Magpie News Collector

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

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

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

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

animal

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

By Science News | Susan Milius | 1/23/2025 9:00 AM

Genetic analyses have solved the riddle of where a marsupial mole fits on the tree of life: It’s a cousin to bilbies, bandicoots and Tasmanian devils. ... Read full Story

animal

In chimpanzees, peeing is contagious

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 1/20/2025 11:00 AM

The first study of copycat urination in an animal documents how one chimpanzee peeing prompts others to follow suit. Now researchers are exploring why. ... Read full Story

animal

Hand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skulls

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/14/2025 7:01 PM

When fed peanuts, red squirrels in Britain developed weaker bites — showing that food supplements to threatened animals could have unintended side effects. ... Read full Story

animal

This bug’s all-in helicopter parenting reshaped its eggs

by Science News | Jun 26 2025

exercise

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

by thehealthy.com | Mar 31 2025

FFNEWS

Atlanta freight market outperformed during July 4th

by FreightWaves | Jul 08 2025

finance

Can McDonald’s new Spicy McMuffin cash in on the fiery flavor boom — or is it just a peppery gimmick?

by MarketWatch.com | Jul 08 2025

football

“He’s a Great Kid” – Brian Daboll Excited to Get Started with #3 Overall Draft Pick Abdul Carter

by ESNY | Apr 24 2025

how_to

How to Watch Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova in the Wimbledon Quarterfinals for Free

by CNET | Jul 08 2025

knowledge

Don’t Make This Mistake at Your Next BBQ—It Could Ruin Your Party

by Reader's Digest | Jul 03 2025

long_island

Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union soak up Long Island life at $2.6M Jamesport beach house

by greaterlongisland.com | Jul 08 2025

music

Diddy Can’t Be Sued Over Alleged Rapes From the 1990s, Judge Says

by Billboard | Jul 08 2025

nation

Trump admin. moves to block farmland purchases by Chinese

by upi.com | Jul 09 2025

nutrition

Seed Oils: Are They Healthy or Not? Nutrition Experts Explain

by thehealthy.com | Jun 20 2025

real_estate

Livvy Dunne reveals she was rejected from purchasing Yankees icon Babe Ruth’s $1.59M NYC home

by NY Post | Jul 09 2025

upstate

Identities revealed in VSP trooper-involved shooting

by NEWS10 ABC | Jul 09 2025

wellness

The Best Dry Mouth Treatment, Depending on the Cause

by Self.com | Jul 08 2025

world

Canada arrests four accused of forming anti-gov't militia

by United Press International, Inc. | Jul 09 2025

Word of the Day

simulacrum

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2025 is:

simulacrum • \sim-yuh-LAK-rum\ • noun

A simulacrum is a superficial likeness of something, usually as an imitation, copy, or representation. The plural of simulacrum is either simulacrums or simulacra.

// The surprise still succeeded, thanks to the simulacrum of confusion expressed by two guests when they were spotted before the big moment.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Under the lid, there are no strings to move the air, but rather speakers that create an uncanny simulacrum of a grand piano." — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 July 2024

Did you know?

There is more than a crumb of similarity between simulacrum and simulate: both words come from simulāre, a Latin verb meaning "to pretend, produce a fraudulent imitation of, imitate." At the root of simulāre is the Latin adjective similis, which means "having characteristics in common." Many "similar" words trace back to similis, hence the resemblance between simulacrum and familiar terms like simultaneous, simile, and of course similarity.

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

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

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

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

In chimpanzees, peeing is contagious

Hand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skulls

This bug’s all-in helicopter parenting reshaped its eggs

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

Atlanta freight market outperformed during July 4th

Can McDonald’s new Spicy McMuffin cash in on the fiery flavor boom — or is it just a peppery gimmick?

“He’s a Great Kid” – Brian Daboll Excited to Get Started with #3 Overall Draft Pick Abdul Carter

How to Watch Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova in the Wimbledon Quarterfinals for Free

Don’t Make This Mistake at Your Next BBQ—It Could Ruin Your Party

Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union soak up Long Island life at $2.6M Jamesport beach house

Diddy Can’t Be Sued Over Alleged Rapes From the 1990s, Judge Says

Trump admin. moves to block farmland purchases by Chinese

Seed Oils: Are They Healthy or Not? Nutrition Experts Explain

Livvy Dunne reveals she was rejected from purchasing Yankees icon Babe Ruth’s $1.59M NYC home

Identities revealed in VSP trooper-involved shooting

The Best Dry Mouth Treatment, Depending on the Cause

Canada arrests four accused of forming anti-gov't militia

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Look: Message in a bottle floats from Canada to Ireland in 13 years

2.Watch: Florida lifeguards rescue struggling deer from Atlantic Ocean

3.World's most expensive cheese sells for $42,232

4.Watch: Bull wrangled five days after Colorado rodeo escape

5.Spanish woman earns world record for collection of 15,485 egg cups

6.Trucker spending night in Maryland wins $50,000 lottery prize

7.Look: Deer spotted with bird feeder on its antlers in Ohio

8.Watch: Australian flight delayed by snake on a plane

9.Look: Firefighters find alligator wandering in traffic in South Carolina

10.Four bears break into Connecticut home to steal food