Magpie News Collector

animal

Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 3/14/2025 9:00 AM

Videos show narwhals using their tusks in several ways, including prodding and flipping a fish. It’s the first reported evidence of the whales playing. ... Read full Story

animal

Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil

By Science News | Brianna Randall | 3/7/2025 11:00 AM

In Brazil, where humans and dolphins fish in tandem, cooperation both within and between species is essential for the longstanding tradition. ... Read full Story

animal

Some sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate change

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 3/7/2025 9:00 AM

A 1-degree-Celsius change in water temperature prompts sea turtles in Northern Cyprus to lay eggs nearly a week earlier on average. ... Read full Story

animal

How a Labrador retriever’s genes might affect the dog’s obesity risk

By Science News | Alex Viveros | 3/6/2025 2:00 PM

Understanding the genetics of Labrador retriever obesity may help dog owners mitigate their best friend’s weight gain. ... Read full Story

animal

Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 3/4/2025 2:00 PM

Male crickets in Hawaii softened their chirps once parasitic flies started hunting them. Now, it seems, the flies are homing in on the new tunes. ... Read full Story

animal

How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/24/2025 11:00 AM

A survey of museum specimens reveals that more than a dozen species of the birds sport biofluorescence in feathers, skin or even inside their throats. ... Read full Story

animal

How a puffin patrol in Iceland is saving the iconic seabirds

By Science News | Jenny Krumrine | 2/24/2025 10:00 AM

Light pollution disorients young puffins. The Puffling Patrol helps them find their way to the sea. ... Read full Story

animal

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces

By Science News | Gennaro Tomma | 2/21/2025 9:00 AM

The young of a mysterious blowfly species look — and smell — like the termites they hide among. ... Read full Story

animal

How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/14/2025 9:00 AM

Time-lapse video shows how a mushroom coral polyp pulses and inflates, flinging its soft body into micro-hops to slowly move itself to a new location. ... Read full Story

animal

In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

By Science News | Elie Dolgin | 2/13/2025 11:30 AM

Six zebras wore video cameras attached to collars, capturing the equines’ daily life. Sticking with giraffes may let the two species protect each other. ... Read full Story

animal

Migrating whale sharks make pit stops at oil and gas rigs

By Science News | Melissa Hobson | 2/12/2025 9:00 AM

Human-made structures act as artificial reefs, luring plankton and, in turn, Earth’s largest fish. That could put whale sharks at risk of ship strikes. ... Read full Story

animal

A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/10/2025 11:00 AM

The new fungus species Gibellula attenboroughii forces reclusive cave spiders to exposed areas, likely to benefit spore dispersal. ... Read full Story

animal

Cuttlefish ink may overwhelm sharks’ sense of smell

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/7/2025 11:30 AM

The main component of common cuttlefish ink — melanin — strongly sticks to shark smell sensors, possibly explaining why the predators avoid ink. ... Read full Story

animal

This bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest

By Science News | Tina Hesman Saey | 2/7/2025 9:00 AM

A snapshot of blacktip reef sharks hunting hardyhead silverside fish won the 2024 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition. ... Read full Story

animal

A second version of bird flu is infecting cows. What does that mean?

By Science News | McKenzie Prillaman | 2/6/2025 2:48 PM

While the risk to humans of exposure from cows or milk remains low, this new flu spillover from birds into cows raises the need for continued surveillance. ... Read full Story

animal

How mantis shrimp deliver punishing blows without hurting themselves

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 2/6/2025 2:00 PM

A mantis shrimp's punch creates high-energy waves. Its exoskeleton is designed to absorb that energy, preventing cracking and tissue damage. ... Read full Story

animal

Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

By Science News | Susan Milius | 2/6/2025 9:00 AM

DNA analysis reveals the big, flightless moa birds ate — and pooped out — 13 kinds of fungi, including ones crucial for New Zealand’s forest ecosystem. ... Read full Story

animal

Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 2/5/2025 10:00 AM

President Trump has already begun to introduce changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act, a cornerstone of U.S. conservation law. ... Read full Story

animal

A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

By Science News | Alka Tripathy-Lang | 2/4/2025 9:00 AM

Riley Black’s new book, When the Earth was Green, uses the latest research to envision the ancient worlds of our favorite prehistoric animals. ... Read full Story

animal

Hotter cities? Here come the rats

By Science News | Bethany Brookshire | 1/31/2025 2:00 PM

Well, rats. A study of 16 cities shows that higher ambient temperatures and loss of green space are associated with increasing rodent complaints. ... Read full Story

animal

Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet

by Science News | Apr 28 2025

art

Amiee Byrne’s Realistic Ceramic Sculptures Underscore the Charm of Discarded Goods

by Colossal | Apr 29 2025

book

Your Met Gala 2025 reading list

by BookPage | Apr 30 2025

entertainment

Celeb Colorist Bianca Hillier Says You Should Look to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for Summer Hair Inspo

by ET Online | Apr 28 2025

FFNEWS

Amazon airline prioritizes bigger aircraft to handle third-party cargo

by FreightWaves | Apr 07 2025

golf

Jay Sigel, Amateur Golfer Who Played Like a Pro, Dies at 81

by NY Times | Apr 25 2025

health

Ozempic May Cause Cosmetic Side Effects Like Sagging Skin, Wrinkly Feet

by Healthline.com | Apr 29 2025

how_to

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

by CNET | Apr 30 2025

knowledge

Here’s Why Bathroom Towels Have Those Woven Strips on Both Ends

by Reader's Digest | Apr 25 2025

lifestyle

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

by Hello! Magazine | Apr 30 2025

long_island

Family of missing Nassau politician urges public to join beach search

by greaterlongisland.com | Apr 29 2025

metro

How living in the suburbs can increase your risk of developing a meat allergy

by New York Post | Apr 30 2025

music

Ole Obermann & Rachel Newman Named Apple Music Co-Heads

by Billboard | Apr 29 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

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.

Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play

Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil

Some sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate change

How a Labrador retriever’s genes might affect the dog’s obesity risk

Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle

How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers

How a puffin patrol in Iceland is saving the iconic seabirds

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces

How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs

In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

Migrating whale sharks make pit stops at oil and gas rigs

A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

Cuttlefish ink may overwhelm sharks’ sense of smell

This bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest

A second version of bird flu is infecting cows. What does that mean?

How mantis shrimp deliver punishing blows without hurting themselves

Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?

A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

Hotter cities? Here come the rats

Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet

Amiee Byrne’s Realistic Ceramic Sculptures Underscore the Charm of Discarded Goods

Your Met Gala 2025 reading list

Celeb Colorist Bianca Hillier Says You Should Look to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for Summer Hair Inspo

Amazon airline prioritizes bigger aircraft to handle third-party cargo

Jay Sigel, Amateur Golfer Who Played Like a Pro, Dies at 81

Ozempic May Cause Cosmetic Side Effects Like Sagging Skin, Wrinkly Feet

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

Here’s Why Bathroom Towels Have Those Woven Strips on Both Ends

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

Family of missing Nassau politician urges public to join beach search

How living in the suburbs can increase your risk of developing a meat allergy

Ole Obermann & Rachel Newman Named Apple Music Co-Heads

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?

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