Magpie News Collector

animal

These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025

By Science News | Laura Sanders | 1/2/2026 10:00 AM

Amidst a tough year for science, glimmers of joy burst through in revelations from the silly to the sublime. ... Read full Story

animal

In a first, orcas and dolphins seen possibly hunting together

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 12/31/2025 8:00 AM

New footage shows orcas and dolphins coordinating hunts, hinting at interspecies teamwork to track and catch salmon off British Columbia. ... Read full Story

animal

Science taught us a few new tricks about our pets in 2025

By Science News | Carly Kay | 12/29/2025 10:00 AM

Are we reading our dog’s moods right? Does TV really comfort them when we’re away? These pet stories were catnip to us this year. ... Read full Story

animal

Have a taste of our favorite food stories from 2025

By Science News | Carly Kay | 12/24/2025 10:00 AM

This year, researchers took a bite out of culinary innovation. Check out some of our favorite food-related stories from 2025. ... Read full Story

animal

These are our favorite animal stories of 2025

By Science News | Carly Kay | 12/22/2025 11:00 AM

From clever cockatoos to vomiting spiders, these cool critters captivated us this year. ... Read full Story

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

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

by Science News | Apr 30 2026

basketball

Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset

by CBS Interactive Inc | May 03 2026

exercise

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

by thehealthy.com | Apr 15 2026

fashion

I tried the $2.2K Met Gala facial loved by Sabrina Carpenter, Kendall Jenner — and here’s the truth about it

by NY Post | May 02 2026

football

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

by ESNY | Feb 08 2026

game

GameStop Announces Shocking Buyout Offer For eBay, Priced At $55.5 Billion

by GameSpot | May 03 2026

how_to

F1: How to Watch the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

by CNET | May 03 2026

new_jersey

NJ Spotlight News: May 1, 2026

by NJ Spotlight | May 01 2026

nutrition

I Prioritized Protein at Every Meal for a Month—Here’s How It Affected My Body

by thehealthy.com | Apr 07 2026

odd_fun

N.C. man's son's birthday numbers deliver big lottery jackpot

by United Press International, Inc. | May 01 2026

politics

Duffy: Energy prices will drop 'once the Strait opens'

by The Hill | May 03 2026

retirement

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

by Fox News | Apr 30 2026

shopping

13 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

by Gear Patrol | May 03 2026

soccer

Wolves 1-1 Sunderland - the fans' verdict

by Yahoo Sports | May 04 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.

These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025

In a first, orcas and dolphins seen possibly hunting together

Science taught us a few new tricks about our pets in 2025

Have a taste of our favorite food stories from 2025

These are our favorite animal stories of 2025

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

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

Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset

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

I tried the $2.2K Met Gala facial loved by Sabrina Carpenter, Kendall Jenner — and here’s the truth about it

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

GameStop Announces Shocking Buyout Offer For eBay, Priced At $55.5 Billion

F1: How to Watch the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

NJ Spotlight News: May 1, 2026

I Prioritized Protein at Every Meal for a Month—Here’s How It Affected My Body

N.C. man's son's birthday numbers deliver big lottery jackpot

Duffy: Energy prices will drop 'once the Strait opens'

Trump signs order aiming to help expand access to retirement accounts

13 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

Wolves 1-1 Sunderland - the fans' verdict

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