Magpie News Collector

animal

Polar bears provide millions of kilograms of food for other Arctic species

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 10/28/2025 9:00 AM

A new study shows how much food polar bears leave behind — and how their decline threatens scavengers across the Arctic. ... Read full Story

animal

Subway mosquitoes evolved millennia ago in ancient Mediterranean cities

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/23/2025 6:00 PM

A variety of subway-dwelling mosquito seems like a modern artifact. But genomic analysis reveals the insect got its evolutionary start millennia ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Which venomous snakes strike the fastest?

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/23/2025 2:43 PM

Vipers have the fastest strikes, but snakes from other families can give some slower vipers stiff competition. ... Read full Story

animal

Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays

By Science News | Melissa Hobson | 10/22/2025 1:00 PM

Thousands of at-risk manta and devil rays become accidental bycatch in tuna fishing nets every year. A simple sorting grid could help save them. ... Read full Story

animal

Guppies fall for a classic optical illusion. Doves, usually, do too

By Science News | Sujata Gupta | 10/20/2025 6:00 PM

Comparing animals’ susceptibility to optical illusions can show how perception evolved. ... Read full Story

animal

A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest

By Science News | Carly Kay | 10/17/2025 4:00 PM

From fluorescent ferns to sprawling neurons, this year’s winning photos reveal the structures and artistry of life seen through a microscope. ... Read full Story

animal

These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source

By Science News | Taylor Mitchell Brown | 10/15/2025 5:00 PM

Insects have long pollinated plants, but evidence of ancient pairing is rare. Fossils now show bees and linden trees goes back 24 million years. ... Read full Story

animal

The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 10/14/2025 7:01 PM

Researchers used methods from paleontology to analyze the quirky local landmark, created when a rodent of a certain size fell into wet concrete. ... Read full Story

animal

New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites

By Science News | Carly Kay | 10/14/2025 9:00 AM

By weaving Kevlar or polyethylene nanofibers into standard neoprene in wetsuits, researchers found ways to limit injury during rare encounters with sharks. ... Read full Story

animal

Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks

By Science News | Alison Pearce Stevens | 10/9/2025 2:00 PM

Sensor data reveal greater noctule bats chasing, catching and chewing on birds during high-altitude, nighttime hunts. ... Read full Story

animal

Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors

By Science News | Laura Sanders | 10/9/2025 11:00 AM

Some dogs love playing with toys so intensely they can’t stop—offering scientists a window into behavioral addictions. ... Read full Story

animal

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/7/2025 10:00 AM

A nearly 20,000-year-old woolly rhino horn reveals the extinct herbivores lived as long as modern-day rhinos, despite harsher Ice Age conditions. ... Read full Story

animal

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/3/2025 11:01 AM

Spiking milk with live ants makes tangy traditional yogurt. Researchers have identified the ants' microbial pals and enzymes that help the process. ... Read full Story

animal

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

By Science News | Sarah Boden | 9/26/2025 10:00 AM

Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result. ... Read full Story

animal

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/25/2025 2:00 PM

The effectiveness of camouflage or warning colors for insect defense depends on conditions such as light levels and how many predators are around. ... Read full Story

animal

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/23/2025 9:00 AM

Spotted ratfish, or “ghost sharks,” have forehead teeth that help them grasp onto mates. It’s the first time teeth have been found outside of a mouth. ... Read full Story

animal

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/19/2025 10:00 AM

Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats. ... Read full Story

animal

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

By Science News | Jennifer S. Holland | 9/18/2025 11:00 AM

Dogs that easily learn the names of toys might also mentally sort them by function, a new example of complex cognitive activity in the canine brain. ... Read full Story

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

art

Sorin Neamțu at Suprainfinit Gallery

by Contemporary Art Daily | Jan 29 2026

auto

Classic Porsche 356 Gets Modern Remakes From Two US-Based Companies

by carbuzz.com | Jan 30 2026

exercise

Dua Lipa’s Trainer Just Revealed the Body Part the Pop Star Trains the Hardest

by thehealthy.com | Dec 03 2025

FFNEWS

ArcBest, LTLs still waiting on recovery

by FreightWaves | Jan 30 2026

golf

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

by NY Times | Dec 30 2025

health

Healthgrades Names America’s Best Hospitals for 2026

by Healthline.com | Jan 30 2026

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

metro

NYPD on hunt for sicko accused of raping 14-year-old girl in Manhattan building

by New York Post | Jan 30 2026

music

Ricardo Arjona Kicks Off His ‘Lo Que El Seco No Dijo’ U.S. Tour: Here’s the Full Setlist

by Billboard | Jan 31 2026

nutrition

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

by thehealthy.com | Jan 22 2026

opinion

Tech titans unite

by New York Post | Jan 30 2026

real_estate

Ellen DeGeneres shops for new mansion same day she calls for ICE buying boycott

by NY Post | Jan 30 2026

soccer

🗞 Mourinho back at the Bernabéu, Atleti and Barça up next

by Yahoo Sports | Jan 31 2026

wellness

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

by Self.com | Jan 30 2026

world

South Korea cites talks with U.S. after Treasury FX watchlist call

by United Press International, Inc. | 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.

Polar bears provide millions of kilograms of food for other Arctic species

Subway mosquitoes evolved millennia ago in ancient Mediterranean cities

Which venomous snakes strike the fastest?

Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays

Guppies fall for a classic optical illusion. Doves, usually, do too

A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest

These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source

The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat

New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites

Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks

Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

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

Sorin Neamțu at Suprainfinit Gallery

Classic Porsche 356 Gets Modern Remakes From Two US-Based Companies

Dua Lipa’s Trainer Just Revealed the Body Part the Pop Star Trains the Hardest

ArcBest, LTLs still waiting on recovery

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

Healthgrades Names America’s Best Hospitals for 2026

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

NYPD on hunt for sicko accused of raping 14-year-old girl in Manhattan building

Ricardo Arjona Kicks Off His ‘Lo Que El Seco No Dijo’ U.S. Tour: Here’s the Full Setlist

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

Tech titans unite

Ellen DeGeneres shops for new mansion same day she calls for ICE buying boycott

🗞 Mourinho back at the Bernabéu, Atleti and Barça up next

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

South Korea cites talks with U.S. after Treasury FX watchlist call

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