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.

Harnessing the placebo effect (Vox)
by Brian Resnick
You might think of the placebo effect as a way of tricking people into thinking an ineffective treatment actually works. But scientist are now looking at it in a new way—as a powerful therapy with an unfair bad reputation.

The crisis in our jails (The Atlantic)
by Brentin Mock
The conversation about high levels of imprisonment in the US usually revolves around crime waves and oversentencing. But a lot of the problem happens in local jails, where two-thirds of the people who are locked up haven’t even been convicted of a crime.

Uptalk can be a useful linguistic tool? (Lifehacker)
by Nick Douglas
American English speakers, particularly young women, have long been subjected to complaints about “uptalk,” the habit of ending declarative sentences like questions. But linguists point to a number of ways the verbal tic can be useful.

Resisting stereotypes, for boys (The New York Times)
by Claire Cain Miller
Want to make sure a boy grows up to be caring and strong, competent and egalitarian? Researchers offer some specific ideas about what it takes to raise a feminist son.

The letter that sold the opioid boom (STAT)
by Marilynn Marchione
As opioid manufacturers pitched their pain-relief drugs to doctors over the last several decades, one piece of evidence came up over and over: a 1980 letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A new analysis demonstrates how seriously pharma companies misused the text.

Got a hot tip about an online story that belongs on this list? Let us know: email jstordaily_submissions (at) jstor (dot) org.