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.
Sea levels rising? That’s nothing new (The New York Times)
by Peter Brannen
Climate change brought on by greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere seems almost certain to create an unprecedented problem for the human race. But, on a geological timescale, huge changes in sea levels are nothing new. Researchers looking at past epochs can give us clues about what the future may hold.
Theranos’s bad science (The Conversation)
by Norman A. Paradis
In recent months, life sciences startup Theranos has gone from a media and investor darling to a pariah, now facing a federal criminal investigation. To see what went wrong, start by comparing its promises with research-backed medical testing methods.
The trouble with laws of robotics (Slate)
By Adam Elkus
Some computer scientists hope to program human values into artificial intelligence. But research shows just how complicated that proposition is. Not only do values vary wildly from one culture to another, but they function in ways that it’s hard to imagine an algorithm capturing.
What’s happening in Brazil? (The Washington Post)
by Amy Erica Smith
The Brazilian political system is in turmoil, with President Dilma Rousseff impeached amid a huge corruption scandal that implicates some of Rousseff’s opponents at least as much as her. But is this a “soft coup” or a democratic move? A political science scholar says it’s not really either of those.
Images of Harriet Tubman (Pacific Standard)
by Francie Diep
Long before she was picked to have her picture on the $20 bill, Harriet Tubman was an American icon. A historical look at the way artists and writers have imagined her life shows how images of Tubman have shaped our ideas about slavery and feminism, starting even before her death.
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.
