Science

Utilities Urge Customers To Reduce Water Use In Shower

Wisconsin Public Radio

A number of water utilities around Wisconsin offer rebates on shower heads, faucets or toilets to reduce water consumption.

Antibiotic Resistance Concerns Spur Changes In Animal Feeding Practices

Sarah Mills-Lloyd

UW-Extension

To limit the development of emerging human and animal resistance to antibiotics, farmers who give livestock and poultry antimicrobial-medicated feed will have to purchase it under supervision of a veterinarian starting in 2017.

Don't Let The Bed Bugs Hitchhike

PJ Liesch

UW-Extension

With another busy travel season quickly approaching, many Wisconsin residents will take to the roads and skies for excursions near and far. While their biggest concern may be delays on the road or at airports, the tiny bed bug has the potential to end up causing big headaches for any traveler staying in hotels or other lodgings.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

Parsing Faulty Polls And Scapegoating In The 2016 Election

Scott Gordon

WisContext

In the world of political polling, the Marquette University Law School Poll is considered the best in Wisconsin. When a new poll is released with a new round of results, political journalists across the state avidly follow it and tweet it out point-by-point.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

The Same River Twice: Getting Voter Poll Questions Right

Kristin Runge

UW-Extension

In 1948, four national polling firms infamously predicted that Thomas Dewey would win the presidential election by a comfortable 5 to 15 percentage points rather than the 4.4 percentage point victory won by President Harry Truman. This error brought the young polling industry to its knees.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

The Same River Twice: Election Polling Challenged By Accurate Sampling

Kristin Runge

UW-Extension

The 2016 presidential election results took many people of all political stripes by surprise. It will be a while before it is fully understood why figures released by many reputable state and national polls were off, some by a wide margin. Until then, history may offer some potential explanations.

The Rise Of Apple Clubs And Trademark Varieties Of Fruit

Janet van Zoeren

UW-Extension

Amaya Atucha

UW-Extension

Apples are one of the few produce items marketed by cultivar name — consumers will pay more for particular varieties that offers better taste, color and flavor. The nature of this market has been proven by the outstanding success of Honeycrisp apples.

The Fight Against Bacterial Meningitis And Meningococcemia Isn't Over

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Anyone who's spent time on a college campus has likely heard a lot about bacterial meningitis in recent years.

Rare Kirtland's Warbler Population On The Rise In Wisconsin

Jill Nadeau

Wisconsin Public Radio

Slowly but surely, Kirtland's warblers are beginning to call Wisconsin home.

Study Finds Insecticide More Damaging To Wisconsin Stream Bugs Than Previously Thought

Chuck Quirmbach

Wisconsin Public Radio

A federal study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology shows smaller amounts of a common bug killer may be more harmful in Midwest streams than previously thought.