Magpie News Collector

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

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

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

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

animal

This desert beetle runs to cool off

By Science News | Rohini Subrahmanyam | 7/25/2025 9:00 AM

After a sprint, the temperature of the beetle Onymacris plana drops. Efficient running, a body built for cooling and a little bit of lift all help. ... Read full Story

animal

Some penguins save energy by riding ocean currents

By Science News | Sofia Caetano Avritzer | 7/17/2025 2:00 PM

When navigating home, Magellanic penguins alternate between heading straight back in calm waters and swimming with the flow in strong ocean currents. ... Read full Story

animal

A dog’s taste for TV may depend on its temperament

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 7/17/2025 11:00 AM

Anxious dogs might react nervously to some television sounds, a survey of dog owners reports, while hyper ones might try to play chase. ... Read full Story

animal

A newly discovered cell helps pythons poop out the bones of their prey

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 7/16/2025 1:00 PM

The cells helps the snakes absorb the bones of their prey — and might show up in other animals that chomp their meals whole. ... Read full Story

animal

Greenland sled dog DNA is a window into the Arctic’s archaeological past

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 7/10/2025 2:00 PM

A genomic analysis of Greenland’s Qimmeq dogs suggest they and their human partners arrived on the island centuries earlier than previously thought. ... Read full Story

animal

As bird flu evolves, keeping it out of farm flocks is getting harder

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

New versions of the H5N1 virus are increasingly adept at spreading. Suggestions to either let it rip in poultry or vaccinate the birds could backfire. ... Read full Story

animal

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

by Science News | Aug 25 2025

art

Louise Giovanelli at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark

by Contemporary Art Daily | Aug 24 2025

golf

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

by NY Times | Jul 25 2025

how_to

Can AI Help With Bill Negotiations? I Put ChatGPT to the Test

by CNET | Aug 25 2025

knowledge

Can You Pass This Back-to-School Quiz? It’s Harder Than You Think!

by Reader's Digest | Aug 21 2025

lifestyle

I almost missed Melanie Griffith's controversial shoes on the red carpet - would you wear them?

by Hello! Magazine | Aug 25 2025

long_island

‘Baby run good’ helps E. Northport father-to-be win $324K at poker event

by greaterlongisland.com | Aug 25 2025

mental

Special Olympics Advocates: Don’t Leave This Community Out of Mental Health Discussions

by thehealthy.com | May 28 2025

nation

Keurig Dr Pepper to acquire JDE Peet's for $18 billion

by upi.com | Aug 25 2025

new_jersey

ACA health insurance is set to cost a lot more in 2026

by NJ Spotlight | Aug 25 2025

odd_fun

Man buys 162 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins $811,000

by United Press International, Inc. | Aug 22 2025

people

Without Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce dazzled with his arrival in his Rolls Royce to the premiere of Chiefs' 'The Kingdom'

by marca.com | Aug 25 2025

politics

Trump knocks ‘incompetent’ Chicago mayor amid threats to deploy troops to city

by The Hill | Aug 25 2025

shopping

Jack Mason x Dr Pepper’s Pop-Inspired Timepiece Hits the Sweet Spot

by Gear Patrol | Aug 25 2025

upstate

Pittsfield man sentenced to 15 years in 2023 violent stabbing

by NEWS10 ABC | Aug 25 2025

Word of the Day

undulant

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2025 is:

undulant • \UN-juh-lunt\ • adjective

Undulant describes things that rise and fall in waves, or things that have a wavy form, outline, or surface.

// The exhibit featured a painting with beautiful green strokes that resembled undulant hills.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Though tightly bound by our love of books, we bibliophiles are a sundry lot, managing our obsession in a grand variety of ways. We organize by title, by author, by genre, by topic. By color, by height, by width, by depth. … We stack books into attractive still lifes accompanied by a single tulip in a bud vase, or into risky, undulant towers poised to flatten a passing housecat.” — Monica Wood, LitHub.com, 7 May 2024

Did you know?

If you’re looking for an adjective that encapsulates the rising and falling of the briny sea, wave hello to undulant. While not an especially common descriptor, it is useful not only for describing the ocean itself, but for everything from rolling hills to a snake’s sinuous movement to a fever that waxes and wanes. The root of undulant is, perhaps unsurprisingly, unda, a Latin word meaning “wave.” Other English words swimming the wake of unda include inundate, “to cover with a flood,” and undulate, “to form or move in waves.”

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

The phoenix isn’t the only critter to survive the flames

Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot

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

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

This desert beetle runs to cool off

Some penguins save energy by riding ocean currents

A dog’s taste for TV may depend on its temperament

A newly discovered cell helps pythons poop out the bones of their prey

Greenland sled dog DNA is a window into the Arctic’s archaeological past

As bird flu evolves, keeping it out of farm flocks is getting harder

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

Louise Giovanelli at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

Can AI Help With Bill Negotiations? I Put ChatGPT to the Test

Can You Pass This Back-to-School Quiz? It’s Harder Than You Think!

I almost missed Melanie Griffith's controversial shoes on the red carpet - would you wear them?

‘Baby run good’ helps E. Northport father-to-be win $324K at poker event

Special Olympics Advocates: Don’t Leave This Community Out of Mental Health Discussions

Keurig Dr Pepper to acquire JDE Peet's for $18 billion

ACA health insurance is set to cost a lot more in 2026

Man buys 162 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins $811,000

Without Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce dazzled with his arrival in his Rolls Royce to the premiere of Chiefs' 'The Kingdom'

Trump knocks ‘incompetent’ Chicago mayor amid threats to deploy troops to city

Jack Mason x Dr Pepper’s Pop-Inspired Timepiece Hits the Sweet Spot

Pittsfield man sentenced to 15 years in 2023 violent stabbing

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Man buys 162 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins $811,000

2.Watch: Mexican festival's taco serving breaks three world records

3.Watch: Vegan firefighter's first day involves 40,000 pounds of steaks on fire

4.Minnesota State Fair Dairy Princesses Get Immortalized In Butter

5.Look: Oldest living person celebrates 116th birthday in Britain

6.Watch: Smokey Bear stolen from in front of Pennsylvania fire station

7.Girl Group KATSEYE Is Made Up Of 6 Unique Personalities — Which Member Matches You Best?

8.Watch: Canadian politician puts on 330 neck ties to break world record

9.Watch: Dog who fought bull wins 2025 Hambone Award

10.N.C. man wins $100,000 lottery prize on his wedding anniversary