Magpie News Collector

animal

Freeze-drying turned a woolly mammoth’s DNA into 3-D ‘chromoglass’

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 7/11/2024 11:00 AM

A new technique for probing the 3-D structure of ancient DNA may help scientists learn how extinct animals functioned, not just what they looked like. ... Read full Story

animal

Tiny saunas help frogs fight off chytrid fungus

By Science News | Skyler Ware | 7/9/2024 11:00 AM

Balmy shelters could bolster resistance to the deadly fungus in amphibian populations, but experts caution they won’t work for all susceptible species. ... Read full Story

animal

Bird flu viruses may infect mammary glands more commonly than thought

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 7/8/2024 1:43 PM

H5N1 turning up in cow milk was a big hint. The virus circulating in U.S. cows can infect the mammary glands of mice and ferrets, too. ... Read full Story

animal

The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct

By Science News | Claire Yuan | 6/27/2024 11:00 AM

The last population of woolly mammoths did not go extinct 4,000 years ago from inbreeding, a new analysis shows. ... Read full Story

animal

Beneficial bacteria help these marine worms survive extreme cold

By Science News | Darren Incorvaia | 6/21/2024 2:00 PM

Three species of marine worms living in Antarctic waters have beneficial relationships with bacteria that produce antifreeze proteins. ... Read full Story

animal

Can leeches leap? New video may help answer that debate

By Science News | Susan Milius | 6/20/2024 10:00 AM

For some, it’s the stuff of nightmares. But a grad student’s serendipitous cell phone video might resolve a long-running debate over leech acrobatics. ... Read full Story

animal

‘Cull of the Wild’ questions sacrificing wildlife in the name of conservation

By Science News | Aaron Tremper | 6/11/2024 9:00 AM

In his new book, ecologist Hugh Warwick seeks middle ground in the waging battle that is wildlife management. ... Read full Story

animal

Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution

By Science News | Bruce Bower | 6/7/2024 2:00 PM

A kneecap and two teeth belonged to the smallest known great ape, a study contends. If so, it’s the first to coexist with another great ape in Europe. ... Read full Story

animal

Horses may have been domesticated twice. Only one attempt stuck

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 6/6/2024 12:32 PM

Genetic evidence suggests that the ancestors of domestic horses were bred for mobility about 4,200 years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 5/31/2024 1:00 PM

Pet owners can take precautions to avoid H5N1, such as keeping cats indoors and making sure they don’t eat raw meat or milk. ... Read full Story

animal

A built-in pocket protector keeps sawfish from ‘sword fighting’ in the womb

By Science News | Natalie van Hoose | 5/30/2024 9:00 AM

What’s to prevent pups, with a snout that resembles a hedge trimmer, from slicing and dicing each other in mom’s uterus? Scientists have the answer. ... Read full Story

animal

Human body lice could harbor the plague and spread it through biting

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 5/21/2024 2:00 PM

Rats and fleas previously got all the blame, but humans’ own parasites could be involved. ... Read full Story

animal

Sumatran orangutans start crafting their engineering skills as infants

By Science News | Elizabeth Anne Brown | 5/17/2024 9:30 AM

By 6 months old, young orangutans are experimenting with construction materials, and by 6 years old, they are building platforms 20 meters in the air. ... Read full Story

animal

Genetic analyses of the bird flu virus unveil its evolution and potential

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 5/16/2024 11:00 AM

The H5N1 outbreak in cattle is giving flashbacks to the COVID pandemic. But this time is different. ... Read full Story

animal

How did an ancient shark parasite end up fossilized in tree resin?

By Science News | Saugat Bolakhe | 5/15/2024 11:15 AM

A worm preserved in 99-million-year-old amber resembles modern flatworms in shark intestines. The rare finding has scientists stumped. ... Read full Story

animal

Tiger beetles may weaponize ultrasound against bats

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 5/14/2024 7:01 PM

In response to recordings of echolocating bats, tiger beetles emit noises that mimic toxic moths that bats avoid. ... Read full Story

animal

Cows might host both human and bird flus

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 5/14/2024 9:15 AM

Both kinds of influenza viruses may break into cattle cells using receptors similar to those in people, wild birds and poultry. ... Read full Story

animal

Getting wild mosquitoes back to the lab alive takes a custom backpack

By Science News | Darren Incorvaia | 5/9/2024 9:00 AM

The new low-tech transportation method could help scientists in Africa assess if malaria-carrying mosquitoes are resistant to a common insecticide. ... Read full Story

animal

This snake goes to extremes to play dead — and it appears to pay off

By Science News | Richard Kemeny | 5/7/2024 7:01 PM

When dice snakes fake their death to avoid predators, those that use a combination of blood, poop and musk spend less time pretending to be dead. ... Read full Story

animal

Lampreys have ‘fight or flight’ cells, challenging ideas about nervous system evolution

By Science News | Claudia López Lloreda | 5/7/2024 10:30 AM

The discovery of sympathetic nervous system cells in lampreys draws a closer tie between the animal and complex vertebrates — such as humans. ... Read full Story

art

Atsushi Yamamoto, Masahiro Wada at ShugoArts

by Contemporary Art Daily | Sep 06 2024

basketball

Kevin Durant says he would get rid of the Dallas Cowboys if there was promotion and relegation in the NFL

by CBS Interactive Inc | Sep 07 2024

connecticut

Should CT increase care ratios for 2-year-olds? Legislators to vote

by CT Mirror | Sep 06 2024

entertainment

Michael Keaton On Why He is the Best Batman & Initial Fan Hate Over His Casting

by WatchrMedia | Sep 07 2024

fashion

Martha Stewart dishes on fave Paris restaurants and Snoop Dogg’s hotel hotplate at the Libertine show

by NY Post | Sep 07 2024

food

The Underrated Cut Of Meat You Need To Throw In The Slow Cooker

by The Daily Meal | Sep 07 2024

long_island

Hero halts rush-hour traffic to save kitten on Long Island parkway

by greaterlongisland.com | Aug 22 2024

mental

Can Stress Cause Swollen Lymph Nodes? Expert Immunity Doctors Respond

by thehealthy.com | Aug 14 2024

metro

OEM boss worries fed probes could distract city leadership, undermine public safety: report

by New York Post | Sep 07 2024

nutrition

18 Ways Nutritionists Sneak More Vegetables Into Their Diet

by thehealthy.com | May 30 2024

real_estate

These are America’s best small towns in 2024 — and one of them is only an hour from NYC

by NY Post | Sep 07 2024

science

Star-packed Triangulum Galaxy shines in new Hubble Telescope image

by LIVE SCIENCE | Sep 07 2024

upstate

Albany Police arrest man for possession of handguns

by NEWS10 ABC | Sep 07 2024

wellness

6 Things to Know About the Updated COVID Vaccines

by Self.com | Sep 06 2024

world

Hundreds of thousands march across Israel to demand return of hostages

by United Press International, Inc. | Sep 07 2024

Word of the Day

vilify

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2024 is:

vilify • \VIL-uh-fye\ • verb

To vilify someone or something is to say or write very harsh and critical things about them. The word is a synonym of defame.

// They were vilified in the press for their comments.

See the entry >

Examples:

“The eagerness to vilify ‘the other side’—usually on social media—complicates the less reactionary work that defines our mission.” — Jerry Brewer, The Washington Post, 11 June 2024

Did you know?

It seems reasonable to assume that the words vilify and villain come from the same source; after all, to vilify someone is—in some ways—to make them out to be a villain. Such is not the case, however. Although the origin stories of both vilify and villain involve Latin, their roots are quite different. Vilify came to English (via Middle English and Late Latin) from the Latin adjective vilis, meaning “cheap” or “vile.” Someone who has been vilified, accordingly, has had their reputation tarnished or cheapened in such a way that they’re viewed as morally reprehensible. Villain on the other hand, comes from the Medieval Latin word villanus, meaning “villager,” and ultimately from the Latin noun villa, meaning “house.” The Middle English descendent of villanus developed the meaning of “a person of uncouth mind and manners” due to the vilifying influence of the aristocracy of the time, and the connotations worsened from there until villain came to refer to (among other things), a deliberate scoundrel.

Freeze-drying turned a woolly mammoth’s DNA into 3-D ‘chromoglass’

Tiny saunas help frogs fight off chytrid fungus

Bird flu viruses may infect mammary glands more commonly than thought

The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct

Beneficial bacteria help these marine worms survive extreme cold

Can leeches leap? New video may help answer that debate

‘Cull of the Wild’ questions sacrificing wildlife in the name of conservation

Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution

Horses may have been domesticated twice. Only one attempt stuck

Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?

A built-in pocket protector keeps sawfish from ‘sword fighting’ in the womb

Human body lice could harbor the plague and spread it through biting

Sumatran orangutans start crafting their engineering skills as infants

Genetic analyses of the bird flu virus unveil its evolution and potential

How did an ancient shark parasite end up fossilized in tree resin?

Tiger beetles may weaponize ultrasound against bats

Cows might host both human and bird flus

Getting wild mosquitoes back to the lab alive takes a custom backpack

This snake goes to extremes to play dead — and it appears to pay off

Lampreys have ‘fight or flight’ cells, challenging ideas about nervous system evolution

Atsushi Yamamoto, Masahiro Wada at ShugoArts

Kevin Durant says he would get rid of the Dallas Cowboys if there was promotion and relegation in the NFL

Should CT increase care ratios for 2-year-olds? Legislators to vote

Michael Keaton On Why He is the Best Batman & Initial Fan Hate Over His Casting

Martha Stewart dishes on fave Paris restaurants and Snoop Dogg’s hotel hotplate at the Libertine show

The Underrated Cut Of Meat You Need To Throw In The Slow Cooker

Hero halts rush-hour traffic to save kitten on Long Island parkway

Can Stress Cause Swollen Lymph Nodes? Expert Immunity Doctors Respond

OEM boss worries fed probes could distract city leadership, undermine public safety: report

18 Ways Nutritionists Sneak More Vegetables Into Their Diet

These are America’s best small towns in 2024 — and one of them is only an hour from NYC

Star-packed Triangulum Galaxy shines in new Hubble Telescope image

Albany Police arrest man for possession of handguns

6 Things to Know About the Updated COVID Vaccines

Hundreds of thousands march across Israel to demand return of hostages

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: YouTubers build world's largest iPhone

2.Watch: Bear takes dip in California family's kiddie pool

3.Watch: Half a house for sale in California with 'open-concept floor plan'

4.Craving for potato wedges leads to $50,000 lottery win

5.Watch: World's largest string cheese ball made in Mexico

6.Watch: Loose bull sparks impromptu rodeo in Illinois neighborhood

7.Footballer injured after 'hefty sneeze'

8.Watch: Sumatran tiger cub born at San Diego Zoo

9.Woman wins $300,000 lottery prize two years after $1M win

10.Mystery chickens found wandering loose in Wisconsin neighborhood