Magpie News Collector

animal

Female giant rainforest mantises grow up to strike harder than males

By Science News | Susan Milius | 3/23/2026 9:00 AM

Scientists tracked mantis strike force from youth to adulthood, showing females eventually hit far harder than males. Why is a mystery. ... Read full Story

animal

Mosquitoes get the ‘I’m full’ signal from their butts, not their brains

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/20/2026 11:00 AM

Mosquitoes stop feeding because signals from rectal cells tell them they’re full, offering a target for preventing human bites. ... Read full Story

animal

Sharks are ingesting drugs in the Bahamas

By Science News | Joshua Rapp Learn | 3/18/2026 9:00 AM

Nearly one third of sharks studied near the Bahamas’ Eleuthera Island were found to have caffeine, painkillers and other drugs in their bloodstreams. ... Read full Story

animal

Platypus fur has a surprising feature seen only in bird feathers

By Science News | Jude Coleman | 3/17/2026 8:01 PM

Platypuses are the first mammals known to have hollow melanosomes, pigment-bearing structures found in the hair of many animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Wild monkeys invaded Florida. Should people protect them?

By Science News | Freda Kreier | 3/16/2026 9:00 AM

A colony of African vervets in Dania Beach raises big questions about how humans can and should manage nonnative species. ... Read full Story

animal

Why African striped mice can be the best of dads — or the worst

By Science News | Viviane Callier | 3/12/2026 10:00 AM

Environmental cues can flip a molecular switch in the brain, turning males from caregivers to killers. ... Read full Story

animal

The Amazon molly — a sex-skipping fish — hacks evolution

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 3/11/2026 12:00 PM

The Amazon molly reproduces without sex. A genomic copy-and-paste trick called gene conversion may explain how it avoids evolutionary meltdown. ... Read full Story

animal

Submerged bumblebee queens breathe underwater

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 3/10/2026 8:01 PM

Submerged bees breathe and use strategies that don’t require oxygen, lab tests show. In nature, that trick could help the bees survive floods. ... Read full Story

animal

A koala population’s rapid rebound may let it escape inbreeding’s perils

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/5/2026 3:03 PM

As koalas in southern Australia have grown from a few hundred to almost half a million, the marsupials show signs of regaining lost genetic variation. ... Read full Story

animal

Cockroaches that eat each other’s wings turn into a fierce fighting force

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 3/3/2026 7:01 PM

The wood-feeding cockroach’s cannibalistic love bites lead to a lasting bond. Afterward, the pair prefer each other over all other roaches. ... Read full Story

animal

Here’s how honeyeaters and other birds thrive on sugary diets

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 2/26/2026 2:00 PM

Birds that feed on nectar or fruit evolved better mechanisms for managing metabolism, blood pressure and high glucose. ... Read full Story

animal

Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 2/25/2026 2:00 PM

Suitable milkweed habitat in Mexico may shift south, fracturing existing migration routes and possibly pushing some butterflies to stay put. ... Read full Story

animal

Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 2/25/2026 1:00 AM

Finding a caterpillar with rhythm was “mind-blowing,” suggesting it might be a more widespread part of animal communication than thought. ... Read full Story

animal

An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 2/24/2026 1:00 PM

Fecal analyses and necropsies suggest a fire-footed rope squirrel was the source of a 2023 mpox outbreak among sooty mangabeys in Côte d’Ivoire. ... Read full Story

animal

Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders ensnare prey in webs

By Science News | Emily Conover | 2/24/2026 11:00 AM

Rufus net-casting spiders can tune the stiffness and elasticity of their webs thanks to loops of silk, scanning electron microscope images reveal. ... Read full Story

animal

This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 2/21/2026 8:00 AM

The TRPV4 protein’s dual nature, found in studies with mice, may complicate the hunt for human itch treatments ... Read full Story

animal

A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly

By Science News | Jay Bennett | 2/19/2026 11:00 AM

A flexible tongue, sensitive beak and teethlike cones in the mouth may have helped Archaeopteryx generate enough energy to fly. ... Read full Story

animal

Some dog breeds carry a higher risk of breathing problems

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 2/18/2026 2:00 PM

Research reveals more short-snouted dogs besides pugs and bulldogs that struggle with breathing. Pekingese and Japanese Chins topped the study's list. ... Read full Story

animal

Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook

By Science News | Elizabeth Pennisi | 2/18/2026 12:30 PM

The findings strengthen the case that regeneration is an old trait, offering insights into how complex tissues rebuild themselves. ... Read full Story

animal

How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 2/18/2026 11:00 AM

Something is stopping Dry Lake Valley’s golden eagles from reproducing and killing raptors that fly in to fill the void. ... Read full Story

animal

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

by Science News | Apr 30 2026

auto

Nick Tandy on His Record-Setting Porsche Career and Racing 'Rexy'

by Car and Drive | 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

book

Good Joy, Bad Joy

by BookPage | May 04 2026

FFNEWS

Borderlands Mexico: Nearshoring fuels 800K-square-foot industrial build in El Paso

by FreightWaves | May 03 2026

finance

Investors appear skeptical as Trump touts new plan to partially reopen Strait of Hormuz

by MarketWatch.com | May 03 2026

football

DraftKings Super Bowl Promo Code: Get Extended $300 Seahawks-Patriots Bonus

by ESNY | Feb 08 2026

golf

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

by NY Times | Apr 15 2026

health

Heart Failure Couldn’t Stop This Couple from Saying ‘I do’ in the ICU

by Healthline.com | May 03 2026

how_to

F1: How to Watch the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

by CNET | May 03 2026

metro

14 injured, including 12 firefighters, after fast-spreading fire tears through NYC homes

by New York Post | May 04 2026

nation

United Airlines flight strikes turnpike light pole, injuring driver

by upi.com | May 03 2026

retirement

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

by Fox News | Apr 30 2026

upstate

Saratoga Springs hosts largest Comic Con in Upstate NY

by NEWS10 ABC | May 03 2026

world

Second vessel attacked near Strait of Hormuz in about 8 hours

by United Press International, Inc. | May 04 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.

Female giant rainforest mantises grow up to strike harder than males

Mosquitoes get the ‘I’m full’ signal from their butts, not their brains

Sharks are ingesting drugs in the Bahamas

Platypus fur has a surprising feature seen only in bird feathers

Wild monkeys invaded Florida. Should people protect them?

Why African striped mice can be the best of dads — or the worst

The Amazon molly — a sex-skipping fish — hacks evolution

Submerged bumblebee queens breathe underwater

A koala population’s rapid rebound may let it escape inbreeding’s perils

Cockroaches that eat each other’s wings turn into a fierce fighting force

Here’s how honeyeaters and other birds thrive on sugary diets

Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration

Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places

An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox

Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders ensnare prey in webs

This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching

A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly

Some dog breeds carry a higher risk of breathing problems

Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook

How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’

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

Nick Tandy on His Record-Setting Porsche Career and Racing 'Rexy'

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

Good Joy, Bad Joy

Borderlands Mexico: Nearshoring fuels 800K-square-foot industrial build in El Paso

Investors appear skeptical as Trump touts new plan to partially reopen Strait of Hormuz

DraftKings Super Bowl Promo Code: Get Extended $300 Seahawks-Patriots Bonus

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

Heart Failure Couldn’t Stop This Couple from Saying ‘I do’ in the ICU

F1: How to Watch the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

14 injured, including 12 firefighters, after fast-spreading fire tears through NYC homes

United Airlines flight strikes turnpike light pole, injuring driver

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

Saratoga Springs hosts largest Comic Con in Upstate NY

Second vessel attacked near Strait of Hormuz in about 8 hours

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