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.

Turns out, brains are unisex (Wired)
by Emily Reynolds
You know how the female brain has a larger hippocampus than the male brain? Pop-psychology types like to use that difference to argue that women are naturally better at expressing emotions and using language. Well, a new meta-analysis of more than 6,000 MRI scans found that there isn’t any such size difference after all.

Why cops turn their backs on communities (New York Magazine)
by Jesse Singal
It stands to reason that police officers who think negative publicity has harmed their profession might be less interested in working together with the communities they patrol. But a new study suggests the thing that really makes cops hesitant about community ties is doubts about their own departments’ fairness and legitimacy.

When to keep your hands to yourself (The Atlantic)
by Aamna Mohdin
A new paper looks at what parts of their bodies men and women in five countries were comfortable having friends, family members, and acquaintances touch—and it includes a heat map showing exactly where we don’t want other people’s hands.

Recidivism reconsidered (Slate)
by Leon Neyfakh
Conventional wisdom holds that the vast majority of ex-cons end up re-offending and going back to prison. But a new study find that’s just wrong. In this interview, the study’s lead author explains the simple methodological problem that has been leading us astray.

Why Asian-Americans left the GOP (The Conversation)
by Cecilia Hyunjung Mo
The Republican Party has lost the support of Asian-Americans at a dramatic rate over the past 20 years. Research suggests at least part of the reason is the fact that white Americans tend to exclude Asian-Americans from their vision of what it means to belong in this country—and the way some Republicans cater to this impulse.

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.