Magpie News Collector

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

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

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

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

animal

Warm autumns could be a driver in monarch butterflies’ decline

By Science News | Jude Coleman | 8/12/2025 7:01 PM

In the lab, higher temperatures during fall migration led monarchs to break their reproductive pause, increasing their risk of death. ... Read full Story

animal

Squashing the spotted lanternfly problem may require enlisting other species

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

The invasive spotted lanternfly has spread to 17 states and can threaten vineyards. But bats, fungi, dogs and even trees may help control them. ... Read full Story

animal

This snail may hold a secret to human eye regeneration

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 8/6/2025 5:00 AM

Golden apple snails can regrow full, functional eyes. Studying their genes may reveal how to repair human eye injuries. ... Read full Story

animal

These plants build ant condos that keep warring species apart

By Science News | Susan Milius | 8/5/2025 12:00 PM

The unique architecture of some ball-like plants high in trees in Fiji lets violent ants live peacefully and feed the plant with valuable droppings. ... Read full Story

animal

The mystery of melting sea stars may finally be solved

By Science News | Siddhant Pusdekar | 8/4/2025 11:00 AM

A bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida may be melting sea stars along North America’s Pacific coast. ... Read full Story

animal

Some probiotics could feed, rather than fend off, infections

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 8/1/2025 1:00 PM

Probiotics containing Lactobacillus gasseri Lg-36 prevented C. difficile infections in mice, but L. acidophilus probiotics made infection more likely. ... Read full Story

animal

Some killer whales hunt in pairs to maximize their bounty

By Science News | Kristel Tjandra | 7/28/2025 9:00 AM

Drone footage from Norway shows killer whales using a highly coordinated and cooperative hunting technique to catch herring. ... Read full Story

art

Just More at Monte Carlo, Monaco

by Contemporary Art Daily | Sep 12 2025

entertainment

Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak Reveals How the Right Outfit Can Enhance Your Sweat Sessions

by ET Online | Sep 11 2025

FFNEWS

Import demand falls below 2023 levels after erratic but strong first half

by FreightWaves | Sep 13 2025

food

How To Instantly Spot Bananas That Will Spoil Quickly

by The Daily Meal | Sep 13 2025

football

Kick off Jets’ season with this cool Sauce Gardner bobblehead

by ESNY | Sep 11 2023

golf

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

by NY Times | Jul 25 2025

health

Keto Diet Improves Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder, Study Shows

by Healthline.com | Sep 12 2025

knowledge

Here’s What the Hole in a Safety Pin Is Really For

by Reader's Digest | Sep 09 2025

nation

Lisa Cook called Atlanta condo a ‘second home’ in some documents

by upi.com | Sep 13 2025

nutrition

5 Drinks To Help Lower Cholesterol, According to Science

by thehealthy.com | Sep 09 2025

retirement

Retirees face staggering 6-figure health care bill when leaving the workforce

by Fox News | Jul 30 2025

science

How the surface you exercise on might increase your risk of cramps

by LIVE SCIENCE | Sep 13 2025

sports

Pelé's life in pictures

by CNN | Apr 16 2023

wellness

How to Poop Regularly, Easily, and Smoothly

by Self.com | Sep 12 2025

world

100,000+ march in U.K. ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest in London

by United Press International, Inc. | Sep 13 2025

Word of the Day

perpetuity

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2025 is:

perpetuity • \per-puh-TOO-uh-tee\ • noun

Perpetuity refers to a state of continuing forever or for a very long time.

// The property will be passed on from generation to generation in perpetuity.

See the entry >

Examples:

“This isn’t new territory for the band—beginning with 2018’s Modern Meta Physic, Peel Dream Magazine have taken cues from bands like Stereolab and Pram, exploring the ways that rigid, droning repetition can make time feel rubbery. As they snap back into the present, Black sings, ‘Millions of light years, all of them ours.’ The past and future fold into themselves, braided together in perpetuity.” — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 4 Sept. 2024

Did you know?

Perpetuity is a “forever” word—not in the sense that it relates to a lifelong relationship (as in “forever home”), but because it concerns the concept of, well, forever. Not only can perpetuity refer to infinite time, aka eternity, but it also has specific legal and financial uses, as for certain arrangements in wills and for annuities that are payable forever, or at least for the foreseeable future. The word ultimately comes from the Latin adjective perpetuus, meaning “continual” or “uninterrupted.” Perpetuus is the ancestor of several additional “forever” words, including the verb perpetuate (“to cause to last indefinitely”) and the adjective perpetual (“continuing forever,” “occurring continually”). A lesser known descendent, perpetuana, is now mostly encountered in historical works, as it refers to a type of durable wool or worsted fabric made in England only from the late 16th through the 18th centuries. Alas, nothing is truly forever.

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

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

Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot

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

Warm autumns could be a driver in monarch butterflies’ decline

Squashing the spotted lanternfly problem may require enlisting other species

This snail may hold a secret to human eye regeneration

These plants build ant condos that keep warring species apart

The mystery of melting sea stars may finally be solved

Some probiotics could feed, rather than fend off, infections

Some killer whales hunt in pairs to maximize their bounty

Just More at Monte Carlo, Monaco

Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak Reveals How the Right Outfit Can Enhance Your Sweat Sessions

Import demand falls below 2023 levels after erratic but strong first half

How To Instantly Spot Bananas That Will Spoil Quickly

Kick off Jets’ season with this cool Sauce Gardner bobblehead

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

Keto Diet Improves Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder, Study Shows

Here’s What the Hole in a Safety Pin Is Really For

Lisa Cook called Atlanta condo a ‘second home’ in some documents

5 Drinks To Help Lower Cholesterol, According to Science

Retirees face staggering 6-figure health care bill when leaving the workforce

How the surface you exercise on might increase your risk of cramps

Pelé's life in pictures

How to Poop Regularly, Easily, and Smoothly

100,000+ march in U.K. ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest in London

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Stowaway gecko travels from Portugal to Guernsey in suitcase

2.Michigan man's Powerball winnings are 3 times more than expected

3.National Video Games Day: 5 stunning world records

4.Watch: Raccoon steals package from New York porch

5.Watch: Ice skater breaks Guinness World Record for jumping rope

6.Look: Zoo announces hatching of eight iguanas with no father

7.Watch: Police reunite stowaway pet pigeon with owner in Texas

8.Microchip shows stray cat was 900 miles from home

9.Look: Exotic snake found wandering loose along Ontario road

10.Look: Firefighters rescue pet lizard stranded in tree