Magpie News Collector

animal

Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/31/2025 9:00 AM

In a lab test, chimps and orangutans can recognize their own reflection. But in the wild, baboons seemingly can’t do the same. ... Read full Story

animal

Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 1/30/2025 10:45 AM

Many blacktip reef sharks in French Polynesia are commonly fed by tourists. But the low-quality diet is changing the sharks’ behavior and physiology. ... Read full Story

animal

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

By Science News | Richard Kemeny | 1/28/2025 7:01 PM

Bats may broadcast their personalities to others from a distance, new experiments suggest, which could play into social dynamics within a colony. ... Read full Story

animal

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 1/28/2025 7:01 PM

Found in a roughly 350-year-old manuscript by Dutch biologist Johannes Swammerdam, the scientific illustration shows the brain of a honeybee drone. ... Read full Story

animal

Like flyways for birds, we need to map swimways for fish

By Science News | Stefan Lovgren | 1/28/2025 9:00 AM

Mapping fish migration routes and identifying threats is crucial to protecting freshwater species and their habitats, ecologists argue. ... Read full Story

animal

Cricket frogs belly flop their way across water

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 1/27/2025 11:00 AM

Cricket frogs were once thought to hop on the water’s surface. They actually leap in and out of the water in a form of locomotion called porpoising. ... Read full Story

animal

Fever’s link with a key kind of immunity is surprisingly ancient

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 1/24/2025 9:00 AM

When sick, Nile tilapia seek warmer water. That behavioral fever triggers a specialized immune response, hinting the connection evolved long ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

By Science News | Susan Milius | 1/23/2025 9:00 AM

Genetic analyses have solved the riddle of where a marsupial mole fits on the tree of life: It’s a cousin to bilbies, bandicoots and Tasmanian devils. ... Read full Story

animal

In chimpanzees, peeing is contagious

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 1/20/2025 11:00 AM

The first study of copycat urination in an animal documents how one chimpanzee peeing prompts others to follow suit. Now researchers are exploring why. ... Read full Story

animal

Hand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skulls

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/14/2025 7:01 PM

When fed peanuts, red squirrels in Britain developed weaker bites — showing that food supplements to threatened animals could have unintended side effects. ... Read full Story

animal

More new geckos have been found hiding in Southeast Asia’s limestone towers

By Science News | Stefan Lovgren | 1/8/2025 11:00 AM

Nearly 200 new gecko species found in living in karst landscapes reveal the rugged regions as dynamic areas of speciation. ... Read full Story

animal

Poop is on the menu for a surprising number of animals

By Science News | Susan Milius | 1/8/2025 9:00 AM

A new tally finds dozens of species giving food a second go-round, from babies boosting their microbiomes to adults seeking easier-to-access nutrition. ... Read full Story

animal

‘Forever chemicals’ are causing health problems in some wildlife

By Science News | Danielle Beurteaux | 1/7/2025 9:00 AM

Deformed scales in hatchlings and biomarkers indicative of disease progression are two health impacts on turtles at PFAS-polluted sites in Australia. ... Read full Story

animal

Velvet ants have the Swiss Army knife of venoms

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 1/6/2025 11:00 AM

A velvet ant bite like “hot oil from the deep fryer” delivers an array of peptides that inflicts pain on insects and mammals alike. ... Read full Story

animal

American burying beetles are making a comeback in Nebraska

By Science News | Brianna Randall | 12/31/2024 9:15 AM

Thanks to decades of conservation to restore private grasslands, numbers of the threatened insect are on the rise in the Loess Canyons. ... Read full Story

animal

Dogs team up with AI to sniff out cancer

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 12/23/2024 10:30 AM

Scientists paired Labrador retrievers with an AI model in a new screening test for breast, lung, colorectal or prostate cancer. ... Read full Story

animal

These are the 5 most popular Science News stories of 2024

By Science News | Science News Staff | 12/20/2024 1:00 PM

Science News drew millions of visitors to our website this year. Here’s a recap of the most-read and most-watched news stories of 2024. ... Read full Story

animal

These are our favorite animal stories of 2024

By Science News | Darren Incorvaia | 12/18/2024 9:00 AM

Pigeons that do somersaults, snakes that fake death with extra flair and surprised canines are among the organisms that enthralled the Science News staff. ... Read full Story

animal

Sheep earwax can record a dangerous diet

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 12/17/2024 9:00 AM

Sheep that eat death camas plants record the toxic meal in their earwax, a goopy health data repository that researchers are increasingly exploring. ... Read full Story

animal

The screams of thirsty plants may prompt some moths to lay eggs elsewhere

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 12/11/2024 9:00 AM

Female moths may pick up on the ultrasonic wailing of distressed plants and opt to lay their eggs on different, healthier plants. ... Read full Story

art

Amiee Byrne’s Realistic Ceramic Sculptures Underscore the Charm of Discarded Goods

by Colossal | Apr 29 2025

beauty

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

by The List | Mar 03 2025

exercise

Office Chair Butt: Cleveland Clinic Experts on How To Prevent It

by thehealthy.com | Mar 31 2025

fashion

Can the minimalist ‘caveman method’ save your skin — or destroy it? Docs weigh in on viral trend

by NY Post | Apr 29 2025

game

Nintendo Switch System Update Now Live, Adds Virtual Game Cards, Switch 2 Compatibility, And More

by GameSpot | Apr 29 2025

golf

Jay Sigel, Amateur Golfer Who Played Like a Pro, Dies at 81

by NY Times | Apr 25 2025

lifestyle

George and Amal Clooney’s home life with kids threatened following news

by Hello! Magazine | Apr 30 2025

music

Ole Obermann & Rachel Newman Named Apple Music Co-Heads

by Billboard | Apr 29 2025

nation

Britain, U.S. attack Houthi drone manufacturing targets in Yemen

by upi.com | Apr 30 2025

real_estate

This is the largest office-to-residential conversion in the US — and it’s just the beginning

by NY Post | Apr 29 2025

religion

What do we know about the brothers and sisters of Jesus?

by Christian Post | Oct 20 2024

science

What is xeroderma pigmentosum? The rare genetic disorder that forces people to avoid sunlight

by LIVE SCIENCE | Apr 30 2025

shopping

A Classic Budget Alternative to the Royal Oak Is Now Even More Versatile

by Gear Patrol | Apr 29 2025

soccer

Costacurta aims dig at French media over Donnarumma

by Yahoo Sports | Apr 30 2025

world

Police reveal additional details about Vancouver car-ramming victims

by United Press International, Inc. | Apr 29 2025

Word of the Day

insouciance

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2025 is:

insouciance • \in-SOO-see-unss\ • noun

Insouciance is a formal word that refers to a feeling of carefree unconcern. It can also be understood as a word for the relaxed and calm state of a person who is not worried about anything.

// The young actor charmed interviewers with his easy smile and devil-may-care insouciance.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Gladiator II is OK when Denzel’s off-screen, but sensational when he’s on it. ... What makes the performance great is its insouciance; it’s both precise and feather-light. And it’s what a great actor can do when he’s set free to have fun, to laugh at himself a little bit. ... Denzel’s Macrinus is gravitas and comic relief in one package.” — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 22 Nov. 2024

Did you know?

If you were alive and of whistling age in the late 1980s or early 1990s, chances are you whistled (and snapped your fingers, and tapped your toes) to a little ditty called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, an a cappella reggae-jazz-pop tune that took the charts by surprise and by storm. An ode to cheerful insouciance if ever there was one, its lyrics are entirely concerned with being entirely unconcerned, remaining trouble-free in the face of life’s various stressors and calamities. Such carefree nonchalance is at the heart of insouciance, which arrived in English (along with the adjective insouciant), from French, in the 1800s. The French word comes from a combining of the negative prefix in- with the verb soucier, meaning “to trouble or disturb.” The easiness and breeziness of insouciance isn’t always considered beautiful, however. Insouciance may also be used when someone’s lack of concern for serious matters is seen as more careless than carefree.

Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror

Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health

Chatty bats are more likely to take risks

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

Like flyways for birds, we need to map swimways for fish

Cricket frogs belly flop their way across water

Fever’s link with a key kind of immunity is surprisingly ancient

Mole or marsupial? This subterranean critter with a backward pouch is both

In chimpanzees, peeing is contagious

Hand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skulls

More new geckos have been found hiding in Southeast Asia’s limestone towers

Poop is on the menu for a surprising number of animals

‘Forever chemicals’ are causing health problems in some wildlife

Velvet ants have the Swiss Army knife of venoms

American burying beetles are making a comeback in Nebraska

Dogs team up with AI to sniff out cancer

These are the 5 most popular Science News stories of 2024

These are our favorite animal stories of 2024

Sheep earwax can record a dangerous diet

The screams of thirsty plants may prompt some moths to lay eggs elsewhere

Amiee Byrne’s Realistic Ceramic Sculptures Underscore the Charm of Discarded Goods

13 Major Hair Transformations Celebrities Still Regret

Office Chair Butt: Cleveland Clinic Experts on How To Prevent It

Can the minimalist ‘caveman method’ save your skin — or destroy it? Docs weigh in on viral trend

Nintendo Switch System Update Now Live, Adds Virtual Game Cards, Switch 2 Compatibility, And More

Jay Sigel, Amateur Golfer Who Played Like a Pro, Dies at 81

George and Amal Clooney’s home life with kids threatened following news

Ole Obermann & Rachel Newman Named Apple Music Co-Heads

Britain, U.S. attack Houthi drone manufacturing targets in Yemen

This is the largest office-to-residential conversion in the US — and it’s just the beginning

What do we know about the brothers and sisters of Jesus?

What is xeroderma pigmentosum? The rare genetic disorder that forces people to avoid sunlight

A Classic Budget Alternative to the Royal Oak Is Now Even More Versatile

Costacurta aims dig at French media over Donnarumma

Police reveal additional details about Vancouver car-ramming victims

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.New York Zoo Feeds Baby Vulture With Hand Puppet

2.Look: Zoo using realistic puppet to feed newly-hatched king vulture chick

3.Owner of lost $5,000 cash thought calls from police were a scam

4.Watch: Iowa museum owner's spoon collection tallied at 38,162

5.Watch: Red-tailed boa rescued from Texas tree, adopted by animal control officer

6.Speedboat Flips Midair At 200 Mph And Still Wins Race On Arizona Lake

7.Student rescued from mountain twice in four days - after going back to find his phone

8.Mother horse, baby rescued from mud pit in Arizona

9.Man wins $6M lottery prize after more than 40 years of playing

10.Watch: Miniature dachshund found after 529 days in the wild on Kangaroo Island