Magpie News Collector

animal

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 2/21/2025 9:00 AM

The young of a mysterious blowfly species look — and smell — like the termites they hide among. ... Read full Story

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

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

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

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

basketball

Jimmy Butler invoking new Warriors jersey retiree Andre Iguodala as he revitalizes team's championship hopes

by CBS Interactive Inc | Feb 23 2025

connecticut

We cannot abandon trans youth in Connecticut

by CT Mirror | Feb 24 2025

entertainment

Marketplace Los Angeles Founder Charlie Shanfeld Shares How He Sources High-End Vintage Clothing for Celebs

by ET Online | Feb 14 2025

exercise

Want To Live Longer? Try Weekend-Only Exercise, Says New Study

by thehealthy.com | Sep 21 2024

FFNEWS

Borderlands Mexico: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts

by FreightWaves | Feb 23 2025

food

Lux Row is launching Small Batch Albariño Cask Finished bourbon

by THE MANUAL | Feb 23 2025

health

Can TikTok's '75 Soft Challenge' Fitness Trend Help You Lose Weight?

by Healthline.com | Feb 21 2025

lifestyle

Meghan Markle just borrowed Princess Diana's priceless sweatshirt - it's actually iconic

by Hello! Magazine | Feb 24 2025

mental

Afraid To Fly? An Expert Doctor’s 10 Strategies To Keep Calm When You Travel

by thehealthy.com | Feb 04 2025

nutrition

The Mayo Clinic Just Announced a “New” Mediterranean Diet

by thehealthy.com | Feb 11 2025

odd_fun

Watch: Goat rescued from fifth floor window ledge

by United Press International, Inc. | Feb 21 2025

politics

Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff bids farewell in heartfelt social media post: 'Distinct honor'

by Fox News | Feb 24 2025

retirement

This Midwestern state is considered one of the best places to retire, new study says: see the list

by Fox News | Jan 29 2025

science

NASA supercomputer reveals strange spiral structure at the edge of our solar system

by LIVE SCIENCE | Feb 23 2025

travel

Our guide to the best time to visit Vietnam, no matter your itinerary

by Wanderlust | Feb 22 2025

Word of the Day

quip

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2025 is:

quip • \KWIP\ • noun

Quip can refer to a clever, usually taunting remark, or to a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment.

// They traded quips over a beer and laughed themselves silly.

See the entry >

Examples:

"He's always got a story, is always ready with a quip and isn't afraid to let the four-letter words roll off the tongue in the most creative ways." — Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Apr. 2023

Did you know?

To tweak a well-known line from Hamlet, brevity is the soul of quip. While jokes are often brief stories with setups followed by surprising and funny endings (chickens crossing roads, elephant footprints in the butter, etc.) quips are even briefer, and not so planned or scripted. They are more likely to arise naturally in conversation when someone is especially quick-witted, firing off zingers, retorts, or—if you want to get extra fancy about it—bon mots. Brevity also plays a role in quip's etymology: quip is a shortening of quippy, a now-obsolete noun of the same meaning. Quippy's origins are uncertain, but they may lie in the Latin word quippe, meaning "indeed" or "to be sure," which was often used ironically. Quip entered English as a noun in the 1500s, but was verbified within decades; the verb quip means "to make quips" or "to jest or jibe at."

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces

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

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

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

Jimmy Butler invoking new Warriors jersey retiree Andre Iguodala as he revitalizes team's championship hopes

We cannot abandon trans youth in Connecticut

Marketplace Los Angeles Founder Charlie Shanfeld Shares How He Sources High-End Vintage Clothing for Celebs

Want To Live Longer? Try Weekend-Only Exercise, Says New Study

Borderlands Mexico: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts

Lux Row is launching Small Batch Albariño Cask Finished bourbon

Can TikTok's '75 Soft Challenge' Fitness Trend Help You Lose Weight?

Meghan Markle just borrowed Princess Diana's priceless sweatshirt - it's actually iconic

Afraid To Fly? An Expert Doctor’s 10 Strategies To Keep Calm When You Travel

The Mayo Clinic Just Announced a “New” Mediterranean Diet

Watch: Goat rescued from fifth floor window ledge

Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff bids farewell in heartfelt social media post: 'Distinct honor'

This Midwestern state is considered one of the best places to retire, new study says: see the list

NASA supercomputer reveals strange spiral structure at the edge of our solar system

Our guide to the best time to visit Vietnam, no matter your itinerary

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.World Sword Swallowers Day A Cutting-Edge Holiday For Blade Gobblers

2.Watch: Goat rescued from fifth floor window ledge

3.$50,000 lottery ticket was selected by winner's wife

4.Watch: Vulture that 'loves people' escapes nature show in Georgia

5.Watch: 'Waldo' the Scottish highland bull on the loose in Connecticut

6.'Remarkably rotund' Chicago beaver becomes an online celebrity

7.Distraught Lions fan's mood improves with $500,000 lottery win

8.Micro-artist creates Lego sculpture the size of a blood cell

9.Look: Escaped porcupine captured in Tennessee

10.Birkenstock Calls Its Sandals 'Art' But German Court Says No