Magpie News Collector

animal

Subway mosquitoes evolved millennia ago in ancient Mediterranean cities

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/23/2025 6:00 PM

A variety of subway-dwelling mosquito seems like a modern artifact. But genomic analysis reveals the insect got its evolutionary start millennia ago. ... Read full Story

animal

Which venomous snakes strike the fastest?

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/23/2025 2:43 PM

Vipers have the fastest strikes, but snakes from other families can give some slower vipers stiff competition. ... Read full Story

animal

Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays

By Science News | Melissa Hobson | 10/22/2025 1:00 PM

Thousands of at-risk manta and devil rays become accidental bycatch in tuna fishing nets every year. A simple sorting grid could help save them. ... Read full Story

animal

Guppies fall for a classic optical illusion. Doves, usually, do too

By Science News | Sujata Gupta | 10/20/2025 6:00 PM

Comparing animals’ susceptibility to optical illusions can show how perception evolved. ... Read full Story

animal

A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest

By Science News | Carly Kay | 10/17/2025 4:00 PM

From fluorescent ferns to sprawling neurons, this year’s winning photos reveal the structures and artistry of life seen through a microscope. ... Read full Story

animal

These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source

By Science News | Taylor Mitchell Brown | 10/15/2025 5:00 PM

Insects have long pollinated plants, but evidence of ancient pairing is rare. Fossils now show bees and linden trees goes back 24 million years. ... Read full Story

animal

The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat

By Science News | Amanda Heidt | 10/14/2025 7:01 PM

Researchers used methods from paleontology to analyze the quirky local landmark, created when a rodent of a certain size fell into wet concrete. ... Read full Story

animal

New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites

By Science News | Carly Kay | 10/14/2025 9:00 AM

By weaving Kevlar or polyethylene nanofibers into standard neoprene in wetsuits, researchers found ways to limit injury during rare encounters with sharks. ... Read full Story

animal

Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks

By Science News | Alison Pearce Stevens | 10/9/2025 2:00 PM

Sensor data reveal greater noctule bats chasing, catching and chewing on birds during high-altitude, nighttime hunts. ... Read full Story

animal

Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors

By Science News | Laura Sanders | 10/9/2025 11:00 AM

Some dogs love playing with toys so intensely they can’t stop—offering scientists a window into behavioral addictions. ... Read full Story

animal

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 10/7/2025 10:00 AM

A nearly 20,000-year-old woolly rhino horn reveals the extinct herbivores lived as long as modern-day rhinos, despite harsher Ice Age conditions. ... Read full Story

animal

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 10/3/2025 11:01 AM

Spiking milk with live ants makes tangy traditional yogurt. Researchers have identified the ants' microbial pals and enzymes that help the process. ... Read full Story

animal

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

By Science News | Sarah Boden | 9/26/2025 10:00 AM

Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result. ... Read full Story

animal

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/25/2025 2:00 PM

The effectiveness of camouflage or warning colors for insect defense depends on conditions such as light levels and how many predators are around. ... Read full Story

animal

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

By Science News | Meghan Rosen | 9/23/2025 9:00 AM

Spotted ratfish, or “ghost sharks,” have forehead teeth that help them grasp onto mates. It’s the first time teeth have been found outside of a mouth. ... Read full Story

animal

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/19/2025 10:00 AM

Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats. ... Read full Story

animal

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

By Science News | Jennifer S. Holland | 9/18/2025 11:00 AM

Dogs that easily learn the names of toys might also mentally sort them by function, a new example of complex cognitive activity in the canine brain. ... Read full Story

animal

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

By Science News | Jake Buehler | 9/11/2025 11:00 AM

Octopuses are ambidextrous, a new study finds, but they favor their front arms for investigating surroundings and their back arms for locomotion. ... Read full Story

animal

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

By Science News | Katarina Zimmer | 9/8/2025 9:00 AM

From salamanders to monkeys, many species get more violent at warmer temperatures — a trend that may shape their social structures as the world warms. ... Read full Story

animal

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

By Science News | Erin Garcia de Jesús | 9/4/2025 2:00 PM

Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide. ... Read full Story

animal

Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops

by Science News | Jan 27 2026

art

Regina Silveira Pieces Together an Evolving Narrative of Latin America

by Colossal | Jan 29 2026

connecticut

During Muslim Heritage Month, a new welcoming space is created

by CT Mirror | Jan 29 2026

entertainment

Pilates Pro Nofar Hagag Shares How Her Workouts Can Help You Nail Red Carpet or Instagram Poses

by ET Online | Jan 28 2026

exercise

Dua Lipa’s Trainer Just Revealed the Body Part the Pop Star Trains the Hardest

by thehealthy.com | Dec 03 2025

fashion

NYC stays cool in the cold: How the Big Apple’s most stylish keep it chic even at the frostiest temps

by NY Post | Jan 29 2026

finance

Mastercard’s stock rises as earnings send an upbeat message about spending

by MarketWatch.com | Jan 29 2026

golf

Masashi Ozaki, Japan’s Dominant Golfer Known as ‘Jumbo,’ Dies at 78

by NY Times | Dec 30 2025

lifestyle

Oprah Winfrey, 72, shows off her workout routine after weight loss and 'two new knees'

by Hello! Magazine | Jan 29 2026

mental

People Who Did This One Thing in Their 20s Were the Happiest at Age 80

by thehealthy.com | Dec 22 2025

new_jersey

Gopal blasts Murphy’s final-hour pardons, calls for clemency limits

by NJ Spotlight | Jan 29 2026

odd_fun

Maryland man collects his second big lotter prize in under 2 years

by United Press International, Inc. | Jan 29 2026

opinion

SEC CHAIR ATKINS, CFTC CHAIR SELIG : Team Trump readies crypto plan so Americans can count on their future

by Opinion on Fox News | Jan 29 2026

retirement

The best (and worst) housing markets for retirees in 2026

by Fox News | Jan 08 2026

upstate

Cardona's Market recognized as NYS historic business

by NEWS10 ABC | Jan 29 2026

Word of the Day

reciprocate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 29, 2026 is:

reciprocate • \rih-SIP-ruh-kayt\ • verb

To reciprocate is to do something for or to someone who has done something similar for or to you. Reciprocate can also mean “to have (a feeling) for someone who has the same feeling for you.”

// It was kind of my friend to give me a ride to the airport, and on the flight I was thinking of how to reciprocate the favor.

See the entry >

Examples:

“She entered the post office and greeted Tommaso, who reciprocated with a smile, then Carmine, who stroked his beard and shot her the usual skeptical glance.” — Francesca Giannone, The Letter Carrier (translated by Elettra Pauletto), 2025

Did you know?

“Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” “do unto others as you would have them do to you,” “share and share alike”: such is the essence of the verb reciprocate, which implies a mutual or equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received. Reciprocate traces back to the Latin verb reciprocare (“to move back and forth”), which in turn comes from the adjective reciprocus, meaning “returning the same way” or “alternating.” Indeed, one of the meanings of reciprocate is “to move forward and backward alternately,” as in “a reciprocating saw.” Most often, however, reciprocate is used for the action of returning something in kind or degree, whether that be a gift, favor, or feeling.

Subway mosquitoes evolved millennia ago in ancient Mediterranean cities

Which venomous snakes strike the fastest?

Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays

Guppies fall for a classic optical illusion. Doves, usually, do too

A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest

These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source

The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat

New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites

Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks

Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors

What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology

To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops

Regina Silveira Pieces Together an Evolving Narrative of Latin America

During Muslim Heritage Month, a new welcoming space is created

Pilates Pro Nofar Hagag Shares How Her Workouts Can Help You Nail Red Carpet or Instagram Poses

Dua Lipa’s Trainer Just Revealed the Body Part the Pop Star Trains the Hardest

NYC stays cool in the cold: How the Big Apple’s most stylish keep it chic even at the frostiest temps

Mastercard’s stock rises as earnings send an upbeat message about spending

Masashi Ozaki, Japan’s Dominant Golfer Known as ‘Jumbo,’ Dies at 78

Oprah Winfrey, 72, shows off her workout routine after weight loss and 'two new knees'

People Who Did This One Thing in Their 20s Were the Happiest at Age 80

Gopal blasts Murphy’s final-hour pardons, calls for clemency limits

Maryland man collects his second big lotter prize in under 2 years

SEC CHAIR ATKINS, CFTC CHAIR SELIG : Team Trump readies crypto plan so Americans can count on their future

The best (and worst) housing markets for retirees in 2026

Cardona's Market recognized as NYS historic business

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Maryland man collects his second big lotter prize in under 2 years

2.Watch: Semi crash covers Wisconsin highway in beer kegs

3.Watch: Production error turns 'crying horse' toy into viral sensation

4.Look: Michigan State Police capture mini donkey named Dolly Parton

5.Look: Kangaroo found hopping loose down Texas road

6.Colo. man wins two big prizes from same scratch-off lottery game

7.Look: Capybara named Prune wins 'long bath showdown'

8.Watch: British 2-year-old breaks two world records playing pool and snooker

9.9-foot boa constrictor removed from Florida resident's yard

10.Watch: Wandering mountain lion captured in San Francisco neighborhood