Science

How Kids Learn About Race, Stereotypes And Prejudice

WisContext

Anyone who has spent much time with young children knows they have a way of forming their own ideas about the world around them, no matter what lessons family and teachers try to instill. Kids also can pick up on things that adults would rather they not.

Series: Local Food Science

Fermentation Is Serious Food Science In Wisconsin

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Fermentation — the process by which microorganisms metabolize sugar into alcohol and other byproducts — has been an important part of the human diet for thousands of years. But the art and science of this practice is undergoing a bit of a renaissance.

Toxoplasma Parasite Opens New Doors For Disease Research

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Biologists define parasitism as a relationship where one organism benefits in the course of taking advantage of another. By understanding how parasites prey on their hosts, medical researchers could develop some novel ways to fight disease.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

What Karst Is, And How It Affects Wisconsin's Drinking Water

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Any serious look at Wisconsin's geology and groundwater will at some point likely encounter the term "karst." The concept is hardly specific to Wisconsin, but it's helpful for understanding the land and drinking water across much of the state.

Series: Civic Science In Wisconsin

Series: Wisconsin's Bats And White-Nose Syndrome

Watching The Bats Of Wisconsin

Karen Faster

WisContext

From loon-watchers to fighters of invasive species, Wisconsin is home to many groups engaged in citizen science. One example of a citizen science effort of this type in the state is the Wisconsin Bat Monitoring Project.

Series: Local Food Science

Seed To Kitchen Collaborative Seeks More Flavors For Local Produce

Kristian Knutsen

WisContext

While local food can be viewed as both an eternal and contemporary concept, a basic way-of-life present throughout humanity's history and a fashionable type of grocery purchase, the science behind what it is and means is still taking shape.

From The Medicine Cabinet To Lake Michigan

Scott Gordon

WisContext

As medications and personal care products pile up in people's medicine cabinets, they are also increasingly making their way into water supplies, accumulating over time in tiny increments.

Series: Renewable Energy In Wisconsin

Embracing Solar Energy Can Be Fun And Fraught

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Bruce Johnson has put a great deal of time and money into changing the way he uses energy — his house on the east side of Madison sports three rooftop solar-panel installations.

Zika Infection Not Likely To Be Problem In Wisconsin

PJ Liesch

UW-Extension

With mosquito season nearly upon us and all the headlines about Zika virus in the news, a big question at the moment is: Will Zika be an issue in Wisconsin?

Series: Civic Science In Wisconsin

Cerceris Wasp Biosurveillance Project Tracks Emerald Ash Borer

Tony Summers

UW-Extension

Invasive species are a familiar and persistent challenge across the United States. Kudzu is engulfing the South, gypsy moths have been consuming forests in the East, and the emerald ash borer is wreaking havoc on several species of ash trees here in the Midwest.