, trust, and safety (The New York Times)
by Shaila Dewan
What happens to relationships between black communities and city police departments when high-profile police shootings lead to mass protests? Some studies suggest police may reduce the number of traffic stops and arrests they make. That may not be a bad thing.

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.