Magpie News Collector

animal

Climate stress may undermine male spiders’ romantic gift giving

By Science News | Susan Milius | 12/5/2024 9:00 AM

Even spider love lives show an effect of climate uncertainty: Stressed males may offer a bit of silk-wrapped junk rather than a tasty insect treat. ... Read full Story

animal

New videos reveal the hidden lives of Andean bears

By Science News | Sophie Hartley | 12/4/2024 8:00 AM

The footage give clues to the range of plants the bears eat and how they mate, information important for conservation. ... Read full Story

animal

Ethiopian wolves are the first large carnivores found to slurp nectar

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 12/3/2024 9:00 AM

Wolves from three different packs were seen licking red hot poker flowers. That sweet tooth could make them the first known large predator pollinators. ... Read full Story

animal

Giant hornets have been sighted in Europe for the first time

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 12/2/2024 8:00 AM

Four southern giant hornets have turned up in Spain. Similar stingers, known for honeybee attacks, had the Pacific Northwest on edge a few years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Videos capture orcas’ tricks for taking down the largest fish on Earth

By Science News | Susan Milius | 11/29/2024 12:00 AM

Citizen science videos document for the first time how orcas coordinate an attack against whale sharks. ... Read full Story

animal

This ‘hidden figure’ of entomology fought for civil rights

By Science News | Susan Milius | 11/27/2024 8:00 AM

Margaret S. Collins, the first Black American female entomologist to earn a Ph.D., overcame sexism and racism to become a termite expert. ... Read full Story

animal

For adult chimps, playing may be more important than previously thought

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 11/21/2024 11:00 AM

A multiyear study of dozens of wild, adult chimps suggests that play helps reduce tension and boost cooperation among individuals. ... Read full Story

animal

Clams use fiber optics to channel sunlight to symbiotic algae

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 11/19/2024 11:00 AM

Mineral crystals in heart cockles’ shells protect symbiotic algae from ultraviolet rays and could lead to innovations in internet infrastructure. ... Read full Story

animal

Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/14/2024 9:00 AM

Environmental DNA harvested from the ocean, land and air can help scientists monitor wildlife. The challenge is figuring out how to interpret this eDNA. ... Read full Story

animal

A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/12/2024 9:00 AM

The detailed structure of a misfolded protein from a diseased deer could help explain why the disease hasn’t made the leap to humans. ... Read full Story

animal

Bees flying near cars are dying by the millions, a roadkill study suggests

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 11/7/2024 1:00 PM

Scientists in Utah put sticky traps on car bumpers to tally how many bees get hit on a typical trip. The broader toll is immense, they estimate. ... Read full Story

animal

Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism

By Science News | Susan Milius | 11/5/2024 7:01 PM

A bat gym shows that vampires are more like some insects, burning amino acids from blood proteins rather than the carbs or fats other mammals rely on. ... Read full Story

animal

Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 11/1/2024 3:41 PM

Swine can act as so-called “mixing vessels” for human and bird flus, giving avian viruses an opportunity to adapt for spreading in people. ... Read full Story

animal

A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/31/2024 2:00 PM

Tweaking the chemical composition of a parrot-specific pigment can shift feathers from red to yellow or green. ... Read full Story

animal

This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka

By Science News | Sandy Ong | 10/31/2024 9:00 AM

In addition to studying the world’s only nonmigratory blue whales, marine biologist Asha de Vos seeks to change her compatriots’ attitudes toward the ocean. ... Read full Story

animal

These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world

By Science News | Susan Milius | 10/30/2024 8:00 AM

Vespa orientalis fed an 80-percent-ethanol brew still did hornet tasks and had normal life spans. This trick may be an adaptation to gut-dwelling yeast. ... Read full Story

animal

Giant rats could soon help sniff out illegally smuggled goods

By Science News | Sophie Hartley | 10/30/2024 1:00 AM

African giant pouched rats can detect landmines and diseases. Now some have been trained to sense elephant ivory, pangolin scales and more. ... Read full Story

animal

A common kitchen tool could help koala conservation

By Science News | Kristel Tjandra | 10/28/2024 9:00 AM

A simple device sucks koala DNA out of the air, making it easier for conservationists to detect the elusive marsupials. ... Read full Story

animal

Male mosquitoes sometimes suck, too

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 10/25/2024 11:00 AM

Blood isn’t actually toxic to all male mosquitos. In at least one virus-carrying species, it may even help them live longer. ... Read full Story

animal

The U.S. empire was built on bird dung

By Science News | Sujata Gupta | 10/25/2024 9:00 AM

A mid-1850s act let the United States seize islands rich in bird guano. Those strategic outposts fueled the U.S. rise to power, a researcher says. ... Read full Story

auto

Video: Ford's Recall Issues Are Finally Improving

by carbuzz.com | Apr 29 2025

basketball

How boldly taking the ball out of Nikola Jokić's hands in crunch time clinched Game 5 for the Nuggets

by CBS Interactive Inc | Apr 30 2025

book

Your Met Gala 2025 reading list

by BookPage | Apr 30 2025

connecticut

Who gets to decide how CT should spend opioid settlement funds?

by CT Mirror | Apr 30 2025

exercise

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

by thehealthy.com | Mar 31 2025

football

“He’s a Great Kid” – Brian Daboll Excited to Get Started with #3 Overall Draft Pick Abdul Carter

by ESNY | Apr 24 2025

how_to

Mortgage Rates Go Down Over the Last Week: Mortgage Interest Rates for April 30, 2025

by CNET | Apr 30 2025

lifestyle

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

by Hello! Magazine | Apr 30 2025

mental

Audi Crooks on Keeping Eyes on the Prize and Caring for Mental Health

by thehealthy.com | Mar 07 2025

nation

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

by upi.com | Apr 30 2025

nutrition

I Ate Pineapple Every Day—Here’s What Happened

by thehealthy.com | Mar 31 2025

politics

Sen. Graham responds in kind to Trump's joke about wanting to be pope: 'Keep an open mind'

by Fox News | Apr 30 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

soccer

Costacurta aims dig at French media over Donnarumma

by Yahoo Sports | Apr 30 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.

Climate stress may undermine male spiders’ romantic gift giving

New videos reveal the hidden lives of Andean bears

Ethiopian wolves are the first large carnivores found to slurp nectar

Giant hornets have been sighted in Europe for the first time

Videos capture orcas’ tricks for taking down the largest fish on Earth

This ‘hidden figure’ of entomology fought for civil rights

For adult chimps, playing may be more important than previously thought

Clams use fiber optics to channel sunlight to symbiotic algae

Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation

A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer

Bees flying near cars are dying by the millions, a roadkill study suggests

Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism

Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries

A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage

This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka

These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world

Giant rats could soon help sniff out illegally smuggled goods

A common kitchen tool could help koala conservation

Male mosquitoes sometimes suck, too

The U.S. empire was built on bird dung

Video: Ford's Recall Issues Are Finally Improving

How boldly taking the ball out of Nikola Jokić's hands in crunch time clinched Game 5 for the Nuggets

Your Met Gala 2025 reading list

Who gets to decide how CT should spend opioid settlement funds?

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

“He’s a Great Kid” – Brian Daboll Excited to Get Started with #3 Overall Draft Pick Abdul Carter

Mortgage Rates Go Down Over the Last Week: Mortgage Interest Rates for April 30, 2025

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

Audi Crooks on Keeping Eyes on the Prize and Caring for Mental Health

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

I Ate Pineapple Every Day—Here’s What Happened

Sen. Graham responds in kind to Trump's joke about wanting to be pope: 'Keep an open mind'

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

Costacurta aims dig at French media over Donnarumma

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