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Researchers comb through data indicating magpies attack balding men more often

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with news of the magpie. It's a colorful little bird that weighs just a few ounces and will attack you like a beast if it perceives you as a threat. An 8-year-old in Australia saw a magpie swoop down on somebody and wondered just who they target. She conducted a study. Thirty thousand people participated, and she found magpies attack men with thin or receding hair. Nobody had made this connection before. Now researchers are combing through her data. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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