Magpie News Collector

animal

Ancient DNA rewrites the tale of when and how cats left Africa

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 12/16/2025 9:00 AM

Cats were domesticated in North Africa, but spread to Europe only about 2,000 years ago. Earlier reports of “house” cats were wild cats. ... Read full Story

animal

Mosquitos use it to suck blood. Researchers used it to 3-D print

By Science News | Payal Dhar | 12/12/2025 11:00 AM

A mosquito proboscis repurposed as a 3-D printing nozzle can print filaments around 20 micrometers wide, half the width of a fine human hair. ... Read full Story

animal

Bats might be the next bird flu wild card

By Science News | Jane Qiu | 12/10/2025 1:00 PM

Finding that vampire bats along Peru’s coast carried H5N1 antibodies raises concerns that multiple bat species could become reservoirs for the virus. ... Read full Story

animal

Trucked-in honeybees may edge out bigger bumblebee foragers

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 12/9/2025 7:01 PM

The finding could guide beekeepers to keep hives out of most vulnerable areas of the Irish heathlands. ... Read full Story

animal

Huge relatives of white sharks lived earlier than thought

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 12/8/2025 3:00 PM

Lamniform sharks such as great whites and tiger sharks are famous for their size. The first such giants evolved 15 million years earlier than thought. ... Read full Story

animal

How male seahorses tap into their mothering side

By Science News | Elizabeth Pennisi | 12/5/2025 9:00 AM

By studying the genes responsible for the seahorse’s brood pouch, researchers uncovered a new route to “motherhood.” ... Read full Story

animal

Ancient DNA reveals China’s first ‘pet’ cat wasn’t the house cat

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 12/3/2025 1:00 PM

The modern house cat reached China in the 8th century. Before that, another cat — the leopard cat — hunted the rodents in ancient Chinese settlements. ... Read full Story

animal

Cuddly koalas had a brutal, blade-toothed close cousin

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 11/25/2025 12:00 PM

Ancient collagen preserved in the bones of extinct Australian mammals is revealing their evolutionary relationships, leading to some surprises. ... Read full Story

animal

Rats are snatching bats out of the air and eating them

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 11/24/2025 11:00 AM

The grisly infrared camera footage records a never-before-seen hunting tactic. It may have implications for bat conservation. ... Read full Story

animal

Here’s how Rudolph’s light-up nose might be possible

By Science News | Maria Temming | 11/21/2025 8:00 AM

Simple chemistry could give the reindeer his famously bright snout. But physics would make it look different colors from the ground. ... Read full Story

animal

Lions have a second roar that no one noticed until now

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 11/20/2025 7:01 PM

A machine learning analysis of wild lion audio reveals they have two roar types, not one. This insight might help detect where lions are declining. ... Read full Story

animal

A wolf raided a crab trap. Was it tool use or just canine cunning?

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 11/17/2025 12:00 PM

Video from the Haíɫzaqv Nation Indigenous community shows a wolf hauling a crab trap ashore. Scientists are split on whether it counts as tool use. ... Read full Story

animal

This parasitic ant tricks workers into committing matricide

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/17/2025 11:00 AM

Newly mated parasitic queen ants invade colonies and spray their victims with a chemical irritant that provokes the workers to kill their mother. ... Read full Story

animal

40,000-year-old woolly mammoth RNA offers a peek into its last moments

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 11/14/2025 11:00 AM

Ancient RNA from Yuka, a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth preserved in permafrost, can offer new biological insights into the Ice Age animal’s life. ... Read full Story

animal

Deep-sea mining might feed plankton a diet of junk food

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 11/13/2025 11:00 AM

An analysis of mining plumes in the Pacific Ocean reveals they kick up particles sized similarly to the more nutritious tidbits that plankton eat. ... Read full Story

animal

AI eavesdropped on whale chatter. It may have helped find something new

By Science News | Kathryn Hulick | 11/12/2025 11:00 AM

Some “clicks” made by sperm whales may actually be “clacks,” but marine biologists debate what, if anything, that means. ... Read full Story

animal

This fly’s flesh-eating maggot is making a comeback. Here’s what to know

By Science News | Carly Kay | 11/12/2025 10:00 AM

After a decades-long hiatus, new world screwworm populations have surged in Central America and Mexico — and are inching northward. ... Read full Story

animal

Woodpecker hammering is a full-body affair

By Science News | Anna Gibbs | 11/6/2025 11:00 PM

The birds grunt like tennis pros when generating their rat-a-tat, a performance strategy that may help stabilize core muscles. ... Read full Story

animal

Mosquitoes infiltrated Iceland. Will they survive the winter?

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/3/2025 6:31 PM

Mosquitoes have reached Iceland, a place once thought too harsh for them to survive. Climate change may play a role in this shift. ... Read full Story

animal

Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests

By Science News | Carly Kay | 10/29/2025 4:00 AM

Scientists found thousands of patterned fish nests in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, boosting calls for marine protected areas. ... Read full Story

animal

Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends

by Science News | Jan 30 2026

art

Sorin Neamțu at Suprainfinit Gallery

by Contemporary Art Daily | Jan 29 2026

FFNEWS

ArcBest, LTLs still waiting on recovery

by FreightWaves | Jan 30 2026

game

Highguard Patch Gives Players What They Really Wanted From The Start

by GameSpot | Jan 30 2026

golf

Masashi Ozaki, Japan’s Dominant Golfer Known as ‘Jumbo,’ Dies at 78

by NY Times | Dec 30 2025

knowledge

It’s 2026 … So Why Is Everyone Suddenly Obsessed with 2016? Here’s the Reason for This Nostalgic Trend

by Reader's Digest | Jan 30 2026

nutrition

How Much Protein Do You Really Need? Experts Say It All Depends on Your Age

by thehealthy.com | Jan 22 2026

odd_fun

Watch: Lost dog found in Philadelphia after four years

by United Press International, Inc. | Jan 30 2026

opinion

'Send Help' Review: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien lead comically violent desert island thriller

by Opinion on Fox News | Jan 31 2026

politics

Thune to local officials on ICE response: ‘You can’t just try and encourage all these protests’

by The Hill | Jan 31 2026

real_estate

Work Wraps Up on 261 East 202nd Street and 270 East 203rd Street in Bedford Park, The Bronx

by New York YIMBY | Jan 31 2026

sports

Pelé's life in pictures

by CNN | Apr 16 2023

technology

New molecular electronics technology could exceed silicon chip density by 1,000 times

by Interesting Engineering | Jan 31 2026

upstate

Cage Wars 73 showcases MMA fighters, offers new audience experiences

by NEWS10 ABC | Jan 31 2026

wellness

How to Recover When You’re Socially Drained, According to Therapists

by Self.com | Jan 30 2026

Word of the Day

short shrift

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2026 is:

short shrift • \SHORT-SHRIFT\ • noun

Short shrift means “little or no attention or thought” or “quick work.” In religious use it refers to barely adequate time for confession before execution.

// Certain neighborhoods have received short shrift from the city government.

See the entry >

Examples:

“[Charlie] Caplinger echoed the concerns of many speakers at the meeting, with charter captains saying the recreational fishing industry’s economic contributions were being given short shrift.” — Mike Smith, NOLA.com (New Orleans, Louisiana), 6 Nov. 2025

Did you know?

We’ve got a confession to make, but we’ll keep it brief: while it’s technically possible to make “long shrift” of something, you’re unlikely to find long shrift in our dictionary anytime soon. Short shrift, on the other hand, has been keeping it real—real terse, that is—for centuries. The earliest known use of the phrase comes from Shakespeare’s play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to “Make a short shrift” as the king “longs to see your head.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.” However, since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something.

Ancient DNA rewrites the tale of when and how cats left Africa

Mosquitos use it to suck blood. Researchers used it to 3-D print

Bats might be the next bird flu wild card

Trucked-in honeybees may edge out bigger bumblebee foragers

Huge relatives of white sharks lived earlier than thought

How male seahorses tap into their mothering side

Ancient DNA reveals China’s first ‘pet’ cat wasn’t the house cat

Cuddly koalas had a brutal, blade-toothed close cousin

Rats are snatching bats out of the air and eating them

Here’s how Rudolph’s light-up nose might be possible

Lions have a second roar that no one noticed until now

A wolf raided a crab trap. Was it tool use or just canine cunning?

This parasitic ant tricks workers into committing matricide

40,000-year-old woolly mammoth RNA offers a peek into its last moments

Deep-sea mining might feed plankton a diet of junk food

AI eavesdropped on whale chatter. It may have helped find something new

This fly’s flesh-eating maggot is making a comeback. Here’s what to know

Woodpecker hammering is a full-body affair

Mosquitoes infiltrated Iceland. Will they survive the winter?

Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests

Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends

Sorin Neamțu at Suprainfinit Gallery

ArcBest, LTLs still waiting on recovery

Highguard Patch Gives Players What They Really Wanted From The Start

Masashi Ozaki, Japan’s Dominant Golfer Known as ‘Jumbo,’ Dies at 78

It’s 2026 … So Why Is Everyone Suddenly Obsessed with 2016? Here’s the Reason for This Nostalgic Trend

How Much Protein Do You Really Need? Experts Say It All Depends on Your Age

Watch: Lost dog found in Philadelphia after four years

'Send Help' Review: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien lead comically violent desert island thriller

Thune to local officials on ICE response: ‘You can’t just try and encourage all these protests’

Work Wraps Up on 261 East 202nd Street and 270 East 203rd Street in Bedford Park, The Bronx

Pelé's life in pictures

New molecular electronics technology could exceed silicon chip density by 1,000 times

Cage Wars 73 showcases MMA fighters, offers new audience experiences

How to Recover When You’re Socially Drained, According to Therapists

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: Lost dog found in Philadelphia after four years

2.Ohio man's stocking stuffer delivers $100,000 lottery prize

3.11-year-old juggler breaks world record using a pindaloo

4.Watch: Raccoon stows away to Belarus in shipped car

5.Watch: Bighorn sheep rescued from frozen river in Colorado

6.Maryland man collects his second big lotter prize in under 2 years

7.Watch: Semi crash covers Wisconsin highway in beer kegs

8.Watch: Production error turns 'crying horse' toy into viral sensation

9.Look: Michigan State Police capture mini donkey named Dolly Parton

10.Look: Kangaroo found hopping loose down Texas road