Magpie News Collector

animal

Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 4/30/2026 2:00 PM

In cows’ guts, ciliates contain a tiny organelle called a hydrogenobody that may drive production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. ... Read full Story

animal

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 4/23/2026 2:00 PM

Some octopuses that lived over 72 million years ago were as long as whales. These huge predators may have been the largest invertebrates ever. ... Read full Story

animal

Humidity makes these bees turn green

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 4/21/2026 7:01 PM

North American sweat bees change color depending on the surrounding humidity. It might be a more widespread phenomenon among insects. ... Read full Story

animal

Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns

By Science News | Danielle Beurteaux | 4/21/2026 11:00 AM

Compressed air bids bye-bye to invasive sun corals in Brazil. The blasts obliterated soft tissue and fragments couldn't regenerate. ... Read full Story

animal

This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male

By Science News | RJ Mackenzie | 4/20/2026 11:00 AM

With half a beak, Bruce has developed an innovative fighting style that has won the kea top status in his flock, videos and documented interactions reveal. ... Read full Story

animal

An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 4/17/2026 2:02 PM

Pacific pocket mice are geographically isolated, but the species may retain the genetic diversity needed to adapt to climate change. ... Read full Story

animal

This tree is number one for cloud forest mammals going number two

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 4/16/2026 11:00 AM

The strangler fig is a keystone species in the tropics, providing food and shelter, and a place to poop for 17 different mammal species. ... Read full Story

animal

New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 4/14/2026 12:00 PM

The findings show how the H5N1 bird flu virus is evolving in livestock and what that may mean for human health. ... Read full Story

animal

Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language

By Science News | Laura Sanders | 4/13/2026 12:30 PM

Advances in decoding animal sounds might someday make animal translators a possibility. ... Read full Story

animal

For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 4/13/2026 12:00 AM

Climate change could be forcing gray whales to seek food in San Francisco Bay, where vessel strikes may be driving rising deaths. ... Read full Story

animal

Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 4/8/2026 11:00 AM

A cave preserved two animals’ rib cages, cartilage and even traces of protein, revealing a flexible breathing apparatus like that of today’s land dwellers. ... Read full Story

animal

A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 4/7/2026 9:00 AM

In The Creatures’ Guide to Caring, science journalist Elizabeth Preston looks to the animal kingdom to explore what it means to be a good parent. ... Read full Story

animal

To climb trees, cicadas look to the shadows

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 4/2/2026 10:00 AM

Tree-climbing cicadas find their perches by looking for patches of darkness, a strategy known as skototaxis. ... Read full Story

animal

A fossil reveals early relatives of spiders — armed with claws

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 4/1/2026 11:00 AM

A Utah fossil shows early relatives of spiders and scorpions already had distinctive front claws 500 million years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 3/31/2026 9:00 AM

A new documentary available on Disney+ and Hulu appeals to our sense of wonder to highlight why bees need saving. ... Read full Story

animal

How snakes defy gravity to stand tall

By Science News | Rohini Subrahmanyam | 3/27/2026 12:00 PM

Limbless tree snakes can lift most of their body into the air without toppling. They manage this by focusing all their bending forces at their base. ... Read full Story

animal

Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

By Science News | Lily Burton | 3/26/2026 2:15 PM

In a sperm whale birth recorded in more intimate detail than ever before, local whales huddled around the mother and lifted the calf to the surface. ... Read full Story

animal

Early apes may not have evolved in East Africa

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/26/2026 2:00 PM

Fossil jaw remains found in Egypt suggest that the earliest modern apes evolved in North Africa, not in East Africa where most fossils have been found. ... Read full Story

animal

When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 3/25/2026 12:00 PM

Two new studies suggest that genetically stable dogs were living among humans in Europe by about 14,000 years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how

By Science News | Emily Conover | 3/24/2026 11:00 AM

Phantom crane flies change the angle of their splayed legs to increase or reduce drag, helping them navigate varying winds. ... Read full Story

art

SPLENDID PLAYGROUND at Galerie Meyer Kainer

by Contemporary Art Daily | May 02 2026

basketball

Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset

by CBS Interactive Inc | May 03 2026

beauty

Miley Cyrus' Oscars 2025 Hair Would Have Been Perfect If Not For One Fatal Flaw

by The List | Mar 02 2025

entertainment

Skincare Meets Sweat: Why Sofia Richie, Kate Hudson, and Adriana Lima Are Working Out at BURN

by ET Online | May 01 2026

exercise

Lindsey Vonn Says She Still Feels 29—Here’s What She’s Doing Differently

by thehealthy.com | Apr 15 2026

food

GameStop Announces Shocking Buyout Offer For eBay, Priced At $55.5 Billion

by GameSpot | May 03 2026

golf

Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures

by NY Times | Apr 15 2026

nation

United Airlines flight strikes turnpike light pole, injuring driver

by upi.com | May 03 2026

nutrition

I Prioritized Protein at Every Meal for a Month—Here’s How It Affected My Body

by thehealthy.com | Apr 07 2026

odd_fun

N.C. man's son's birthday numbers deliver big lottery jackpot

by United Press International, Inc. | May 01 2026

retirement

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

by Fox News | Apr 30 2026

shopping

13 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

by Gear Patrol | May 03 2026

sports

Saratoga Springs hosts largest Comic Con in Upstate NY

by NEWS10 ABC | May 03 2026

Word of the Day

scrupulous

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2026 is:

scrupulous • \SKROO-pyuh-lus\ • adjective

Scrupulous describes someone who is very careful about doing something correctly, or something marked by such carefulness. Scrupulous can also describe someone who is careful about doing what is honest and morally right.

// She was always scrupulous about her work.

// Being an editor requires scrupulous attention to detail.

// Less scrupulous companies find ways to evade the law.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Scrupulous directors make sure that the sound of their movies is grossly efficient, so that the dramatic meaning of a scene is apparent even in the worst theatre or home system in the country …” — David Denby, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026

Did you know?

People described as scrupulous might feel discomfort if their work is not executed with a sharp attention to detail. Such discomfort might present itself as a nagging feeling, much as a sharp pebble in a shoe might nag a walker intent on getting somewhere. And we are getting somewhere. The origin of scrupulous is founded in just such a pebble. Scrupulous and its close relative scruple (“a feeling that prevents you from doing something that you think is wrong”) both come from the Latin noun scrupulus, “a small sharp stone,” the diminutive of scrupus, “a sharp stone.” Scrupus has a metaphorical meaning too: “a source of anxiety or uneasiness.” When the adjective scrupulous entered the English language in the 15th century, it described someone careful about preserving their moral integrity, but it now is also commonly used for someone who is careful in how they execute tasks.

Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

Humidity makes these bees turn green

Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns

This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male

An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change

This tree is number one for cloud forest mammals going number two

New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people

Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language

For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop

Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe

A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom

To climb trees, cicadas look to the shadows

A fossil reveals early relatives of spiders — armed with claws

Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive

How snakes defy gravity to stand tall

Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

Early apes may not have evolved in East Africa

When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues

These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how

SPLENDID PLAYGROUND at Galerie Meyer Kainer

Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset

Miley Cyrus' Oscars 2025 Hair Would Have Been Perfect If Not For One Fatal Flaw

Skincare Meets Sweat: Why Sofia Richie, Kate Hudson, and Adriana Lima Are Working Out at BURN

Lindsey Vonn Says She Still Feels 29—Here’s What She’s Doing Differently

Gose Beers To Drink Any Time

GameStop Announces Shocking Buyout Offer For eBay, Priced At $55.5 Billion

Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures

United Airlines flight strikes turnpike light pole, injuring driver

I Prioritized Protein at Every Meal for a Month—Here’s How It Affected My Body

N.C. man's son's birthday numbers deliver big lottery jackpot

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

13 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

Pelé's life in pictures

Saratoga Springs hosts largest Comic Con in Upstate NY

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.N.C. man's son's birthday numbers deliver big lottery jackpot

2.Look: Crying kitten rescued from Texas storm drain

3.Watch: 7-foot alligator caught trying to cross Florida highway

4.'Escaped zebra' in Armenia was a painted donkey

5.Look: Baby eagle returns to nest after surgery to remove fish hook

6.19 Screenshots Of Helicopter Parents Who Desperately Need To Loosen Their Grip

7.Passengers pulled from water after learner driver crashes bus into major European river

8.Watch: San Diego Zoo launches Elephant Valley live camera

9.Look: Helicopter complicates morning drop-off at Tennessee school

10.Ohio woman's mistaken lottery purchase wins seven-figure jackpot