Magpie News Collector

animal

How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/14/2025 9:00 AM

Time-lapse video shows how a mushroom coral polyp pulses and inflates, flinging its soft body into micro-hops to slowly move itself to a new location. ... Read full Story

animal

In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 2/13/2025 11:30 AM

Six zebras wore video cameras attached to collars, capturing the equines’ daily life. Sticking with giraffes may let the two species protect each other. ... Read full Story

animal

Migrating whale sharks make pit stops at oil and gas rigs

By Science News | Melissa Hobson | 2/12/2025 9:00 AM

Human-made structures act as artificial reefs, luring plankton and, in turn, Earth’s largest fish. That could put whale sharks at risk of ship strikes. ... Read full Story

animal

A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/10/2025 11:00 AM

The new fungus species Gibellula attenboroughii forces reclusive cave spiders to exposed areas, likely to benefit spore dispersal. ... Read full Story

animal

Cuttlefish ink may overwhelm sharks’ sense of smell

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/7/2025 11:30 AM

The main component of common cuttlefish ink — melanin — strongly sticks to shark smell sensors, possibly explaining why the predators avoid ink. ... Read full Story

animal

This bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 2/7/2025 9:00 AM

A snapshot of blacktip reef sharks hunting hardyhead silverside fish won the 2024 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition. ... Read full Story

animal

A second version of bird flu is infecting cows. What does that mean?

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/6/2025 2:48 PM

While the risk to humans of exposure from cows or milk remains low, this new flu spillover from birds into cows raises the need for continued surveillance. ... Read full Story

animal

How mantis shrimp deliver punishing blows without hurting themselves

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

A mantis shrimp's punch creates high-energy waves. Its exoskeleton is designed to absorb that energy, preventing cracking and tissue damage. ... Read full Story

animal

Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/6/2025 9:00 AM

DNA analysis reveals the big, flightless moa birds ate — and pooped out — 13 kinds of fungi, including ones crucial for New Zealand’s forest ecosystem. ... Read full Story

animal

Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 2/5/2025 10:00 AM

President Trump has already begun to introduce changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act, a cornerstone of U.S. conservation law. ... Read full Story

animal

A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

By Science News | Alka Tripathy-Lang | 2/4/2025 9:00 AM

Riley Black’s new book, When the Earth was Green, uses the latest research to envision the ancient worlds of our favorite prehistoric animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Hotter cities? Here come the rats

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/31/2025 2:00 PM

Well, rats. A study of 16 cities shows that higher ambient temperatures and loss of green space are associated with increasing rodent complaints. ... Read full Story

animal

Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/31/2025 9:00 AM

In a lab test, chimps and orangutans can recognize their own reflection. But in the wild, baboons seemingly can’t do the same. ... Read full Story

animal

Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 1/30/2025 10:45 AM

Many blacktip reef sharks in French Polynesia are commonly fed by tourists. But the low-quality diet is changing the sharks’ behavior and physiology. ... Read full Story

animal

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

By Science News | Richard Kemeny | 1/28/2025 7:01 PM

Bats may broadcast their personalities to others from a distance, new experiments suggest, which could play into social dynamics within a colony. ... Read full Story

animal

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 1/28/2025 7:01 PM

Found in a roughly 350-year-old manuscript by Dutch biologist Johannes Swammerdam, the scientific illustration shows the brain of a honeybee drone. ... Read full Story

animal

Like flyways for birds, we need to map swimways for fish

By Science News | Stefan Lovgren | 1/28/2025 9:00 AM

Mapping fish migration routes and identifying threats is crucial to protecting freshwater species and their habitats, ecologists argue. ... Read full Story

animal

Cricket frogs belly flop their way across water

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 1/27/2025 11:00 AM

Cricket frogs were once thought to hop on the water’s surface. They actually leap in and out of the water in a form of locomotion called porpoising. ... Read full Story

animal

Fever’s link with a key kind of immunity is surprisingly ancient

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 1/24/2025 9:00 AM

When sick, Nile tilapia seek warmer water. That behavioral fever triggers a specialized immune response, hinting the connection evolved long ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

By Science News | Susan Milius | 1/23/2025 9:00 AM

Genetic analyses have solved the riddle of where a marsupial mole fits on the tree of life: It’s a cousin to bilbies, bandicoots and Tasmanian devils. ... Read full Story

art

Steffani Jemison at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

by Contemporary Art Daily | Jul 12 2025

beauty

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

by The List | Mar 03 2025

connecticut

In chaos at CT Capitol, two waste haulers found favors

by CT Mirror | Jul 13 2025

fashion

Reem Acra, who counts Taylor Swift as a fan, wins $39M payout after fire destroyed 2,000 dresses

by NY Post | Jul 12 2025

food

Pepsi's Most Expensive Celebrity Endorsement Of All Time

by The Daily Meal | Jul 13 2025

game

How To Unlock All Secret Characters In Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

by GameSpot | Jul 12 2025

lifestyle

James Bond was almost played by this iconic actor until Roger Moore said yes

by Hello! Magazine | Jul 12 2025

metro

Knife-wielding robbery suspect on e-bike hit and killed by car during NYC police chase

by New York Post | Jul 12 2025

new_jersey

NJ Spotlight News: July 11, 2025

by NJ Spotlight | Jul 11 2025

opinion

The UFT’s Mamdani support: Letters to the Editor — July 14, 2025

by New York Post | Jul 13 2025

people

Hailee Steinfeld shares details of her trip to Paris but leaves no trace of Josh Allen

by marca.com | Jul 13 2025

real_estate

The Torch Rises Above Street Level at 740 Eighth Avenue in Times Square, Manhattan

by New York YIMBY | Jul 13 2025

retirement

Americans face vastly different retirement costs across states as Social Security cuts loom

by Fox News | Jun 20 2025

science

James Webb and Hubble telescopes join forces to explore a cosmic nursery: Space photo of the week

by LIVE SCIENCE | Jul 13 2025

shopping

9 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

by Gear Patrol | Jul 13 2025

Word of the Day

contrite

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2025 is:

contrite • \kun-TRYTE\ • adjective

Contrite is a formal adjective used to describe someone who feels regret for their bad behavior, or something, such as an apology, that shows such regret.

// Although the mayor appeared contrite about the most recent scandal plaguing city hall, many constituents remained unpersuaded.

See the entry >

Examples:

“At the restaurant, late into the meal, ‘Honey, Honey,’ from the ‘Mamma Mia’ soundtrack began to play, with [Amanda] Seyfried’s 22-year-old voice issuing through the restaurant’s speakers. The waitress came over, contrite. The song was just part of the usual play list. ‘Listen, I love having a stake in pop culture,’ Seyfried reassured her. ‘It’s really nice.’” — Alexis Soloski, The New York Times, 11 Mar. 2025

Did you know?

Props to Elton John: sorry really does seem to be the hardest word. But saying it (in something other than a nonapology, of course) is an important part of being contrite—that is, feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for one’s bad behavior. Contrite traces back to the Latin verb conterere, meaning “to pound to pieces,” “to crush, “to wear out or down,” or “to exhaust mentally or physically.” In Medieval Latin—the Latin used in Medieval times especially for religious or literary purposes—conterere came to mean “to crush in spirit with a sense of one’s sin,” or “to render contrite.” Anglo-French speakers borrowed a form of the verb conterere and made it the adjective contrit, which was in turn adopted into English in the 1300s.

How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs

In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

Migrating whale sharks make pit stops at oil and gas rigs

A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

Cuttlefish ink may overwhelm sharks’ sense of smell

This bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest

A second version of bird flu is infecting cows. What does that mean?

How mantis shrimp deliver punishing blows without hurting themselves

Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?

A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

Hotter cities? Here come the rats

Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror

Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

Like flyways for birds, we need to map swimways for fish

Cricket frogs belly flop their way across water

Fever’s link with a key kind of immunity is surprisingly ancient

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

Steffani Jemison at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

In chaos at CT Capitol, two waste haulers found favors

Reem Acra, who counts Taylor Swift as a fan, wins $39M payout after fire destroyed 2,000 dresses

Pepsi's Most Expensive Celebrity Endorsement Of All Time

How To Unlock All Secret Characters In Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

James Bond was almost played by this iconic actor until Roger Moore said yes

Knife-wielding robbery suspect on e-bike hit and killed by car during NYC police chase

NJ Spotlight News: July 11, 2025

The UFT’s Mamdani support: Letters to the Editor — July 14, 2025

Hailee Steinfeld shares details of her trip to Paris but leaves no trace of Josh Allen

The Torch Rises Above Street Level at 740 Eighth Avenue in Times Square, Manhattan

Americans face vastly different retirement costs across states as Social Security cuts loom

James Webb and Hubble telescopes join forces to explore a cosmic nursery: Space photo of the week

9 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: American pronghorn calf rescued by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

2.Friend's advice leads Maryland woman to $50,000 lottery prize

3.Watch: California woman's home flooded with unwanted Amazon packages

4.Watch: Small child climbs into claw machine at Ohio community center

5.N.Y. probing whether animal on the loose in Rochester is a cougar

6.Watch: Bears join humans waiting outside Colorado concert venue

7.Michigan man wins $500,000 lottery prize due to unavailable ticket

8.Japanese race horse famous for losing gains new fans from mobile game

9.Watch: Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrates her first birthday

10.Pittsburgh group brings back 'Balls Out Bowling' nude event