Magpie News Collector

animal

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/11/2025 11:00 AM

Octopuses are ambidextrous, a new study finds, but they favor their front arms for investigating surroundings and their back arms for locomotion. ... Read full Story

animal

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

By Science News | Katarina Zimmer | 9/8/2025 9:00 AM

From salamanders to monkeys, many species get more violent at warmer temperatures — a trend that may shape their social structures as the world warms. ... Read full Story

animal

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/4/2025 2:00 PM

Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide. ... Read full Story

animal

Here’s how fruit flies’ giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/4/2025 9:00 AM

Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction. ... Read full Story

animal

This lizard can tolerate extreme levels of lead

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/2/2025 11:00 AM

Cuban brown anoles have the highest blood lead levels of any vertebrate known — three times that of the previous record holder, the Nile crocodile. ... Read full Story

animal

Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 8/28/2025 2:00 PM

To make horses rideable during domestication, people may have inadvertently targeted a mutation in horses to strengthen their backs and their balance. ... Read full Story

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

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

by Science News | Sep 11 2025

art

Martina Vacheva at Jacky Strenz

by Contemporary Art Daily | Sep 15 2025

game

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 2 Is Coming Soon To Kill More Bugs

by GameSpot | Sep 16 2025

golf

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

by NY Times | Jul 25 2025

knowledge

Here’s What the Hole in a Safety Pin Is Really For

by Reader's Digest | Sep 09 2025

lifestyle

Hollywood icon Robert Redford dead at 89

by Hello! Magazine | Sep 16 2025

mental

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

by thehealthy.com | May 28 2025

music

Elton John Had His Janky Kneecaps Turned Into Sparkling Jewelry: ‘Timeless Pieces That Will Last For Centuries’

by Billboard | Sep 16 2025

nation

Transportation Department orders Delta, Aeromexico to dismantle partnership

by upi.com | Sep 16 2025

new_jersey

Trump administration’s moves to stifle dissent cause alarm

by NJ Spotlight | Sep 16 2025

odd_fun

Pennsylvania police pursue pigs on the loose near country club

by United Press International, Inc. | Sep 15 2025

opinion

What I learned from debating Charlie Kirk, and where the country goes from here

by Opinion on Fox News | Sep 16 2025

soccer

🫣 Barça fear missing Yamal for CL opener in Newcastle

by Yahoo Sports | Sep 16 2025

technology

Buying an SSD? Ask yourself these 4 crucial questions first

by PCWorld | Sep 16 2025

wellness

The One Habit a Neurologist Does Every Day to Protect Her Brain Long-Term

by Self.com | Sep 15 2025

Word of the Day

debunk

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2025 is:

debunk • \dee-BUNK\ • verb

To debunk something (such as a belief or theory) is to show that it is not true.

// The influencer remained enormously popular despite having the bulk of their health claims thoroughly debunked.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Conspiracy theorists (and those of us who argue with them have the scars to show for it) often maintain that the ones debunking the conspiracies are allied with the conspirators.” — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025

Did you know?

To debunk something is to take the bunk out of it—that bunk being nonsense. (Bunk is short for the synonymous bunkum, which has political origins.) Debunk has been in use since at least the 1920s, and it contrasts with synonyms like disprove and rebut by suggesting that something is not merely untrue but is also a sham—a trick meant to deceive. One can simply disprove a myth, but if it is debunked, the implication is that the myth was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

Here’s how fruit flies’ giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces

This lizard can tolerate extreme levels of lead

Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation

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

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

Martina Vacheva at Jacky Strenz

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 2 Is Coming Soon To Kill More Bugs

War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course

Here’s What the Hole in a Safety Pin Is Really For

Hollywood icon Robert Redford dead at 89

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

Elton John Had His Janky Kneecaps Turned Into Sparkling Jewelry: ‘Timeless Pieces That Will Last For Centuries’

Transportation Department orders Delta, Aeromexico to dismantle partnership

Trump administration’s moves to stifle dissent cause alarm

Pennsylvania police pursue pigs on the loose near country club

What I learned from debating Charlie Kirk, and where the country goes from here

🫣 Barça fear missing Yamal for CL opener in Newcastle

Buying an SSD? Ask yourself these 4 crucial questions first

The One Habit a Neurologist Does Every Day to Protect Her Brain Long-Term

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Pennsylvania police pursue pigs on the loose near country club

2.Watch: Connecticut city breaks record for world's largest pizza party

3.Illinois player learns of their own lottery win from the rumor mill

4.Peru wins viral “World Cup of Breakfasts” with pan con chicharrón

5.Watch: Florida woman punches alligator to rescue her dog

6.Watch: Hundreds of people named Ryan gather for 'Rytoberfest' in New York

7.Look: Herd of escaped goats munch on lawns in Baltimore neighborhood

8.Stowaway gecko travels from Portugal to Guernsey in suitcase

9.Michigan man's Powerball winnings are 3 times more than expected

10.National Video Games Day: 5 stunning world records