Magpie News Collector

animal

This spider’s barf is worse than its bite

By Science News | Susan Milius | 6/12/2025 8:00 PM

Most spider species subdue dinner by injecting venom from their fangs. Feather-legged lace weavers swathe prey in silk, then upchuck a killing brew. ... Read full Story

animal

Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 6/5/2025 2:00 PM

Comparing various tactics for protecting rhinos suggests that dehorning them drastically reduces poaching. ... Read full Story

animal

Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 6/5/2025 2:00 AM

A probiotic paste prevented the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease, but the treatment is still a proof-of-concept, not a cure. ... Read full Story

animal

Flamingos create precise water vortices in a shrimp-hunting frenzy

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 6/4/2025 11:00 AM

Nashville Zoo flamingos reveal the oddball birds generate many types of vortices to eat. The swirls could be an inspiration to human engineers. ... Read full Story

animal

Aussie cockatoos use their beaks and claws to turn on water fountains

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 6/3/2025 7:01 PM

Parrots living in Sydney have learned how to turn on water fountains for a drink. It's the first such drinking strategy seen in the birds. ... Read full Story

animal

How luna moths grow extravagant wings

By Science News | Susan Milius | 5/30/2025 12:00 PM

Warm temperatures, not just predator pressure, may favor luna moths’ long bat-fooling streamers, a geographic analysis of iNaturalist pics shows. ... Read full Story

animal

Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 5/29/2025 9:00 AM

A new genetic study could help saolas survive by enabling better searches through environmental DNA. But some experts fear they may be extinct already. ... Read full Story

animal

Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 5/27/2025 7:01 PM

Common bedbugs experienced a dramatic jump in population size about 13,000 years ago, around the time humans congregated in the first cities. ... Read full Story

animal

The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

By Science News | Larissa G. Capella | 5/27/2025 9:00 AM

A 47-million-year-old cicada fossil from Germany’s Messel Pit could teach us about the evolution of insect communication. ... Read full Story

animal

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 5/22/2025 11:10 AM

Penguin poop provides ammonia for cloud formation in coastal Antarctica, potentially helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region. ... Read full Story

animal

Juvenile capuchins are kidnapping infants of another monkey species

By Science News | Freda Kreier | 5/19/2025 11:00 AM

Over 15 months on Jicarón Island, researchers saw five capuchin juveniles abduct 11 endangered howler monkey infants — all for no clear purpose. ... Read full Story

animal

A ‘talking’ ape’s death signals the end of an era

By Science News | Erin Wayman | 5/19/2025 9:00 AM

Kanzi showed apes have the capacity for language, but in recent years scientists have questioned the ethics of ape experiments. ... Read full Story

animal

Some science seems silly, but it’s still worthwhile

By Science News | Karen Kwon | 5/16/2025 1:30 PM

The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog contends that curiosity-driven research helps us understand the world and could lead to unexpected benefits. ... Read full Story

animal

What gene makes orange cats orange? Scientists figured it out

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 5/15/2025 11:00 AM

Researchers found the gene and genetic variation behind orange fur in most domestic cats, solving a decades-long mystery. ... Read full Story

animal

This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 5/14/2025 11:05 AM

Analyses unveiled never-before-seen feathers and bones from the first known bird, strengthening the case that Archaeopteryx could fly. ... Read full Story

animal

Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 5/14/2025 12:00 AM

A study in Uganda shows how often chimps use medicinal plants and other forms of health care — and what that says about the roots of human medicine. ... Read full Story

animal

This tool-wielding assassin turns its prey’s defenses into a trap

By Science News | Siddhant Pusdekar | 5/12/2025 3:00 PM

This assassin bug's ability to use a tool — bees’ resin — could shed light on how the ability evolved in other animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 5/9/2025 2:00 PM

Chimpanzees combine hoots, calls and grunts to convey far more concepts than with single sounds alone. It may be a first among nonhuman animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 5/5/2025 11:00 AM

The porpoise is critically endangered. Ancient Chinese poems reveal the animal’s range has dropped about 65 percent over the past 1,400 years. ... Read full Story

animal

Frog ribbits erupt via an extravagant variety of vocal sacs

By Science News | Susan Milius | 5/5/2025 9:00 AM

Shape matters as well as size in the great range of male frog show-off equipment for competitive seductive serenades. ... Read full Story

auto

View Photos of the 1979 Porsche 924 Turbo

by Car and Drive | Jun 14 2025

basketball

Rockets sign Steven Adams to 3-year, $39M extension as veteran center will not hit free agency, per report

by CBS Interactive Inc | Jun 14 2025

connecticut

‘No Kings’ protests draw thousands to CT and across the U.S.

by CT Mirror | Jun 14 2025

entertainment

GORGIE Founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant Shares Her Beach Day Must-Haves for Summer 2025

by ET Online | Jun 06 2025

fashion

Miranda Kerr’s 3 skin care rules to live by — and her clever trick for reapplying sunscreen

by NY Post | Jun 11 2025

finance

Don’t count on an inheritance: Baby boomers are hanging on to their money

by MarketWatch.com | Jun 14 2025

food

The Old School Dessert Named After A '70s Heart Throb

by The Daily Meal | Jun 14 2025

health

HIV: As Scientists Inch Closer to a Vaccine, Cuts to Funding Could Stall Progress

by Healthline.com | Jun 14 2025

knowledge

This Is the Real Reason Cars Have Lines on the Rear Windshield

by Reader's Digest | Jun 14 2025

nutrition

12 Healthiest Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On, According to Registered Dietitians

by thehealthy.com | Jun 04 2025

retirement

Retirement account balances dip in 1st quarter, but savers keep contributing

by Fox News | Jun 04 2025

shopping

Toyota’s Most Powerful Land Cruiser Ever Isn’t Coming to America. But Something Nicer Already Has

by Gear Patrol | Jun 14 2025

technology

2,000-year-old Roman eatery serving fried thrust changes ideas about elite diet

by Interesting Engineering | Jun 14 2025

travel

20 of the best travel podcasts to listen to now

by Wanderlust | Jun 13 2025

upstate

Thousands in Capital Region participate in nationwide ‘No Kings’ rally

by NEWS10 ABC | Jun 14 2025

Word of the Day

vexillology

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2025 is:

vexillology • \vek-suh-LAH-luh-jee\ • noun

Vexillology is the study of flags.

// An expert in vexillology, Cynthia has an impressive collection of flags displayed in her home.

See the entry >

Examples:

"... flags should have simple elements, a limited number of colors, and no words. One of the tenets of vexillology is that the elements of the flag should be simple enough to be easily drawn by a child." — The Toledo (Ohio) Blade, 9 Jan. 2025

Did you know?

"The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." Woodrow Wilson was speaking of the U.S. flag when he made that statement in an address in June of 1915, but those who engage in vexillology—that is, vexillologists—would likely find the comment applicable to any national banner. Vexillologists undertake scholarly investigations of flags, producing papers with titles such as "A Review of the Changing Proportions of Rectangular Flags since Medieval Times, and Some Suggestions for the Future." In the late 1950s, they coined vexillology as a name for their field of research, basing it on vexillum, the Latin term for a square flag or banner of the ancient Roman cavalry. The adjectives vexillologic and vexillological and the noun vexillologist followed soon thereafter.

This spider’s barf is worse than its bite

Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching

Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease

Flamingos create precise water vortices in a shrimp-hunting frenzy

Aussie cockatoos use their beaks and claws to turn on water fountains

How luna moths grow extravagant wings

Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct

Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests

The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

Juvenile capuchins are kidnapping infants of another monkey species

A ‘talking’ ape’s death signals the end of an era

Some science seems silly, but it’s still worthwhile

What gene makes orange cats orange? Scientists figured it out

This exquisite Archaeopteryx fossil reveals how flight took off in birds

Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

This tool-wielding assassin turns its prey’s defenses into a trap

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise

Frog ribbits erupt via an extravagant variety of vocal sacs

View Photos of the 1979 Porsche 924 Turbo

Rockets sign Steven Adams to 3-year, $39M extension as veteran center will not hit free agency, per report

‘No Kings’ protests draw thousands to CT and across the U.S.

GORGIE Founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant Shares Her Beach Day Must-Haves for Summer 2025

Miranda Kerr’s 3 skin care rules to live by — and her clever trick for reapplying sunscreen

Don’t count on an inheritance: Baby boomers are hanging on to their money

The Old School Dessert Named After A '70s Heart Throb

HIV: As Scientists Inch Closer to a Vaccine, Cuts to Funding Could Stall Progress

This Is the Real Reason Cars Have Lines on the Rear Windshield

12 Healthiest Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On, According to Registered Dietitians

Retirement account balances dip in 1st quarter, but savers keep contributing

Toyota’s Most Powerful Land Cruiser Ever Isn’t Coming to America. But Something Nicer Already Has

2,000-year-old Roman eatery serving fried thrust changes ideas about elite diet

20 of the best travel podcasts to listen to now

Thousands in Capital Region participate in nationwide ‘No Kings’ rally

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Husband predicts N.C. woman's $150,000 lottery win

2.Watch: World's largest game of red light, green light played in California

3.Large, black and white tegu lizard found wandering California park

4.'999' mosh pit warning issued by police before festival

5.Chinese bank barred from offering customers free Labubu dolls

6.Look: Escaped tortoise found wandering S.C. neighborhood

7.Watch: Oregon middle schoolers design prosthetics for paralyzed dog

8.Watch: Escaped water buffalo herd wanders through British Columbia city

9.Watch: New York man plays golf for 36 consecutive hours

10.Canadian man wins his fourth major lottery prize