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.

Humans aren’t so bad, after all (The Guardian)
by George Monbiot
If you sometimes find yourself thinking that people are just the worst, you’re in good company. A long strain of western political and economic thought is based on the assumption that humans are selfish and mean. But a lot of modern research suggests we’re being too hard on our species.

Is Fracking Dangerous? (Pacific Standard)
By Madeleine Thomas
New studies, including a mouse experiment and research on real-world humans, points to potential health problems faced by people living close to fracking sites.

Does the government know what you should eat?
by Sam Apple (The New Yorker)
Federal nutritional guidelines influence what’s included in a quarter of the meals Americans eat. But are they any good? New research on the subject comes in all the time, which makes this a tricky question.

Want a good job? Think beyond STEM (The New York Times)
by Claire Cain Miller
We all know the jobs of the future demand science and math skills, right? Well, kind of, but a new paper shows that the biggest shared characteristic of fast growing jobs is a need to work well with others.

To fix the U.N., make it listen better (the Washington Post)
by Michael Barnett
How could the United Nations improve their peacekeeping missions? Research suggests that showing more respect for local people and their leaders—and being more accountable to the countries where they operate—would go a long way.

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.