Magpie News Collector

animal

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 4/23/2026 2:00 PM

Some octopuses that lived over 72 million years ago were as long as whales. These huge predators may have been the largest invertebrates ever. ... Read full Story

animal

Humidity makes these bees turn green

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 4/21/2026 7:01 PM

North American sweat bees change color depending on the surrounding humidity. It might be a more widespread phenomenon among insects. ... Read full Story

animal

Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns

By Science News | Danielle Beurteaux | 4/21/2026 11:00 AM

Compressed air bids bye-bye to invasive sun corals in Brazil. The blasts obliterated soft tissue and fragments couldn't regenerate. ... Read full Story

animal

This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male

By Science News | RJ Mackenzie | 4/20/2026 11:00 AM

With half a beak, Bruce has developed an innovative fighting style that has won the kea top status in his flock, videos and documented interactions reveal. ... Read full Story

animal

An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 4/17/2026 2:02 PM

Pacific pocket mice are geographically isolated, but the species may retain the genetic diversity needed to adapt to climate change. ... Read full Story

animal

This tree is number one for cloud forest mammals going number two

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 4/16/2026 11:00 AM

The strangler fig is a keystone species in the tropics, providing food and shelter, and a place to poop for 17 different mammal species. ... Read full Story

animal

New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 4/14/2026 12:00 PM

The findings show how the H5N1 bird flu virus is evolving in livestock and what that may mean for human health. ... Read full Story

animal

Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language

By Science News | Laura Sanders | 4/13/2026 12:30 PM

Advances in decoding animal sounds might someday make animal translators a possibility. ... Read full Story

animal

For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 4/13/2026 12:00 AM

Climate change could be forcing gray whales to seek food in San Francisco Bay, where vessel strikes may be driving rising deaths. ... Read full Story

animal

Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe

By Science News | Carolyn Gramling | 4/8/2026 11:00 AM

A cave preserved two animals’ rib cages, cartilage and even traces of protein, revealing a flexible breathing apparatus like that of today’s land dwellers. ... Read full Story

animal

A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 4/7/2026 9:00 AM

In The Creatures’ Guide to Caring, science journalist Elizabeth Preston looks to the animal kingdom to explore what it means to be a good parent. ... Read full Story

animal

To climb trees, cicadas look to the shadows

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 4/2/2026 10:00 AM

Tree-climbing cicadas find their perches by looking for patches of darkness, a strategy known as skototaxis. ... Read full Story

animal

A fossil reveals early relatives of spiders — armed with claws

By Science News | Tom Metcalfe | 4/1/2026 11:00 AM

A Utah fossil shows early relatives of spiders and scorpions already had distinctive front claws 500 million years ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 3/31/2026 9:00 AM

A new documentary available on Disney+ and Hulu appeals to our sense of wonder to highlight why bees need saving. ... Read full Story

animal

How snakes defy gravity to stand tall

By Science News | Rohini Subrahmanyam | 3/27/2026 12:00 PM

Limbless tree snakes can lift most of their body into the air without toppling. They manage this by focusing all their bending forces at their base. ... Read full Story

animal

Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

By Science News | Lily Burton | 3/26/2026 2:15 PM

In a sperm whale birth recorded in more intimate detail than ever before, local whales huddled around the mother and lifted the calf to the surface. ... Read full Story

animal

Early apes may not have evolved in East Africa

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/26/2026 2:00 PM

Fossil jaw remains found in Egypt suggest that the earliest modern apes evolved in North Africa, not in East Africa where most fossils have been found. ... Read full Story

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

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

by Science News | Apr 23 2026

auto

GM's New Small-Block V8 Gets Another Huge Boost Before It Goes Mainstream

by carbuzz.com | Apr 30 2026

basketball

Why shots have stopped falling for the Lakers, who face a potential historic collapse vs. Rockets

by CBS Interactive Inc | Apr 30 2026

beauty

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

by The List | Mar 02 2025

fashion

Vera Wang, Pasquale Bruni, TAG Heuer and more unveil new looks and NYC shops

by NY Post | Apr 30 2026

FFNEWS

First look: XPO cruises past Q1 expectations

by FreightWaves | Apr 30 2026

health

Colorectal, Thyroid Cancer Risk May Be Higher for Males With Infertility

by Healthline.com | Apr 29 2026

knowledge

Here’s Why Spring Air Smells Funkier Than You Remember

by Reader's Digest | Apr 29 2026

odd_fun

Watch: 'Zonked out and stuck' bear rescued from tree in Colorado

by United Press International, Inc. | Apr 29 2026

opinion

Trump has Iran on the ropes — and critics still don’t get his edge

by Opinion on Fox News | Apr 30 2026

people

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

by marca.com | Apr 28 2026

real_estate

New Renderings Reveal 467-473 West 165th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan

by New York YIMBY | Apr 30 2026

travel

Intangible cultural heritage: Fado, Portugal

by Wanderlust | Apr 28 2026

wellness

Want to Live Longer? Start Flossing Your Teeth

by Self.com | Apr 22 2026

world

Trump unveils plans to cut U.S. forces in Germany amid spat over Iran

by United Press International, Inc. | Apr 30 2026

Word of the Day

interlocutor

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2026 is:

interlocutor • \in-ter-LAH-kyuh-ter\ • noun

Interlocutor is a formal word that means “one who takes part in dialogue or conversation.”

// It is crucial in our age of email scams to verify the validity of one’s online interlocutors before sharing sensitive information.

See the entry >

Examples:

“I remember sitting alone on the train platform, and then on the train, with no interlocutor but the poem. I read it once. I read it again. And in the blank spaces between the verses, I started to translate.” — Hannah Kauders, LitHub.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Did you know?

It may not necessarily be grandiloquence to use the word interlocutor in casual speech, but if your interlocutors—that is, the people with whom you are speaking—are using it, your conversation is likely a formal one. Interlocutor is one of many English words that comes from the Latin verb loqui, “to speak,” including loquacious (“talkative”), eloquent (“capable of fluent or vivid speech”), and grandiloquence (“extravagant or pompous speech”). In interlocutor, loqui was joined to inter- forming a Latin word meaning “to speak between” or “to issue an interlocutory decree.” An interlocutory decree is a judicial decision that isn’t final, or that deals with a point other than the principal subject matter of the dispute.

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

Humidity makes these bees turn green

Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns

This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male

An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change

This tree is number one for cloud forest mammals going number two

New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people

Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language

For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop

Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe

A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom

To climb trees, cicadas look to the shadows

A fossil reveals early relatives of spiders — armed with claws

Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive

How snakes defy gravity to stand tall

Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

Early apes may not have evolved in East Africa

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

Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep

GM's New Small-Block V8 Gets Another Huge Boost Before It Goes Mainstream

Why shots have stopped falling for the Lakers, who face a potential historic collapse vs. Rockets

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

Vera Wang, Pasquale Bruni, TAG Heuer and more unveil new looks and NYC shops

First look: XPO cruises past Q1 expectations

Colorectal, Thyroid Cancer Risk May Be Higher for Males With Infertility

Here’s Why Spring Air Smells Funkier Than You Remember

Watch: 'Zonked out and stuck' bear rescued from tree in Colorado

Trump has Iran on the ropes — and critics still don’t get his edge

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

New Renderings Reveal 467-473 West 165th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan

Intangible cultural heritage: Fado, Portugal

Want to Live Longer? Start Flossing Your Teeth

Trump unveils plans to cut U.S. forces in Germany amid spat over Iran

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: 'Zonked out and stuck' bear rescued from tree in Colorado

2.Family member's zip code delivers $50,000 lottery prize

3.Watch: Deputy responding to animal call finds entire escaped farm

4.Look: Wisconsin recycling center posts 17.3 mph speed limit sign

5.Look: YouTuber breaks Rubik's cube record while skydiving

6.Watch: Dashboard warning lights lead to baby squirrel discovery

7.Watch: Cat lost in California reunited with Georgia family 7 years later

8.Ohio woman wins total $150,000 with three identical lottery tickets

9.Watch: Donkey named Miss Kitty rescued from deep mud in North Carolina

10.Watch: Woman rescued from hole outside Manitoba home