Why Files Have All The Answers On The Internet

Science has an insidious way of intruding when you expect it least, especially if you have kids or tired, drunken guests. They’re always asking questions that seem annoyingly simple, yet prove hard to answer.

You know the type, “Why is the sky blue?” or endless debate about why Michael Jordan can jump so high.

In an ideal world, this is the type of information you’d get from calling 411. To heck with phone numbers. Instead, we have the Why Files.

At the World Wide Web site whyfiles.news.wisc.edu (no www needed) you’ll find the Net’s version of Mr. Wizard, Big Bird and your twisted high school science teacher in one easy-to-use interface.

The Internet has long been the bastion of scientists and other academics; they’re the ones who helped build it. Anyone looking for research material can have a field day on the Web, so long as they don’t mind boring layouts and dry, technical articles.

But the Why Files offer a different take, including: a package on the hysteria comets have caused, and everything you wanted to know about tornadoes but didn’t trust Hollywood to tell you. That and more is presented with sharp graphics, photos and writing.

The colorful site isn’t just for scientists, it’s for everyone, teens and older, with an inquiring mind. Trivia challenges visitors’ scientific knowledge with practical sports examples. There are cool scientific images and lots of room for questions and answers.

Best, you won’t find one footnote, formula or Ph.D. anywhere in the site. If people find out learning science can be this fun, there may be a run on lab coats.

“It’s kind of a painless science class,” says Terry Devitt, one of the site’s writers. It’s entirely possible to visit the site and never realize you’re getting a science lesson.

The site is part of an effort by the National Institute for Science Education, based at the University of Wisconsin. The overriding goal is to excite people about science, or at least give them some fundamental knowledge.

Consider a recent package of articles on mosquitoes. Not only is there an explanation of how the pests spread malaria. But there’s a witty piece on ways to kill mosquitoes, from organic solutions to brute force.

Another portion looks at research to create mosquitoes that actually kill disease. “Can mosquitoes help fight disease?” the article asks. “Sure, when the Nile flows backward.” The flip attitude is deliberate, Devitt says.

“It’s how we get people through the front door,” he says. “Scientists have done a pretty good job over the years of building a barrier between them and the rest of the world. They use jargon and techniques that befuddle others.”

Each week, editors study stories in the news, consult scientific journals and bug researchers to find out what’s about to become a hot topic. For example, earlier this month they found out astronomers were set to disclose the discovery of a new planet.

Mainstream media would cover that story before the Why Files could get stories online. So the Why Files looked at related issues, such as how they search for planets.

Their best timing yet was a spring package on tornadoes that happened to hit just as “Twister” opened in theaters. Tens of thousands of people poured into the site when they heard about the article from other tornado-related sites.

“I’d like to say we planned it that way, but science is all about telling the truth,” Devitt says.

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