Ripped from the Headlines: September 2021: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 28–September 3, 2021

Spotted skunks are known by biologists as the acrobats of the skunk world for the handstands they do as they spray. Now scientists have learned that there are seven separate species of these small, polka-dotted gymnasts. Researchers collected DNA samples from more than 200 spotted skunks; analysis showed seven distinct varieties of stinky hand-standing mammal. In French, acrobate is defined as "tightrope walker," from a Greek root that means "rope dancer."

On August 30, athlete Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games. Lekhara, who is 19, scored 249.6 in the women's 10 meter air rifle standing final, breaking the Paralympic record and beating out competitors from China and Ukraine. The Greek root of athlete is athletes, "contestant in the games."

Mendota, California calls itself the cantaloupe center of the world, but a heat wave this summer — and continuous drought caused by climate change — may force the town to change that slogan. Juicy melons like cantaloupe require a lot of water to survive, and dry, hot conditions have led to increasingly empty fields. While California once produced the majority of melons, many cantaloupes are now imported from Central America.

California regulators enacted a change to the state's building code this week. The updated regulations will require new construction to include solar panels. Buildings will also be obligated to have wiring allowing them to easily switch from natural gas heaters to electric heat pumps. Experts say the change is the most comprehensive environmental upgrade ever made to building codes. Critics worry about the focus on new construction, rather than including existing structures.

Scientists say a randomized study of mask use in Bangladesh provides conclusive proof that surgical masks limit the spread of coronavirus. The massive study tracked more than 340,000 Bangladeshi adults and decisively found that increased use of masks led to a reduced rate of Covid-19 infection. Researchers said that because they were only able to document symptomatic cases, the real effects of mask-wearing are undoubtedly even higher than their results showed.

Data from the 2020 Census shows that U.S. population density rose significantly over the last decade. Outlying suburbs grew the most, with crowded urban centers close behind, and clusters of people living in close proximity to each other increased. Population density had fallen in the previous 20 years, but since 2010 growth has slowed in rural areas and sparsely settled suburbs. New York City has the country's highest population density.

Opposition politicians and journalists have been forced to flee Russia, leading to a dramatic rise in the pace of emigration from that country this year. Russian leaders are threatening to imprison dissidents who remain in the country, using the jailing of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny as an example. Experts say it’s the largest rush of political emigration since the end of the Soviet Union. The Latin root of emigration means "removal from a place."

On September 1, three days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, state officials urged evacuees to delay returning home. Damage to power grids, sewers, and water lines means hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity or drinking water. Those who fled the storm's damaging wind and rain are being warned that basic services, including emergency response and passable roads, aren't available in many areas. The Latin root of evacuee means "to empty."

Two exhibitions in New York feature search and rescue dogs who tried to find survivors in the World Trade Center wreckage after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Charlotte Dumas’s photographs of 15 recovery dogs are on display at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in a show titled K-9 Courage. And on September 1, a show called 9/11 Remembered: Search & Rescue Dogs opened at the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog. The Latin root of exhibition means "to show."

Jury selection began August 31 for the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, who founded the blood-testing company Theranos. Holmes and her business partner are accused of deceiving patients and cheating investors out of millions of dollars. People who were misdiagnosed by Theranos tests will testify. Prosecutors say Holmes claimed the company was using innovative equipment when it actually sent blood samples to an outside lab for testing. The Latin root of fraud means "deceit."

Delta Airlines will require its unvaccinated employees to pay more for health insurance starting November 1. Workers who choose not to get a coronavirus vaccine will pay $200 more each month for their insurance plans, which ensure that their potential health care costs will be partially covered. While several other major employers are considering such an approach to encourage vaccination, Delta is the first to impose higher insurance rates.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is asking residents to report any sitings of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. The highly destructive bright red insect, which reproduces prolifically, is native to China and first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2014. It is capable of swiftly destroying trees, vines, and crops. Invasive derives from a Latin root meaning "go into, attack, or invade."

Using satellites, scientists have spotted huge luminescent areas glowing under the surface of the earth's oceans. These radiant, blue-green regions of water are caused by microorganisms, and they can be so bright that orbiting satellites are able to view them from 500 miles away. One such glowing patch of sea was calculated to be bigger than the combined land of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Latin root of luminescent means "light."

Nutrition experts say that monosodium glutamate, the seasoning known as MSG, has been unfairly maligned. MSG is a common source of savory umami flavor in Chinese cuisine and many snack foods. Rumors of ill health effects caused by MSG, including heart palpitations and numbness, have been debunked repeatedly by scientists but persist today. Malign is rooted in the Latin malus, "bad."

A United Nations watchdog agency stated this week that North Korea has restarted its nuclear weapons program. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency warns that the country appears to have resumed using a formerly dormant reactor and to be attempting to extract plutonium from nuclear waste. The threat of highly destructive weapons in the hands of North Korea is troubling to its neighbors and the world at large.

Researchers have found that female hummingbirds whose plumage resembles that of male birds are less likely to be harassed by aggressive males. Female white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds are frequently pecked and chased while they attempt to sip nectar from flowers. Some have evolved an adaptation: bright blue plumage nearly identical to the feathers of male birds.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has acquired a collection of 286 portraits by early Black photographers. The rare daguerreotypes and other photographic works date from the 1840s to the 1920s and were made by African American portraitists who photographed both Black and white subjects. The posed portraits were very popular in the mid-19th century, but few remain in existence today. Portrait comes from the French portraire, "to paint or depict."

New restrictions in China will place substantial limits on online gaming for minors. The recent rule change means that children younger than 18 are only permitted to play online games for three hours each week, limited to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Play is banned on school nights. Restriction comes from a Latin word meaning "limitation," deriving from roots that mean "draw tight" and "back."

On August 29, storm surges from Hurricane Ida caused the Mississippi River to briefly reverse its flow. A spokesperson from the U.S. Geological Survey called the reversal an extremely uncommon occurrence and said that the last known occurrence of the river's flow swapping directions was during Hurricane Katrina sixteen years ago. The Latin root of reverse is reversus, "turn back or turn about."

Economists, who once predicted a quick post-Covid return to abundantly available goods, now say shortages are likely to last for months or even years. Disruptions in the supply chain caused by the pandemic have resulted in a scarcity of items used by consumers and businesses alike. Shortages of some products (like car parts) make the production of other items (like cars) impossible. Many are predicting that continuing shortages will disrupt the holiday buying season.

A woman who ignored warning signs and walked on thermal grounds at Yellowstone National Park faces seven days in jail. Madeline S. Casey pleaded guilty to leaving a boardwalk and stepping on the fragile layer of ground that covers water so scalding hot that it can cause fatal burns. Casey must also pay $2,000 in fines and is banned from entering the park during her two-year probation. Thermal derives from the Greek therme, "feverish heat."

On August 30, the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York opened its stands to vaccinated spectators. Fans packed the Flushing Meadows venue, resulting in a nearly normal-feeling sporting event. The U.S. Open, which is traditionally the last of four tournaments that make up tennis’s Grand Slam, consists of five competitions: men's and women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles matches. The original 12th century tournaments were jousts between knights on horseback.