Magpie News Collector

animal

The story of dire wolves goes beyond de-extinction

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 4/10/2025 3:59 PM

Some question whether the pups are really dire wolves, or just genetically tweaked gray wolves. But the technology could be used to help at-risk animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Rare books covered with seal skin hint at a medieval trade network

By Science News | Alex Viveros | 4/8/2025 7:01 PM

The furry seal skins may have made their way to French monasteries from as far away as Greenland. ... Read full Story

animal

Gila monsters may struggle to survive climate change

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 4/4/2025 9:00 AM

The Mojave Desert may lose and gain suitable habitat for Gila monsters. But the unathletic reptiles might be mostly stuck in the waning oases. ... Read full Story

animal

‘Woolly mice’ were just a start. De-extinction still faces many hurdles

By Science News | Jason Bittel | 3/28/2025 11:00 AM

Scientists created transgenic mice with woolly mammoth–like traits. But does it really bring us closer to bringing back woolly mammoths? ... Read full Story

animal

You might be reading your dog’s moods wrong

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 3/26/2025 10:00 AM

A dog's physical cues often take a back seat to environmental ones, skewing humans' perceptions, a small study suggests. ... Read full Story

animal

Is that shark ticking? In a first, a shark is recorded making noise

By Science News | Susan Milius | 3/25/2025 8:01 PM

The ocean can be a symphony of fish grunts, hums and growls. Now add tooth-clacking sharks to the score. ... Read full Story

animal

A tardigrade protein helped reduce radiation damage in mice

By Science News | Rohini Subrahmanyam | 3/25/2025 10:00 AM

Mouse cells tweaked to produce the tardigrade protein incurred less DNA damage than unaltered cells — hinting at a new tool for cancer patient care. ... Read full Story

animal

How silicon turns tomato plants into mean, green, pest-killing machines

By Science News | Sarah Schwartz | 3/24/2025 3:00 PM

Treated plants fight pests without the need for toxic pesticides, oozing a "larval toffee" that stunts tomato pinworms’ growth and attracts predators. ... Read full Story

animal

Plastic ‘fossils’ help scientists reconstruct the history of bird nests

By Science News | Darren Incorvaia | 3/21/2025 12:00 PM

Plastic waste has let common coots reuse nests year after year. Scientists have now used the trash layers to date how old nests are. ... Read full Story

animal

Hammerhead sharks’ diets may affect if they roam or stay home

By Science News | Melissa Hobson | 3/21/2025 1:00 AM

Understanding hammerhead sharks’ food preferences could aid efforts to protect the critically endangered fish. ... Read full Story

animal

Gray seals may sense their own blood oxygen levels

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 3/20/2025 2:00 PM

The seals’ ability to detect the amount of oxygen in their blood may help them make diving decisions and avoid drowning. ... Read full Story

animal

Stinky penguin poop strikes fear into the hearts of Antarctic krill

By Science News | Maria Temming | 3/20/2025 12:15 AM

A chemical in Adélie penguin guano may have cued krill to take evasive maneuvers in lab tests. ... Read full Story

animal

Some of Sydney’s koalas are chlamydia-free, but still at risk

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/18/2025 9:00 AM

Southwestern Sydney's koalas have avoided the chlamydia outbreak threatening the entire species. But their isolation has left them extremely inbred. ... Read full Story

animal

The mystery of how iguanas crossed the Pacific Ocean may be solved

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/17/2025 3:00 PM

The iguanas' 8,000-kilometer trip — one-fifth of the Earth’s circumference — is the longest made by a flightless land vertebrate. ... Read full Story

animal

Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 3/14/2025 9:00 AM

Videos show narwhals using their tusks in several ways, including prodding and flipping a fish. It’s the first reported evidence of the whales playing. ... Read full Story

animal

Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil

By Science News | Brianna Randall | 3/7/2025 11:00 AM

In Brazil, where humans and dolphins fish in tandem, cooperation both within and between species is essential for the longstanding tradition. ... Read full Story

animal

Some sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate change

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 3/7/2025 9:00 AM

A 1-degree-Celsius change in water temperature prompts sea turtles in Northern Cyprus to lay eggs nearly a week earlier on average. ... Read full Story

animal

How a Labrador retriever’s genes might affect the dog’s obesity risk

By Science News | Alex Viveros | 3/6/2025 2:00 PM

Understanding the genetics of Labrador retriever obesity may help dog owners mitigate their best friend’s weight gain. ... Read full Story

animal

Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/4/2025 2:00 PM

Male crickets in Hawaii softened their chirps once parasitic flies started hunting them. Now, it seems, the flies are homing in on the new tunes. ... Read full Story

animal

How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/24/2025 11:00 AM

A survey of museum specimens reveals that more than a dozen species of the birds sport biofluorescence in feathers, skin or even inside their throats. ... Read full Story

animal

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

by Science News | May 22 2025

art

Anna Gaskell at Galerie Gisela Capitain

by Contemporary Art Daily | May 23 2025

beauty

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

by The List | Mar 03 2025

book

Wild Dyeing

by BookPage | May 20 2025

exercise

Office Chair Butt: Cleveland Clinic Experts on How To Prevent It

by thehealthy.com | Mar 31 2025

FFNEWS

Amazon airline prioritizes bigger aircraft to handle third-party cargo

by FreightWaves | Apr 07 2025

finance

Why wealth rarely survives grandchildren — and how your family can beat the odds

by MarketWatch.com | May 24 2025

food

The Unique Winemaking Technique Celine Dion's Wine Brand Uses

by The Daily Meal | May 24 2025

health

Miley Cyrus's 'Excruciating' Ovarian Cyst Rupture: What Are the Warning Signs?

by Healthline.com | May 23 2025

knowledge

13 Common Abbreviations and What They Mean

by Reader's Digest | May 23 2025

long_island

Tiny 600-square-foot West Islip home hits market for half a million

by greaterlongisland.com | May 23 2025

people

Miss Florida 2025 Contestants: Who are all the candidates this year?

by marca.com | May 24 2025

politics

Zelensky condemns Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine amid prisoner swap

by The Hill | May 24 2025

shopping

15 New Pocket Knives, Multi-Tools and EDC You Might Have Missed

by Gear Patrol | May 24 2025

technology

Liquid carbon made for first time with high-power lasers, could advance nuclear fusion

by Interesting Engineering | May 24 2025

Word of the Day

limn

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

limn • \LIM\ • verb

Limn is a formal verb most often used especially in literary contexts to mean "to describe or portray," as in "a novel that limns the life of 1930s coastal Louisiana." It can also mean "to outline in clear sharp detail," as in "a tree limned by moonlight," and "to draw or paint on a surface," as in "limning a portrait."

// The documentary limns the community's decades-long transformation.

// We admired every detail of the portrait, gracefully limned by the artist's brush.

See the entry >

Examples:

"... the story of Ronald Reagan's jelly beans is not simply about his love of a cute candy. It speaks to how he weaned himself from tobacco, judged people's character, and deflected scrutiny. It limns the role of the sugar industry and food marketing. And it demonstrates how food can be a powerful communications tool. Reagan's jelly beans sent a message to voters: 'I like the same food you do, so vote for me.'" — Alex Prud’homme, Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House, 2023

Did you know?

Limn is a word with lustrous origins, tracing ultimately to the Latin verb illuminare, meaning "to illuminate." Its use in English dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was used for the action of illuminating (that is, decorating) medieval manuscripts with gold, silver, or brilliant colors. William Shakespeare extended the term to painting in his poem "Venus and Adonis": "Look when a painter would surpass the life / In limning out a well-proportioned steed …" Over time, limn gained a sense synonymous with delineate meaning "to outline in clear sharp detail" before broadening further to mean "to describe or portray." Such limning is often accomplished by words, but not always: actors are often said to limn their characters through their portrayals, while musicians (or their instruments) may limn emotions with the sounds they make.

The story of dire wolves goes beyond de-extinction

Rare books covered with seal skin hint at a medieval trade network

Gila monsters may struggle to survive climate change

‘Woolly mice’ were just a start. De-extinction still faces many hurdles

You might be reading your dog’s moods wrong

Is that shark ticking? In a first, a shark is recorded making noise

A tardigrade protein helped reduce radiation damage in mice

How silicon turns tomato plants into mean, green, pest-killing machines

Plastic ‘fossils’ help scientists reconstruct the history of bird nests

Hammerhead sharks’ diets may affect if they roam or stay home

Gray seals may sense their own blood oxygen levels

Stinky penguin poop strikes fear into the hearts of Antarctic krill

Some of Sydney’s koalas are chlamydia-free, but still at risk

The mystery of how iguanas crossed the Pacific Ocean may be solved

Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play

Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil

Some sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate change

How a Labrador retriever’s genes might affect the dog’s obesity risk

Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle

How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

Anna Gaskell at Galerie Gisela Capitain

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

Wild Dyeing

Office Chair Butt: Cleveland Clinic Experts on How To Prevent It

Amazon airline prioritizes bigger aircraft to handle third-party cargo

Why wealth rarely survives grandchildren — and how your family can beat the odds

The Unique Winemaking Technique Celine Dion's Wine Brand Uses

Miley Cyrus's 'Excruciating' Ovarian Cyst Rupture: What Are the Warning Signs?

13 Common Abbreviations and What They Mean

Tiny 600-square-foot West Islip home hits market for half a million

Miss Florida 2025 Contestants: Who are all the candidates this year?

Zelensky condemns Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine amid prisoner swap

15 New Pocket Knives, Multi-Tools and EDC You Might Have Missed

Liquid carbon made for first time with high-power lasers, could advance nuclear fusion

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: Cow caught in flood found alive on Australian beach 11 miles away

2.Watch: Norwegian man wakes to find cargo ship in his yard

3.Cargo ship crashes into a man's front garden

4.Pigeon Fest to celebrate New York's most controversial birds

5.Turtle found covered in more than 1.5 pounds of barnacles, algae

6.News anchor Olivia Jaquith completes broadcast while in labor

7.East African crowned crane escapes Washington zoo

8.Look: North Carolina police eject alligator from pool deck

9.4,501 lottery tickets win Pick 3 drawing with numbers 9-1-1

10.Astronomer: Mystery light over Arizona likely from rocket