Magpie News Collector

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

Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook

By Science News | Elizabeth Pennisi | 2/18/2026 12:30 PM

The findings strengthen the case that regeneration is an old trait, offering insights into how complex tissues rebuild themselves. ... Read full Story

animal

How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’

By Science News | Martin J. Kernan | 2/18/2026 11:00 AM

Something is stopping Dry Lake Valley’s golden eagles from reproducing and killing raptors that fly in to fill the void. ... Read full Story

animal

Some snakes lack the ‘hunger hormone.’ Experts are hungry to know why

By Science News | Andrea Lius | 2/17/2026 1:00 PM

The complex biology of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, has researchers wondering how its absence helps snakes last a long time with no food, if at all. ... Read full Story

animal

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

by Science News | Apr 23 2026

book

After more than 30 books, KJ Charles hasn’t given up on historical romance

by BookPage | Apr 28 2026

entertainment

'The Bachelor' Alum Sarah Trott Celebrates Her Upcoming Wedding with a Combined Bachelor and Bachelorette Trip

by ET Online | Apr 27 2026

fashion

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

by NY Post | Apr 30 2026

football

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

by ESNY | Feb 08 2026

game

Where To Find Fertilizer In Arc Raiders

by GameSpot | Apr 29 2026

golf

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

by NY Times | Apr 15 2026

health

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

by Healthline.com | Apr 29 2026

mental

These 3 Research-Based Habits Could Help You Live a More Stress-Free Life

by thehealthy.com | Apr 23 2026

odd_fun

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

by United Press International, Inc. | Apr 29 2026

science

'The detectors never stopped beeping!' Nearly 3,000 coins discovered in field are Norway's largest Viking hoard on record

by LIVE SCIENCE | Apr 30 2026

shopping

Wait, the Coolest Vanlife Concept of 2025 Could Actually Happen

by Gear Patrol | Apr 29 2026

soccer

Aldershot trio to leave the club this summer

by Yahoo Sports | Apr 30 2026

upstate

Students compete innovations for workers with disabilities

by NEWS10 ABC | Apr 30 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.

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

Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook

How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’

Some snakes lack the ‘hunger hormone.’ Experts are hungry to know why

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

After more than 30 books, KJ Charles hasn’t given up on historical romance

'The Bachelor' Alum Sarah Trott Celebrates Her Upcoming Wedding with a Combined Bachelor and Bachelorette Trip

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

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

Where To Find Fertilizer In Arc Raiders

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

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

These 3 Research-Based Habits Could Help You Live a More Stress-Free Life

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

'The detectors never stopped beeping!' Nearly 3,000 coins discovered in field are Norway's largest Viking hoard on record

Wait, the Coolest Vanlife Concept of 2025 Could Actually Happen

Aldershot trio to leave the club this summer

Students compete innovations for workers with disabilities

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