Magpie News Collector

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

animal

To tell a right-trunked elephant from a lefty, check the wrinkles

By Science News | Susan Milius | 10/8/2024 7:01 PM

Elephant trunks, more sci-fi face-tentacle than ho-hum mammal nose, are getting new scrutiny as researchers explore how the wrinkles grow. ... Read full Story

animal

These sea creatures can fuse their bodies

By Science News | Jude Coleman | 10/7/2024 11:00 AM

A species of comb jelly can fuse its body with another jelly after injury. Some of the pair’s body functions then synchronize. ... Read full Story

animal

Some tadpoles don’t poop for weeks. That keeps their pools clean

By Science News | Andrea Tamayo | 10/4/2024 10:30 AM

Eiffinger’s tree frog babies store their solid waste in an intestinal pouch, releasing less ammonia into their watery cribs than other frog species. ... Read full Story

animal

Dolphins’ open-mouth behaviors during play are like smiles, a study claims

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 10/2/2024 11:00 AM

Experts urge caution in calling bottlenosed dolphins’ gesture a humanlike “smile,” but agree it seems to be important for how the animals communicate. ... Read full Story

animal

Coyotes have the face muscles for that ‘sad-puppy’ look

By Science News | Susan Milius | 10/1/2024 7:01 PM

The ability to make heart-melting stares may not be the fruit of dog domestication if their still-wild cousins have the power to do it too. ... Read full Story

animal

Bird nests made with a toxic fungus seem to fend off attacking ants

By Science News | Richard Kemeny | 10/1/2024 9:00 AM

Two species of birds in Costa Rica build nests in trees defended by ants. Ants that encounter the horsehair fungus in the nests develop odd behaviors. ... Read full Story

animal

‘Night Magic’ invites you to celebrate the living wonders of the dark

By Science News | Aimee Cunningham | 9/27/2024 1:30 PM

In the book ‘Night Magic,’ Leigh Ann Henion writes of encounters with salamanders, bats, glowworms and other life-forms nurtured by darkness. ... Read full Story

animal

This fish has legs — and it uses them for more than just walking

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/26/2024 11:00 AM

Some sea robins have taste buds on their six crablike legs that help the fish ferret out prey buried in sand as they walk. ... Read full Story

animal

Scientists have just turned giant panda skin cells into stem cells

By Science News | Jason Bittel | 9/20/2024 2:00 PM

If the pluripotent stem cells can be turned into precursors to egg and sperm cells, the feat could potentially be a big deal for giant panda conservation. ... Read full Story

animal

Ants changed the architecture of their nests when exposed to a pathogen

By Science News | Richard Kemeny | 9/19/2024 8:31 AM

Black garden ants made tweaks to entrances, tunnels and chambers that may help prevent diseases from spreading. ... Read full Story

animal

Some healthy fish have bacteria in their brains

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/18/2024 2:00 PM

Animals including mammals usually protect their brains from infiltrating microbes that can cause disease. But some fish seem to do just fine. ... Read full Story

animal

Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/12/2024 2:00 PM

Long-lasting, widespread heat and weather extremes may have caused the Great Dying extinction event 252 million years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Bumblebees lose most of their sense of smell after heat waves

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 9/6/2024 11:00 AM

A few hours in high temps reduced the ability of antennae to detect flower scents by 80 percent. That could impact the bees’ ability to find food. ... Read full Story

animal

Scientists piece together clues in a shark ‘murder mystery’

By Science News | Jason Bittel | 9/3/2024 12:15 AM

A missing porbeagle shark was likely killed by a great white. It’s the first known case of adult porbeagles being hunted by a predator, scientists say. ... Read full Story

animal

Here’s how an arthropod pulls off the world’s fastest backflip

By Science News | Jonathan Lambert | 8/29/2024 9:00 AM

While airborne, globular springtails can reach a spin rate of 368 rotations per second, high-speed camera footage shows. ... Read full Story

art

Embellished Vodou Flags by Myrlande Constant Spotlight ‘The Spiritual World of Haiti’

by Colossal | Jan 28 2025

basketball

De'Aaron Fox landing spots: Spurs are the favorites, but Rockets, Heat among teams that also make sense

by CBS Interactive Inc | Jan 28 2025

connecticut

With federal funding in limbo, CT Dems propose Medicaid expansion

by CT Mirror | Jan 28 2025

FFNEWS

Costs from acquisitions, rapid growth weigh on Knight-Swift’s Q4

by FreightWaves | Jan 22 2025

food

Out Of Baking Chocolate? Here's How To Swap In Cocoa Powder

by The Daily Meal | Jan 28 2025

health

America’s Best Hospitals for 2025 Named by Healthgrades

by Healthline.com | Jan 28 2025

how_to

Filing a Tax Return for a Dead Person? Here's Everything You Should Know

by CNET | Jan 28 2025

knowledge

Here’s the New Way Fliers Are Being Rude—And What You Can Do About It

by Reader's Digest | Jan 17 2025

new_jersey

Push to restore cost-of-living adjustments for some state retirees

by NJ Spotlight | Jan 28 2025

nutrition

6 Best Vitamins & Supplements for Your Immune System, According to Experts

by thehealthy.com | Dec 04 2024

odd_fun

Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

by United Press International, Inc. | Jan 28 2025

real_estate

How climate risks could affect property taxes in Fla., Calif., and elsewhere

by NY Post | Jan 28 2025

religion

What do we know about the brothers and sisters of Jesus?

by Christian Post | Oct 20 2024

travel

11 nature finds to explore in New York State

by Wanderlust | Jan 28 2025

wellness

How to Drink Alcohol Again After a Break (Without Getting Sick)

by Self.com | Jan 28 2025

Word of the Day

sward

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2025 is:

sward • \SWORD\ • noun

Sward is a literary word that refers to an area of land covered with grass.

// The hikers emerged from the forest to find a green sward stretching out before them, and dotted with yellow and purple flowers.

See the entry >

Examples:

“A century or so ago, if you lived in the Boston area and were obsessed with trees, you were in good company. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which had united enthusiasts of rare apples and ornamental maples since 1832, had helped found Mount Auburn Cemetery and endowed it with an immense, exotic plant collection. ... Tree mania seems to have come late to Greenlawn, however. Photographs taken sometime before 1914 show a bleak, bare sward.” — Veronique Greenwood, The Boston Globe, 18 Dec. 2023

Did you know?

Sward sprouted from the Old English sweard or swearth, meaning “skin” or “rind.” It was originally used as a term for the skin of the body before being extended to another surface—that of the Earth. The word’s specific grassy sense dates to the 16th century, and lives on today mostly in novels from centuries past, such as Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles: “The sun was so near the ground, and the sward so flat, that the shadows of Clare and Tess would stretch a quarter of a mile ahead of them, like two long fingers pointing afar to where the green alluvial reaches abutted against the sloping sides of the vale.”

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

To tell a right-trunked elephant from a lefty, check the wrinkles

These sea creatures can fuse their bodies

Some tadpoles don’t poop for weeks. That keeps their pools clean

Dolphins’ open-mouth behaviors during play are like smiles, a study claims

Coyotes have the face muscles for that ‘sad-puppy’ look

Bird nests made with a toxic fungus seem to fend off attacking ants

‘Night Magic’ invites you to celebrate the living wonders of the dark

This fish has legs — and it uses them for more than just walking

Scientists have just turned giant panda skin cells into stem cells

Ants changed the architecture of their nests when exposed to a pathogen

Some healthy fish have bacteria in their brains

Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction

Bumblebees lose most of their sense of smell after heat waves

Scientists piece together clues in a shark ‘murder mystery’

Here’s how an arthropod pulls off the world’s fastest backflip

Embellished Vodou Flags by Myrlande Constant Spotlight ‘The Spiritual World of Haiti’

De'Aaron Fox landing spots: Spurs are the favorites, but Rockets, Heat among teams that also make sense

With federal funding in limbo, CT Dems propose Medicaid expansion

Costs from acquisitions, rapid growth weigh on Knight-Swift’s Q4

Out Of Baking Chocolate? Here's How To Swap In Cocoa Powder

America’s Best Hospitals for 2025 Named by Healthgrades

Filing a Tax Return for a Dead Person? Here's Everything You Should Know

Here’s the New Way Fliers Are Being Rude—And What You Can Do About It

Push to restore cost-of-living adjustments for some state retirees

6 Best Vitamins & Supplements for Your Immune System, According to Experts

Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

How climate risks could affect property taxes in Fla., Calif., and elsewhere

What do we know about the brothers and sisters of Jesus?

11 nature finds to explore in New York State

How to Drink Alcohol Again After a Break (Without Getting Sick)

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

2.N.C. man stops for gas, wins $200,000 lottery prize

3.Watch: London man visits 42 museums in 24 hours to break world record

4.Watch: Dog lost in Oklahoma reunited with owner after eight years

5.Watch: Firefighters rescue 600-pound donkey that fell through ice

6.Family of baby born in Krispy Kreme parking lot gets free doughnuts

7.Fraud suspect 'used wigs and disguises' to take citizenship tests for others

8.Watch: Martial artist breaks world record with custom-forged sword

9.Woman buys herself lottery ticket for Christmas, wins $1M

10.Watch: Idaho man covers head in shaving cream, catches table tennis balls