Grokkers turn out to have sense of humor! Conversation covers Rico the talking dog, glaciology as mock Hemingway, and a car-crash story regarding a four-way galactic collision.
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About.com has some nice things to say about The Why Files: The Science Behind the News:
“I … found the book’s humorous approach to science refreshingly fun and educational.”
“…a fun book to have lying around for those odd hours when you just want to tickle your brain for a few minutes.”
Read more.

Working on a story about the role of citizen-scientists, we visited the UW-Madison Zoological Museum, looking at some cool collections. Here’s a drawer full of Baltimore orioles — which are not even the most colorful birds in the drawers. Tropical birds take that honor, says curator Paula Holahan.

Reviewers sharpen knives, but readers’ appetites are whetted!

Citizen scientists play a big role in the study of birds. We ask why?

In response to a mammoth report on the health of America’s birds, The Why Files is working on a new feature about the status of our birds, for our April 2 edition. The report, from the U.S. Department of the Interior , working with conservation groups, highlights the desperate condition of birds in Hawaii. Grassland [...]

University of Utah scientists have gone low-tech to make a location system for trapped miners that relies on sledgehammers and iron plates.

With colony collapse disorder threatening honeybees across the United States, a group of scientists has looked at pollination by wild bees in Michigan blueberries, and found that they may do just as well, or better, than the captive honeybees that are trucked into the field.
One hundred twelve species of native bees were found working [...]

In the confidence game, a new survey has bad news for just about everybody. Since 1976, Americans have lost faith in Congress (amazing!), the press (ouch!), major companies (duh), banks (duh-duh).

Why File story shows that a 1965 sci-fi novel anticipated the future!