Magpie News Collector

animal

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/7/2025 10:00 AM

A nearly 20,000-year-old woolly rhino horn reveals the extinct herbivores lived as long as modern-day rhinos, despite harsher Ice Age conditions. ... Read full Story

animal

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/3/2025 11:01 AM

Spiking milk with live ants makes tangy traditional yogurt. Researchers have identified the ants' microbial pals and enzymes that help the process. ... Read full Story

animal

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

By Science News | Sarah Boden | 9/26/2025 10:00 AM

Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result. ... Read full Story

animal

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/25/2025 2:00 PM

The effectiveness of camouflage or warning colors for insect defense depends on conditions such as light levels and how many predators are around. ... Read full Story

animal

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/23/2025 9:00 AM

Spotted ratfish, or “ghost sharks,” have forehead teeth that help them grasp onto mates. It’s the first time teeth have been found outside of a mouth. ... Read full Story

animal

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/19/2025 10:00 AM

Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats. ... Read full Story

animal

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

By Science News | Jennifer S. Holland | 9/18/2025 11:00 AM

Dogs that easily learn the names of toys might also mentally sort them by function, a new example of complex cognitive activity in the canine brain. ... Read full Story

animal

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/11/2025 11:00 AM

Octopuses are ambidextrous, a new study finds, but they favor their front arms for investigating surroundings and their back arms for locomotion. ... Read full Story

animal

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

By Science News | Katarina Zimmer | 9/8/2025 9:00 AM

From salamanders to monkeys, many species get more violent at warmer temperatures — a trend that may shape their social structures as the world warms. ... Read full Story

animal

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/4/2025 2:00 PM

Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide. ... Read full Story

animal

Here’s how fruit flies’ giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/4/2025 9:00 AM

Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction. ... Read full Story

animal

This lizard can tolerate extreme levels of lead

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/2/2025 11:00 AM

Cuban brown anoles have the highest blood lead levels of any vertebrate known — three times that of the previous record holder, the Nile crocodile. ... Read full Story

animal

Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 8/28/2025 2:00 PM

To make horses rideable during domestication, people may have inadvertently targeted a mutation in horses to strengthen their backs and their balance. ... Read full Story

animal

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 8/25/2025 9:00 AM

Historic European accounts long described the canids as domesticated dogs. A new study suggests that’s probably not true. ... Read full Story

animal

The phoenix isn’t the only critter to survive the flames

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 8/22/2025 9:00 AM

There are no real phoenixes hiding anywhere. But science has revealed that some living things can take quite a bit of heat. ... Read full Story

animal

Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot

By Science News | Emily Conover | 8/21/2025 2:00 PM

Ripple bugs’ nimble movements on the surface of water inspired a robot with automatically unfurling fans on its feet. ... Read full Story

animal

Around the world, birds sing longer in light-polluted areas

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 8/21/2025 2:00 PM

In light-polluted landscapes, birds' singing time is an average of 50 minutes longer per day. It's still unclear if this hurts bird health or helps. ... Read full Story

animal

These giant carnivorous bats hug, cuddle — and even share dinner

By Science News | Jay Kakade | 8/20/2025 2:00 PM

Infrared cameras in Costa Rica revealed that the world’s largest carnivorous bat maintains close social bonds through wing wraps and prey sharing. ... Read full Story

animal

Streaked shearwaters poop only while flying over the ocean

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 8/18/2025 11:00 AM

In-flight defecation may help the birds stay away from feces that can contain pathogens such as bird flu while also fertilizing the ocean. ... Read full Story

animal

A single protein makes lovesick flies spill their guts

By Science News | Sofia Caetano Avritzer | 8/14/2025 2:00 PM

Producing a male-specific protein in digestion-related neurons may have led to the evolution of an odd “romantic” barfing behavior in one species of fruit flies. ... Read full Story

book

Cover Story

by BookPage | Oct 07 2025

connecticut

CT GOP calls for reforms to earmark process: ‘There’s no oversight’

by CT Mirror | Oct 07 2025

fashion

Fashion week follies: Forget the runway — catch the real show in the front row

by NY Post | Oct 06 2025

FFNEWS

Surprising surge: Trucking spot market rates climb overnight

by FreightWaves | Oct 07 2025

finance

Elon Musk’s xAI may be the next AI company to do a creative financing deal involving Nvidia

by MarketWatch.com | Oct 07 2025

food

Ozzy Osbourne's Go-To Snack Was Shockingly Wholesome

by The Daily Meal | Oct 07 2025

football

Baptism by Fire: Looking for Value on the Jaxson Dart Prop Market Ahead of First Giants’ Start

by ESNY | Sep 26 2025

golf

Ryder Cup: U.S. and European Golfers Face a Challenge at Bethpage Black

by NY Times | Sep 25 2025

how_to

How to Clone a Hard Drive on Windows and Mac

by CNET | Oct 07 2025

knowledge

If You See a Star on a Barn, Here’s What It Means

by Reader's Digest | Oct 07 2025

lifestyle

Hollywood icon stuns fans as he's spotted riding the subway like a local

by Hello! Magazine | Oct 08 2025

long_island

Casey Cizikas enters Year 15 as Islanders’ heartbeat, still calling Long Island home

by greaterlongisland.com | Oct 06 2025

music

This $18 Amazon Antenna Lets You Access ABC, NBC & Other TV Channels for Free

by Billboard | Oct 07 2025

politics

Greene says she's felt more pressure on Epstein petition than any other issue

by The Hill | Oct 07 2025

travel

The Ultimate Quiet-Luxury Vietnam Itinerary: North to South

by World Travel Magazine | Oct 07 2025

Word of the Day

finicky

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2025 is:

finicky • \FIN-ih-kee\ • adjective

Finicky describes someone who is very hard to please, or something that requires a lot of care, precision, or attentive effort.

// Although she was a finicky eater as a child, she grew up to become a world-renowned chef famous for her encyclopedic knowledge of global ingredients.

// The latest game in the series boasts amazing graphics but the controls are a little finicky.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Stardom is a fleeting concept, one that we've seen play out with the biggest of stars over time. Even without outright missteps, artists often find themselves scrutinized by the masses for reasons entirely unrelated to their work. More often than not, this pressure either drives them to prove their worth to a finicky fanbase—one that will jump ship the second something else catches their attention—or pushes them back into obscurity." — Aron A., HotNewHipHop.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Did you know?

If you're a reader of a certain age (say, a Boomer, Gen Xer, or even a Xennial) you may remember cheeky television commercials featuring Morris, a finicky housecat who only eats a certain brand of cat food. (Morris is still featured on product labels.) Morris's tastes in cuisine are not only very particular, but very fine as well, and that's appropriate given the origin of finicky. The word came about in the early 19th century as an alteration of finicking, itself a 17th century alteration of another adjective, finical, which in turn is a late 16th century coinage likely derived from the adjective fine.

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

Here’s how fruit flies’ giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces

This lizard can tolerate extreme levels of lead

Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

The phoenix isn’t the only critter to survive the flames

Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot

Around the world, birds sing longer in light-polluted areas

These giant carnivorous bats hug, cuddle — and even share dinner

Streaked shearwaters poop only while flying over the ocean

A single protein makes lovesick flies spill their guts

Cover Story

CT GOP calls for reforms to earmark process: ‘There’s no oversight’

Fashion week follies: Forget the runway — catch the real show in the front row

Surprising surge: Trucking spot market rates climb overnight

Elon Musk’s xAI may be the next AI company to do a creative financing deal involving Nvidia

Ozzy Osbourne's Go-To Snack Was Shockingly Wholesome

Baptism by Fire: Looking for Value on the Jaxson Dart Prop Market Ahead of First Giants’ Start

Ryder Cup: U.S. and European Golfers Face a Challenge at Bethpage Black

How to Clone a Hard Drive on Windows and Mac

If You See a Star on a Barn, Here’s What It Means

Hollywood icon stuns fans as he's spotted riding the subway like a local

Casey Cizikas enters Year 15 as Islanders’ heartbeat, still calling Long Island home

This $18 Amazon Antenna Lets You Access ABC, NBC & Other TV Channels for Free

Greene says she's felt more pressure on Epstein petition than any other issue

The Ultimate Quiet-Luxury Vietnam Itinerary: North to South

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Maryland man leaves the gym, wins $31,118.30 lottery prize

2.Look: Ohio zoo asks for help naming newborn rhino calf

3.Watch: Venomous snake removed from inside Queensland home

4.Watch: Baby squirrel falls out of tree at Colorado mini golf course

5.Look: Overturned truck spills 46,000 pounds of applesauce on the highway

6.Look: Alligator tries to 'crash happy hour' at tiki bar in Florida

7.Watch: Virginia Zoo announces birth of three Asian small-clawed otter pups

8.Weeklong illness leads to $100,000 lottery prize

9.Watch: Alligator intently watches PGA golfer take shot in Mississippi

10.Watch: Water-skiing squirrel delights crowds at N.C. fair