Ripped from the Headlines: March 2022: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 19–March 25, 2022

A Hungarian astronomer detected a small asteroid as it hurtled toward Earth. It was only the fifth time a space rock has been spotted immediately before colliding with our planet. Krisztián Sárneczky was able to locate the object, which was about six feet long and not dangerous, thanks to NASA's new planetary defense tools. The technology was developed to protect the earth from larger, potentially harmful asteroids. The Greek root of asteroid means "star."

A newly released report reveals how much the practice of astronomy contributes to climate change. Experts estimate that annual emissions from telescopes — on Earth and in space — equal about 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. One controversial recommendation made by the study's authors is to drastically slow the pace of developing large, sophisticated instruments such as the James Webb Space Telescope.

A rare copy of the very first Marvel comic book, Marvel Comics No. 1, sold at auction this week. The winning bid was $2.4 million. The successful bidder was described as a longtime collector of comics who was particularly interested in the book because it had been annotated by the publisher. It was sold through ComicConnect, an online auction house specializing in comic books. Auction derives from a Latin word meaning "a sale by increasing bids."

The tenth annual World Happiness Report, a survey of people living in more than 150 countries, shows a surprising surge in benevolence. Although hardships and stress due to world events (including the pandemic) caused an increase in negative emotions, this was matched by an uptick in kindness toward others. These benevolent acts included volunteering, donating items and money, and helping strangers. Benevolence derives from the Latin benevolentia, "to wish well."

The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began on March 21. If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman justice to serve on the highest court in the U.S. She was nominated by President Biden to fill the seat of Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring this summer. The hearings provide an opportunity for Senators to question Judge Jackson before voting to approve or reject her candidacy. Democrats hope to complete the process by April 11.

A Guatemalan judge who spent her 20-year career fighting the country's rampant corruption has fled the country. After learning that her judicial immunity had been stripped and fearing imprisonment or death, Judge Erika Aifán resigned on March 21. She had presided over cases implicating Guatemala's highest officials, hearing testimony that President Alejandro Giammattei funded his 2019 campaign with $2.6 million in bribes and that congressmen and military commanders had laundered money.

The Japanese red-crowned crane, a graceful, black-and-white shorebird that symbolizes longevity and loyalty, has officially been saved from extinction. Conservation efforts over the last 50 years brought the long-legged creature from a total population of about 40 to nearly 2,000. Experts remain concerned because the cranes depend almost entirely on humans to feed them. The word crane derives from a root meaning "to cry hoarsely," inspired by their loud, ragged call.

Sweden is the first country to equip drones with automated external defibrillators in an effort to save more heart attack victims. The drones are able to deliver the devices — which use an electric pulse to restore or normalize a heartbeat — much faster than ambulances can arrive. The results of the two-year pilot study showed that faster access to defibrillators saves lives. Fibrillation is an abnormal heartbeat, and a defibrillator shocks it back to normal.

A small study published this week suggests that sleeping with a light on may be detrimental to cardiovascular and metabolic health. Participants wearing heart monitors slept in dark or moderately lit rooms and had glucose tests the next day. After two nights, those who dozed with the lights on had heightened heart rates and lower insulin response. The results point to adverse health effects and suggest a higher risk of heart attack and diabetes.

At a meeting on March 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved a climate disclosure rule. The new regulation will mean that public companies must reveal to the government and shareholders exactly how they affect the climate. The largest companies would have to divulge their entire carbon footprint, including business travel and suppliers' emissions. Environmental advocates say the rule will result in transparency and hold companies accountable for their role in global warming.

High winds and extremely dry conditions fueled wildfires in Central Texas this week, with evacuations ordered on March 20 in towns near Fort Worth. More than 175 fires have burned an excess of 54,000 acres since last Thursday, fed by wind gusts and unusually warm temperatures. Forest Service officials said the weather situation was optimal for sustaining the fires. The Latin root of fuel is focus, "fireplace or hearth."

On March 22, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially declared that Myanmar's military committed genocide against the Rohingya minority ethnic group in 2017. The violent campaign resulted in more than 9,000 deaths and displacement of at least a million people from the country. Genocide was coined in 1944 to describe the Holocaust, from the Greek genos, "race," and the suffix -cide, "a killing."

A recent study has found that an ordinary kitchen sponge is the ideal habitat for bacteria. The structure of a sponge, the way it's divided into unevenly spaced sections of various sizes, is a perfect home for microbes, whether they prefer to be isolated or near other germs. This makes a kitchen sponge the optimal environment for the widest variety of bacteria. In Latin, habitat literally means "it inhabits or it lives in."

A global group of scientists has predicted that by 2050, more than a million urban trees will be killed by insect infestations. The researchers say that ash trees are particularly vulnerable to being overwhelmed by massive numbers of emerald ash borers, invasive beetles that kill the trees by tunneling under their bark and sapping them of nutrients. Cities with many ash trees, like New York and Chicago, will be most affected. Infestation has a Latin root that means "unsafe."

A paper published this week in Nature casts doubt on the validity of past research that studied brain images of patients with depression and other mental ailments. New findings show that an insufficient number of people took part in brain-imaging studies, making the results essentially meaningless. Most had fewer than a dozen participants, far below the amount needed for scientifically reliable results. One researcher said "thousands of individuals" are needed for a valid outcome.

Australian scientists studying the social behavior of magpies got some unexpected results this month. Harnesses specially designed to track the birds' movements were removed not long after being carefully secured. The researchers soon realized the clever corvids had acted cooperatively, unclasping each other's harness closures. Though the trackers didn't work as planned, the team was thrilled by the example of "altruistic rescue behavior," as the magpies helped each other out.

A South African judge has halted the construction of a regional Amazon headquarters, ordering that indigenous people who consider the land to be sacred must first be consulted. The development is planned on a site where two rivers meet, adjacent to grazing lands with deep cultural and religious significance for the Khoi and San people, who have lived in South Africa for thousands of years. The ruling said developers must have "meaningful consultation" with the groups before proceeding.

Baby elephants at a sanctuary in Kenya are normally fed infant formula that's typically used for humans. Recent global supply chain issues have put this food source in short supply, and workers at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary turned to some of their neighbors for help. The elephant orphanage enlisted the assistance of a large population of local goats, using their milk to feed the babies. It turns out goat milk is nutritionally superior for the baby elephants, who are thriving.

The Russian siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol continued this week. On March 22, residents reported that bombs were dropped on the city every ten minutes, a pace that has rarely slowed over the past several weeks. Around 100,000 people in Mariupol currently lack access to water or medicine, and an estimated 3,000 civilians there have been killed. Siege has a root meaning "seat," with its military sense from the idea of an army "sitting down" in front of a fortress.

The leaders of all 30 NATO countries, including President Biden, attended an emergency summit on March 24 in Brussels, Belgium. NATO's Secretary-General called the meeting to order by urging a focus on the global economy and security in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The gathering is an opportunity for members to reconfirm their commitment to the alliance and coordinate their response to Russia. Winston Churchill coined the political sense of summit.