One day when you’re rambling on outcrops on Mt. Washington, you may find some clues to Wisconsin’s rich Paleolithic history. Mt. Washington is a great place to find fossils of brachiopod and trilobites, animals that lived millions of years ago. Both trilobites and brachiopods lived in the ancient seas that used to cover Wisconsin. Larger…

Last fall, a rain garden was planted along the banks of Lake Menomin in Menomonie. The people who planted it hope that it will show their neighbors a way to help prevent blooms of cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) in Lake Menomin. Cyanobacteria blooms are a big problem. They make people sick and turn lakes…

During the hottest time of the year, you may notice that some of your favorite lakes turn blueish green and murky. You might not be allowed to swim in them. This happens because of cyanobacteria, which is sometimes also called blue-green algae (“cyanobacteria” means “blue bacteria”). Cyanobacteria is different from the green algae that you…

Spring means fresh cheese curds at the farmers market. There’s nothing like picking up a fresh, warm bag and getting that first squeaky bite. That squeak comes from a special way that long protein molecules in fresh cheese curds rub against your teeth. To make cheese curds, milk is warmed and a culture with bacteria…