Ripped from the Headlines: April 2021: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 10–April 16, 2021

The discovery of a 3,400-year-old city by Egyptian archaeologists is being described as the most important archaeological discovery in nearly a century. The city, which is still being excavated, has already revealed new details of life during Egypt's "Golden Age." Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts including scarabs, rings, and pottery among the zigzag-shaped walls of the city. Archaeologist is rooted in a Greek word meaning "the study of ancient things."

Observers say that Myanmar's brutal coup is just the latest sign of a rise in autocracy throughout southeast Asia. Democracy has weakened recently in neighboring countries including Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, with independent media being censored and civil liberties suspended. Authoritarian leaders in the region have used the courts and the military to suppress opposing voices. Autocracy comes from Greek roots: autos, "self," and kratia, "rule."

The FDA announced on April 13 that it would temporarily suspend the use of the Covid-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson after several people experienced blood clots. The pause resulted from what health regulators say is "an abundance of caution." Out of the more than seven million people who received the vaccine, only six reported clots. Experts are uncertain whether the vaccine caused this rare clot disorder, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, which is similar to a stroke.

Prince Phillip, the husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 99 on April 9. His official titles were Duke of Edinburgh and Consort of the Queen. Elizabeth and Phillip were married in 1947, and the Prince dedicated his public life as the Queen's spouse to keeping the British monarchy alive. He retired from official duties in 2017. The "companion or spouse" definition of consort comes from a root meaning "a shared destiny."

The coastal Australian town of Kalbarri was badly battered by a tropical cyclone that damaged more than 70 percent of its buildings. Winds reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour as the cyclone tore down power lines and ripped the roofs off houses. It's unusual for tropical storms to make landfall in this area of Australia, and the town was not built to sustain such powerful winds. Cyclone derives from a word that means "whirling in a circle."

Democrats are split on whether to use a portion of stimulus money to strengthen the Affordable Care Act — or to direct it toward expanding eligibility for Medicare. Senator Bernie Sanders favors lowering the Medicare age to 55 and increasing coverage to include vision, hearing, and dental care. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing to make temporary subsidies for the Affordable Care Act permanent. The divide highlights the party's contrasting visions for the future of healthcare.

In an April 13 letter to the Biden administration, corporate leaders called for sharp emission reductions, almost double the current U.S. target. Executives from more than 300 companies, including Walmart and Google, are pushing for a new goal of lowering emissions to 50 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. The target is similar to cuts preferred by most environmental groups. President Biden will announce new goals before the global climate summit on April 22.

The Biden administration's spending priorities for 2022 include a six percent boost in funding for NASA. Such an increase would make it possible for the agency to achieve its latest equity goals through the Artemis program, which aims to land the first person of color and first woman on the moon by 2024. Bhavya Lal, acting NASA chief of staff, said increasing equity and diversity are vital to the future of the space program. Equity shares a Latin root with "equal."

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began at sundown on April 12. Around the world, millions of Muslims will observe the holiday through May 12 by fasting during daylight hours — refraining from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset. While 2020's Ramadan fell during a sharp spike in coronavirus cases, making communal prayers in mosques impossible, many countries will allow gatherings this year.

An extensive study of grizzly bears has revealed that they, like humans, are inherently lazy. Scientists studied the bears' natural drive to determine why people and grizzlies cross paths so often. Past research has shown that humans are hard-wired to avoid activity; the new study shows bears are also inclined to be lazy, moving an average of 1.4 miles per hour and choosing flat terrain when possible. The routes grizzlies naturally select in the wild mirror those of humans.

Mysterious rings of grass in the Australian outback, locally referred to as “fairy circles,” may be caused by microbes in the soil, according to scientists. Pale green loops of spinifex grass surround bare circles of dusty red dirt, a phenomenon that's been studied for years and defied explanation. A new study found that sterilizing the soil in the middle of the circle made it easier to germinate seeds, suggesting that a microbe had inhibited growth.

IBM announced the name of its brand new IT services division, which will operate as a separate public company: Kyndryl. The word was described by IBM as a portmanteau of kinship and tendril, an explanation that left many observers mystified. Portmanteau was coined by Lewis Carroll in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which Humpty Dumpty tells Alice that slithy is a portmanteau of slimy and lithe.

Scientists say that prehistoric stones discovered in Wyoming may have traveled 1,000 miles in the bellies of dinosaurs. The large, rounded stones were found in 2017 on the site of an archaeological dig, and a new study shows they are native to southern Wisconsin. Researchers hypothesize that sauropods, long-necked dinosaurs known to swallow rocks to aid digestion, took the stones on a 1,000-mile migratory journey millions of years ago. Further research is needed to prove the theory.

Public life in Britain began to resume after many of the country's strict pandemic restrictions were lifted on April 12. Midnight on Monday marked the first moment when pubs could serve customers since the U.K.'s third national lockdown began in January. Restaurants, retail stores, gyms, and salons resumed business the following morning. Dining and drinking remain limited to outdoor spaces, and the final reopening phase is planned for June 21.

Among many pandemic-related shortages over the past year, one of the longest lasting has been a scarcity of ketchup. As the economy begins to return to normal, the ketchup shortage has spurred examination of the U.S. supply chain. Increased takeout and delivery orders fueled the ketchup situation, which mainly affected small packets. As fine dining restaurants pivoted to carryout and its accompanying condiments, competition with fast food places drove supplies down and prices up.

In an unprecedented victory, Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters Tournament on April 11. The 29-year-old Japanese golfer — who is known for being calm, steady, and very private — made history as the first Japanese man to win a major golf championship. A precedent is something that comes before; anything unprecedented is the very first of its kind.