Magpie News Collector

animal

When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 3/25/2026 12:00 PM

Two new studies suggest that genetically stable dogs were living among humans in Europe by about 14,000 years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how

By Science News | Emily Conover | 3/24/2026 11:00 AM

Phantom crane flies change the angle of their splayed legs to increase or reduce drag, helping them navigate varying winds. ... Read full Story

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

A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading

by Science News | Jun 17 2026

basketball

DR Congo, Harry Kane shine at World Cup; who will win it all at the U.S. Open?

by CBS Interactive Inc | Jun 18 2026

beauty

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

by The List | Mar 02 2025

book

The Shippers

by BookPage | Jun 17 2026

exercise

Lindsey Vonn Says She Still Feels 29—Here’s What She’s Doing Differently

by thehealthy.com | Apr 15 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

lifestyle

Kylie Jenner gives serious ab envy in post workout pictures

by Hello! Magazine | Jun 18 2026

long_island

Inside the massive operation feeding thousands at the U.S. Open

by greaterlongisland.com | Jun 17 2026

nation

Bosch agrees to pay $36M as DOJ declines prosecution in export case

by upi.com | Jun 18 2026

odd_fun

Look: Alligator found 'posted up right at the front door' of S.C. home

by United Press International, Inc. | Jun 17 2026

people

Taylor Swift is staying one step ahead of AI by legally protecting her voice and image

by marca.com | Apr 28 2026

science

'This was a pioneering achievement': Stone Age people put up posts to observe the solstices near Stonehenge long before the stones of sacred site were placed

by LIVE SCIENCE | Jun 17 2026

travel

Experience France at its best on a journey through the Dordogne

by The Travel Magazine | Jun 17 2026

wellness

13 Black Women Share How They Found the Strength to Survive—and Thrive—With Breast Cancer

by Self.com | May 29 2026

Word of the Day

acquiesce

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2026 is:

acquiesce • \ak-wee-ESS\ • verb

To acquiesce to something is to accept it, agree with it, or allow it to happen by staying silent or by not arguing. Acquiesce is somewhat formal, and is often used with in or to.

// Eventually, the professor acquiesced to the students’ request to have the seminar’s final class be a potluck lunch.

See the entry >

Examples:

“It may be just the right time for a chicken burger to become a significant stop on the American burger’s continual evolution—but whether beef-clinging purists will acquiesce to a poultry spin, or cry fowl, remains to be seen.” — Talib Visram, Slate, 6 Apr. 2026

Did you know?

If you’re looking to give your speech a gentle, formal flair, don’t give acquiesce the silent treatment. Essentially meaning “to comply quietly,” acquiesce has as its ultimate source the Latin verb quiēscere, “to be quiet.” (Quiet itself is also a close relation.) Quiēscere can also mean “to repose,” “to fall asleep,” or “to rest,” and when acquiesce arrived in English via French in the early 1600s, it did so with two senses: the familiar “to agree or comply” and the now-obsolete “to rest satisfied.” Herman Melville employed the former in Moby-Dick, when Ahab orders the “confounded” crew to change the Pequod’s course after a storm damages the compasses: “Meanwhile, whatever were his own secret thoughts, Starbuck said nothing, but quietly he issued all requisite orders; while Stubb and Flask—who in some small degree seemed then to be sharing his feelings—likewise unmurmuringly acquiesced.”

When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues

These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how

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

A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading

DR Congo, Harry Kane shine at World Cup; who will win it all at the U.S. Open?

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

The Shippers

Lindsey Vonn Says She Still Feels 29—Here’s What She’s Doing Differently

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

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

Kylie Jenner gives serious ab envy in post workout pictures

Inside the massive operation feeding thousands at the U.S. Open

Bosch agrees to pay $36M as DOJ declines prosecution in export case

Look: Alligator found 'posted up right at the front door' of S.C. home

Taylor Swift is staying one step ahead of AI by legally protecting her voice and image

'This was a pioneering achievement': Stone Age people put up posts to observe the solstices near Stonehenge long before the stones of sacred site were placed

Experience France at its best on a journey through the Dordogne

13 Black Women Share How They Found the Strength to Survive—and Thrive—With Breast Cancer

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Look: Alligator found 'posted up right at the front door' of S.C. home

2.$1 million lottery ticket nearly thrown out by N.C. woman

3.Kangaroo gets new home after several days on the loose in Quebec

4.Watch: Boston bars say Scottish soccer fans are drinking them dry

5.World's oldest living land animal extends record to 194 years

6.Watch: Australian zoo's escaped Tasmanian devil safely captured

7.Watch: San Diego Zoo fills bear habitat with man-made snow

8.Lottery player's forgetfulness leads to $1.05M jackpot

9.Look: Loose emu's origins a mystery in New Jersey

10.Look: German man assembles world's largest Lego sausage