Magpie News Collector

animal

Clams use fiber optics to channel sunlight to symbiotic algae

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 11/19/2024 11:00 AM

Mineral crystals in heart cockles’ shells protect symbiotic algae from ultraviolet rays and could lead to innovations in internet infrastructure. ... Read full Story

animal

Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/14/2024 9:00 AM

Environmental DNA harvested from the ocean, land and air can help scientists monitor wildlife. The challenge is figuring out how to interpret this eDNA. ... Read full Story

animal

A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/12/2024 9:00 AM

The detailed structure of a misfolded protein from a diseased deer could help explain why the disease hasn’t made the leap to humans. ... Read full Story

animal

Bees flying near cars are dying by the millions, a roadkill study suggests

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 11/7/2024 1:00 PM

Scientists in Utah put sticky traps on car bumpers to tally how many bees get hit on a typical trip. The broader toll is immense, they estimate. ... Read full Story

animal

Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism

By Science News | Susan Milius | 11/5/2024 7:01 PM

A bat gym shows that vampires are more like some insects, burning amino acids from blood proteins rather than the carbs or fats other mammals rely on. ... Read full Story

animal

Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/1/2024 3:41 PM

Swine can act as so-called “mixing vessels” for human and bird flus, giving avian viruses an opportunity to adapt for spreading in people. ... Read full Story

animal

A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/31/2024 2:00 PM

Tweaking the chemical composition of a parrot-specific pigment can shift feathers from red to yellow or green. ... Read full Story

animal

This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka

By Science News | Sandy Ong | 10/31/2024 9:00 AM

In addition to studying the world’s only nonmigratory blue whales, marine biologist Asha de Vos seeks to change her compatriots’ attitudes toward the ocean. ... Read full Story

animal

These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world

By Science News | Susan Milius | 10/30/2024 8:00 AM

Vespa orientalis fed an 80-percent-ethanol brew still did hornet tasks and had normal life spans. This trick may be an adaptation to gut-dwelling yeast. ... Read full Story

animal

Giant rats could soon help sniff out illegally smuggled goods

By Science News | Sophie Hartley | 10/30/2024 1:00 AM

African giant pouched rats can detect landmines and diseases. Now some have been trained to sense elephant ivory, pangolin scales and more. ... Read full Story

animal

A common kitchen tool could help koala conservation

By Science News | Kristel Tjandra | 10/28/2024 9:00 AM

A simple device sucks koala DNA out of the air, making it easier for conservationists to detect the elusive marsupials. ... Read full Story

animal

Male mosquitoes sometimes suck, too

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 10/25/2024 11:00 AM

Blood isn’t actually toxic to all male mosquitos. In at least one virus-carrying species, it may even help them live longer. ... Read full Story

animal

The U.S. empire was built on bird dung

By Science News | Sujata Gupta | 10/25/2024 9:00 AM

A mid-1850s act let the United States seize islands rich in bird guano. Those strategic outposts fueled the U.S. rise to power, a researcher says. ... Read full Story

animal

The ‘Mekong ghost’ megafish has resurfaced after an extinction scare

By Science News | Stefan Lovgren | 10/24/2024 1:00 PM

Rediscovery of giant salmon carp in Cambodia sparks hope for the rare fish’s survival and efforts to conserve one of the greatest diversity hot spots. ... Read full Story

animal

How insects can help catch rhino poachers

By Science News | Jude Coleman | 10/24/2024 11:00 AM

A new study looks at which insects can be used as biological clocks to determine when a rhino was killed. ... Read full Story

animal

Polar bears are being exposed to more pathogens as the climate warms

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/23/2024 2:00 PM

Polar bears have been exposed to more viruses, bacteria and parasites in recent decades, a new study shows, possibly acquiring the germs in their diet. ... Read full Story

animal

Science has finally cracked male riflebirds’ flirty secrets

By Science News | Susan Milius | 10/21/2024 11:00 AM

New video upsets the old notion that these birds of paradise use wing clapping to make percussive sounds while courting. ... Read full Story

animal

At-home experiments shed light on cats’ liquid behavior

By Science News | Andrea Tamayo | 10/15/2024 9:00 AM

Cats can flow like liquids through tall crevices, but they solidify a bit as they approach short crannies, new research shows. ... Read full Story

animal

DNA from old hair helps confirm the macabre diet of two 19th century lions

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/11/2024 11:00 AM

Genetic analysis of cavity crud from two famed man-eating lions suggests the method could re-create diets of predators that lived thousands of years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

The largest arthropod to ever live finally has a head

By Science News | Jason Bittel | 10/9/2024 2:00 PM

Fossils of an extinct giant millipede reveal new details about the arthropod’s anatomy. ... Read full Story

art

Concentric Forms Escape the Confines of the Ceramic Vessel in Matthew Chambers’s Sculptures

by Colossal | Nov 20 2024

fashion

Generation Z-ero style: Why young women all dress the same in jeans and a black top

by NY Post | Nov 20 2024

FFNEWS

Giants benching of QB Daniel Jones spotlights NFL-wide issue

by ESNY | Nov 18 2024

knowledge

Here’s What It Means When a Red Flag Is Up on a Mailbox

by Reader's Digest | Nov 20 2024

mental

16 Mindfulness Quotes When You Need to Quiet Your Mind

by thehealthy.com | Sep 16 2024

metro

Unmarked NYPD minivan hits and kills woman lying on NYC street

by New York Post | Nov 21 2024

nutrition

5 Drinks That Help Detox Your Liver, According to Expert Doctors

by thehealthy.com | Nov 06 2024

odd_fun

Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $6.2m at auction

by Sky News | Nov 21 2024

people

Ron Ely's cause of death: What did the 'Tarzan' star die of aged 86?

by marca.com | Nov 20 2024

politics

Here Are the GOP Senators Who Could Take Down Trump's Cabinet Picks

by Politico | Nov 21 2024

shopping

Should You Upgrade to the Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar? It’s Complicated

by Gear Patrol | Nov 20 2024

travel

A tour of Xi’an, China and its terracotta army

by The Travel Magazine | Nov 21 2024

upstate

Phillips scores game-winner, UAlbany women upset Syracuse

by NEWS10 ABC | Nov 21 2024

world

Putin gifts bears, yaks and a lion to North Korean zoo

by United Press International, Inc. | Nov 21 2024

Word of the Day

tenacious

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2024 is:

tenacious • \tuh-NAY-shus\ • adjective

Something described as tenacious cannot easily be stopped or pulled part; in other words, it is firm or strong. Tenacious can also describe something—such as a myth—that continues or persists for a long time, or someone who is determined to do something.

// Caleb was surprised by the crab’s tenacious grip.

// Once Linda has decided on a course of action, she can be very tenacious when it comes to seeing it through.

See the entry >

Examples:

"I put up a nesting box three years ago and nailed it to an oak tree. Beth and Fiona told me the next box location was ideal: seven feet up, out of view of walkways, and within three feet of the lower branches of a tenacious old fuchsia tree." — Amy Tan, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, 2024

Did you know?

For the more than 400 years that tenacious has been a part of the English language, it has adhered closely to its Latin antecedent: tenāx, an adjective meaning "holding fast," "clinging," or "persistent." Almost from the first, tenacious could suggest either literal adhesion or figurative stick-to-itiveness. Sandburs are tenacious, and so are athletes who don't let defeat get them down. We use tenacious of a good memory, too—one that has a better than average capacity to hold information. But you can also have too much of a good thing: the addition in Latin of the prefix per- ("thoroughly") to tenāx led to the English word pertinacious, meaning "perversely persistent." You might use pertinacious for the likes of rumors and spam calls, for example.

Clams use fiber optics to channel sunlight to symbiotic algae

Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation

A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer

Bees flying near cars are dying by the millions, a roadkill study suggests

Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism

Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries

A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage

This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka

These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world

Giant rats could soon help sniff out illegally smuggled goods

A common kitchen tool could help koala conservation

Male mosquitoes sometimes suck, too

The U.S. empire was built on bird dung

The ‘Mekong ghost’ megafish has resurfaced after an extinction scare

How insects can help catch rhino poachers

Polar bears are being exposed to more pathogens as the climate warms

Science has finally cracked male riflebirds’ flirty secrets

At-home experiments shed light on cats’ liquid behavior

DNA from old hair helps confirm the macabre diet of two 19th century lions

The largest arthropod to ever live finally has a head

Concentric Forms Escape the Confines of the Ceramic Vessel in Matthew Chambers’s Sculptures

Generation Z-ero style: Why young women all dress the same in jeans and a black top

Sponsored: United Airlines appoints APG as cargo GSA in Morocco

Giants benching of QB Daniel Jones spotlights NFL-wide issue

Here’s What It Means When a Red Flag Is Up on a Mailbox

16 Mindfulness Quotes When You Need to Quiet Your Mind

Unmarked NYPD minivan hits and kills woman lying on NYC street

5 Drinks That Help Detox Your Liver, According to Expert Doctors

Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $6.2m at auction

Ron Ely's cause of death: What did the 'Tarzan' star die of aged 86?

Here Are the GOP Senators Who Could Take Down Trump's Cabinet Picks

Should You Upgrade to the Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar? It’s Complicated

A tour of Xi’an, China and its terracotta army

Phillips scores game-winner, UAlbany women upset Syracuse

Putin gifts bears, yaks and a lion to North Korean zoo

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Banana duct-taped to a wall sells for $6.2m at auction

2.Look: Overturned truck covers Arizona road with thousands of White Claw cans

3.Woman buys 18 identical lottery tickets, wins $180,000

4.Americans upset about Trump win offered '&#8364;1 houses' in Italy

5.Overdue book returned to Tennessee library after 51 years

6.Watch: Deer runs through Tennessee gym, poops in locker room

7.Watch: Canadian grandma breaks world record for pushups

8.Look: Officials seek emu on the loose in Arkansas village

9.Egyptians drank cocktails of psychedelic drugs in ancient mugs, research reveals

10.Watch: Vinyl record from 1966 wedding found at thrift store, returned to couple

4.Americans upset about Trump win offered '€1 houses' in Italy