Ripped from the Headlines: March 2022: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 26–March 4, 2022

Approximately one in three dental patients experience anxiety, and for some of them, cuddling a therapy dog during treatment is a new option to help soothe those fearful feelings. A small study found that anxious people who held a dog in their laps during teeth cleanings and cavity fillings had lower levels of stress and decreased blood pressure readings. Past studies have also shown that the presence of animals boosts patients' moods and lowers the perception of pain.

Calls to boycott Russian products increased this week, with proponents hoping to show solidarity with Ukraine after Russia's invasion. Governors of states including Texas, Maine, and Ohio have restricted the purchase and sale of Russian vodka. Experts say the boycott is largely symbolic, as Russian spirits make up less than one percent of U.S. alcohol sales. Boycott comes from land agent Charles Boycott, who was ostracized by Irish farmers in an 1880 protest.

When this month's Paralympic Games begin in Beijing, 115 disabled athletes will represent China, which has won the most medals at the last five Paralympics. Although the country is extremely supportive of athletes with physical and mental impairments, ordinary people with disabilities face huge hurdles in China. Chinese Paralympic athletes, whose challenges range from blindness to limb amputation, aim to shift perceptions of disabled people toward being equal members of Chinese society.

Researchers have found a way to change the genome of ticks, a method they hope will result in a reduction in Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. The team of scientists used the genetic engineering tool CRISPR to edit the genes in tick eggs before they hatched, removing genetic material that aids in transmitting pathogens. It's the first study to successfully modify the genes of ticks. Genome was coined in 1920, modeled on chromosome.

An Italian study suggests that dogs, like humans, grieve the loss of their companions. Researchers found that 86 percent of canines had behavioral changes following the loss of another dog in the household, including loss of appetite, increased sleeping, and disinterest in playing. The results are evidence of dogs' sociability and ability to form emotional bonds with other animals, according to scientists. Grieve derives from a Latin root meaning "make heavy."

On February 28, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a study detailing the immediate threats of global warming. According to the report, many of those effects are irreversible. Temperatures have increased two degrees since the 1800s, and 40 percent of the world's population is "highly vulnerable" to consequences including wildfires, flooding, and drought. Though many effects can't be changed, experts say there is a brief window to prevent the very worst of them.

An atmospheric river descended on the Pacific Northwest for several days this week, soaking the region and triggering flooding and landslides. The deluge caused rivers to overflow their banks and inundate roads in western Washington and northwest Oregon. Soil saturation and instability caused mud and rock to flow down hills in several Washington counties, with multiple landslides shutting down parts of Highway 101.

Mask mandates have ended in most of the United States. After the CDC relaxed its mask guidance last week, only three states continue to require face coverings indoors. Two of those, Washington and Oregon, plan to end their mandates this month, leaving only Hawaii with an official mask directive. Private businesses, towns, and school districts are left to set their own policies. Mandate comes from the Latin mandatum, "command or order."

Archaeologists in South London discovered an ancient mosaic that once decorated the floor of a Roman dining room. The rare find — thought to be around 1,800 years old — is made up of two large panels, each covered in colorful stone squares forming illustrations of flowers and knotted patterns. Signs point to the site having been an upscale Roman hotel known as a mansio. The Latin root of mosaic means "of the Muses."

President Biden announced that his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. If confirmed, Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court. She currently sits on Washington, D.C.'s federal appellate court. Confirmation hearings will begin on March 21, with a Senate vote scheduled for April 8. Nominee is from nominate, "name as a candidate," and its Latin root, meaning "name."

The results of two new studies released over the weekend indicated that Covid-19's origin can be traced to a food and animal market in Wuhan, China. After analyzing a vast amount of data, scientists concluded that the pandemic began when coronavirus passed from a live mammal at the market to people who shopped or worked there. Understanding the genesis of a virus that has killed almost six million people is seen as a vital part of the preparation for future pandemics.

A year after 2021's Mardi Gras cancellations, Mardi Gras parades have returned to New Orleans. Marching bands and dancers promenaded down the streets of the city on March 1, while colorfully-costumed float riders tossed the usual plastic beads and trinkets to spectators, along with coronavirus rapid tests. Indoor Fat Tuesday parties and concerts required proof of vaccination and masking.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress has proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The proposal would mean turning clocks forward one hour on March 13 and never turning them back again, as most Americans do each fall. Forty-eight states currently make the switch every spring; the move to establish a perpetual daylight saving would be enacted in state legislatures, but Congress must authorize the change. Permanent has a Latin root that means "to the end."

Ukrainian cybersecurity experts have formed what they are calling an "IT army" to fight Russian propaganda. These expatriate Ukranians are battling pro-Russia messaging on state-run websites. This propaganda includes bogus claims of a Ukrainian genocide against Russian speakers and the false allegation that NATO started the conflict in Ukraine. One app developed by the group overwhelms misinformation-spreading websites with fake traffic, temporarily taking them offline.

Paleontologists say that a large fossil found on the Isle of Skye is from the Jurassic-era flying reptile known as a pterosaur. This ancient relative of today's lizards and crocodiles was enormous, with a wingspan up to 40 feet wide, and was the first vertebrate that evolved to fly. While some modern reptiles can glide, none can fly using their own power. The root of reptile, in fact, means "to crawl or creep."

The U.S. and its allies increased their sanctions against Russia this week, applying various financial penalties in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Measures include blocking the Russian government's access to banks, a move that also restricts the use of credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Canada and most European countries banned Russian flights from their airspace as well. As of March 1, the ruble dropped in value by more than 30 percent.

An archaeological dig in Jordan has uncovered an ancient shrine. The 9,000-year-old ritual site was discovered at a remote Neolithic campsite in the country's eastern desert. The shrine contained two carved figures and a stone altar. Researchers say it will help shed light on the "spiritual culture" of the people who lived there. Shrine derives from an Old English word, scrin, "case for relics," and its Latin root, scrinium, "box for keeping papers."

The international soccer association, FIFA, announced on February 28 that it would indefinitely suspend all Russian teams. The decision followed the group's statement condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. FIFA's temporary ban almost certainly means that Russia will not participate in November's World Cup in Qatar, since the country's soccer team will miss its March 24 playoff game with Poland. The Latin root of suspend means both "interrupt" and "hang up."

A company in Hyderabad, India, has developed a new way to make sustainable tableware. Bollant Industries produces eco-friendly plates, bowls, and packaging using fallen leaves of the areca, a type of palm tree, combined with recycled paper. With these renewable, abundant resources, the company creates disposable products with very little environmental impact. Bollant's 30-year-old CEO, who is blind, says he employs about 400 people, a quarter of whom have some type of physical disability.

When a volcano in Tonga erupted in January, the explosion was so loud it could be heard 6,000 miles away. Scientists are still trying to understand what made the volcanic eruption so massive. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano rumbled to life about 600 feet under the Pacific Ocean, a depth that experts believe contributed to the high pressure of the blast. The source of volcanic is Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.