Our Mission
The mission of The Why Files is to explore the science, math and technology behind the news of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, accessible and accurate manner. We are based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but The Why Files covers science at all institutions that engage in scientific exploration and discovery. We hope our work will help explain the relationship between science and daily life.

Our Content
The Why Files produces a new story each week, alternating longer features with shorter shorties. We also post a series of interactive science animations, the ever-popular “Cool Science Images,” a series of Teacher Activity Pages linked to the national science teaching standards, The Weather Guys, and Curiosities. Eager to explain the science behind the news, our home page reprises older stories that become relevant to the headlines.

Our History
The Why Files was founded in 1996 as part of the National Institute for Science Education, with funding from the National Science Foundation. We have published weekly on the web since January, 1996. Since 1998, we have been supported through the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.