Magpie News Collector

animal

Fewer scavengers could mean more zoonotic disease

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 6/16/2025 3:00 PM

Scavenger populations are decreasing, a new study shows. That could put human health at risk. ... Read full Story

animal

This spider’s barf is worse than its bite

By Science News | Susan Milius | 6/12/2025 8:00 PM

Most spider species subdue dinner by injecting venom from their fangs. Feather-legged lace weavers swathe prey in silk, then upchuck a killing brew. ... Read full Story

animal

Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 6/5/2025 2:00 PM

Comparing various tactics for protecting rhinos suggests that dehorning them drastically reduces poaching. ... Read full Story

animal

Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 6/5/2025 2:00 AM

A probiotic paste prevented the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease, but the treatment is still a proof-of-concept, not a cure. ... Read full Story

animal

Flamingos create precise water vortices in a shrimp-hunting frenzy

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 6/4/2025 11:00 AM

Nashville Zoo flamingos reveal the oddball birds generate many types of vortices to eat. The swirls could be an inspiration to human engineers. ... Read full Story

animal

Aussie cockatoos use their beaks and claws to turn on water fountains

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 6/3/2025 7:01 PM

Parrots living in Sydney have learned how to turn on water fountains for a drink. It's the first such drinking strategy seen in the birds. ... Read full Story

animal

How luna moths grow extravagant wings

By Science News | Susan Milius | 5/30/2025 12:00 PM

Warm temperatures, not just predator pressure, may favor luna moths’ long bat-fooling streamers, a geographic analysis of iNaturalist pics shows. ... Read full Story

animal

Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 5/29/2025 9:00 AM

A new genetic study could help saolas survive by enabling better searches through environmental DNA. But some experts fear they may be extinct already. ... Read full Story

animal

Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 5/27/2025 7:01 PM

Common bedbugs experienced a dramatic jump in population size about 13,000 years ago, around the time humans congregated in the first cities. ... Read full Story

animal

The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

By Science News | Larissa G. Capella | 5/27/2025 9:00 AM

A 47-million-year-old cicada fossil from Germany’s Messel Pit could teach us about the evolution of insect communication. ... Read full Story

animal

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 5/22/2025 11:10 AM

Penguin poop provides ammonia for cloud formation in coastal Antarctica, potentially helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region. ... Read full Story

animal

Juvenile capuchins are kidnapping infants of another monkey species

By Science News | Freda Kreier | 5/19/2025 11:00 AM

Over 15 months on Jicarón Island, researchers saw five capuchin juveniles abduct 11 endangered howler monkey infants — all for no clear purpose. ... Read full Story

animal

A ‘talking’ ape’s death signals the end of an era

By Science News | Erin Wayman | 5/19/2025 9:00 AM

Kanzi showed apes have the capacity for language, but in recent years scientists have questioned the ethics of ape experiments. ... Read full Story

animal

Some science seems silly, but it’s still worthwhile

By Science News | Karen Kwon | 5/16/2025 1:30 PM

The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog contends that curiosity-driven research helps us understand the world and could lead to unexpected benefits. ... Read full Story

animal

What gene makes orange cats orange? Scientists figured it out

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 5/15/2025 11:00 AM

Researchers found the gene and genetic variation behind orange fur in most domestic cats, solving a decades-long mystery. ... Read full Story

animal

This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 5/14/2025 11:05 AM

Analyses unveiled never-before-seen feathers and bones from the first known bird, strengthening the case that Archaeopteryx could fly. ... Read full Story

animal

Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 5/14/2025 12:00 AM

A study in Uganda shows how often chimps use medicinal plants and other forms of health care — and what that says about the roots of human medicine. ... Read full Story

animal

This tool-wielding assassin turns its prey’s defenses into a trap

By Science News | Siddhant Pusdekar | 5/12/2025 3:00 PM

This assassin bug's ability to use a tool — bees’ resin — could shed light on how the ability evolved in other animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 5/9/2025 2:00 PM

Chimpanzees combine hoots, calls and grunts to convey far more concepts than with single sounds alone. It may be a first among nonhuman animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 5/5/2025 11:00 AM

The porpoise is critically endangered. Ancient Chinese poems reveal the animal’s range has dropped about 65 percent over the past 1,400 years. ... Read full Story

art

‘The War of Art’ Charts the Catalyzing History of Artists’ Protests in the U.S.

by Colossal | Jun 17 2025

FFNEWS

Warehouses Urged to Prepare for Heatwaves as Met Office Predicts a Scorching Summer

by FORWARDER magazine | May 27 2025

finance

You have to spend a year’s salary to really get the most out of the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card

by MarketWatch.com | Jun 17 2025

game

EA's Skate Is Getting A Big Update Ahead Of Next Playtest

by GameSpot | Jun 17 2025

health

Rare Appendix Cancer Cases Are Rising in Gen Xers, Millennials: What to Know

by Healthline.com | Jun 17 2025

how_to

Looking for Meaningful Connection This Pride Season? This AI App May Help

by CNET | Jun 17 2025

lifestyle

Kelsey Grammer, 70, set to welcome baby number 8 in surprise reveal

by Hello! Magazine | Jun 17 2025

long_island

Islip officials celebrate completion of West Islip Marina upgrades

by greaterlongisland.com | Jun 17 2025

mental

Special Olympics Advocates: Don’t Leave This Community Out of Mental Health Discussions

by thehealthy.com | May 28 2025

nutrition

12 Healthiest Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On, According to Registered Dietitians

by thehealthy.com | Jun 04 2025

people

Anne Burrell Net Worth: How rich was the legendary Food Network chef?

by marca.com | Jun 17 2025

politics

Thune warns Iran should return to negotiating table 'if they're smart'

by Fox News | Jun 17 2025

soccer

Key takeaways from Gasperini’s first press conference at Roma

by Yahoo Sports | Jun 17 2025

technology

Scientists discover first sea spiders powered by methane-fed microbes in deep Pacific

by Interesting Engineering | Jun 17 2025

travel

5 Must See US National Parks for Luxury Travellers

by The Travel Magazine | Jun 17 2025

Word of the Day

apologia

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2025 is:

apologia • \ap-uh-LOH-jee-uh\ • noun

An apologia is a defense especially of one's opinions, position, or actions.

// The opinion piece reads like an apologia for the industry's reckless behavior.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Yes, Barbie is a polarizing toy ... but [Greta] Gerwig leaped right to what else Barbie is: a potent, complicated, contradictory symbol that stands near the center of a decades-long and still-running argument about how to be a woman. ... The movie is a celebration of Barbie and a subterranean apologia for Barbie." — Willa Paskin, The New York Times, 11 July 2023

Did you know?

As you might expect, apologia is a close relative of apology. Both words come from Late Latin; apologia came to English as a direct borrowing while apology traveled through Middle French. The Latin apologia can be traced back to the Greek verb apologeîsthai, meaning "to speak in defense; defend oneself." In their earliest English uses, apologia and apology meant basically the same thing: a formal defense or justification of one's actions or opinions. Nowadays, however, the two are distinct. The modern apology generally involves an admission of wrongdoing and an expression of regret for past actions, while an apologia typically focuses on explaining, justifying, or making clear the grounds for some course of action, belief, or position.

Fewer scavengers could mean more zoonotic disease

This spider’s barf is worse than its bite

Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching

Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease

Flamingos create precise water vortices in a shrimp-hunting frenzy

Aussie cockatoos use their beaks and claws to turn on water fountains

How luna moths grow extravagant wings

Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct

Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests

The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

Juvenile capuchins are kidnapping infants of another monkey species

A ‘talking’ ape’s death signals the end of an era

Some science seems silly, but it’s still worthwhile

What gene makes orange cats orange? Scientists figured it out

This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds

Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

This tool-wielding assassin turns its prey’s defenses into a trap

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise

‘The War of Art’ Charts the Catalyzing History of Artists’ Protests in the U.S.

Warehouses Urged to Prepare for Heatwaves as Met Office Predicts a Scorching Summer

You have to spend a year’s salary to really get the most out of the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card

EA's Skate Is Getting A Big Update Ahead Of Next Playtest

Rare Appendix Cancer Cases Are Rising in Gen Xers, Millennials: What to Know

Looking for Meaningful Connection This Pride Season? This AI App May Help

Kelsey Grammer, 70, set to welcome baby number 8 in surprise reveal

Islip officials celebrate completion of West Islip Marina upgrades

Special Olympics Advocates: Don’t Leave This Community Out of Mental Health Discussions

12 Healthiest Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On, According to Registered Dietitians

Anne Burrell Net Worth: How rich was the legendary Food Network chef?

Thune warns Iran should return to negotiating table 'if they're smart'

Key takeaways from Gasperini’s first press conference at Roma

Scientists discover first sea spiders powered by methane-fed microbes in deep Pacific

5 Must See US National Parks for Luxury Travellers

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Man cleaning out his car finds Powerball ticket worth $50,000

2.Look: Lemur at Scottish zoo named the world's oldest at 39

3.Watch: New York zoo on the hunt for escaped wallaby

4.Watch: 6-foot alligator found lurking outside Virginia motel room

5.Look: Deer rescued from tank at Oklahoma wastewater plant

6.Slithering surprise: 5 shocking snake intrusions

7.Wildlife park's escaped mongoose spotted 15 miles from home

8.Watch: New York restaurant returns 110-year-old lobster to the sea

9.Watch: 15 goats escaped trailer on Maine Turnpike

10.Watch: Pedro Pascal look-alike contest winner gets $50, free burritos