Ripped from the Headlines: March 2022: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 26–April 1, 2022

A large British study suggests that social media is most likely to cause emotional harm during two specific periods of adolescence. Researchers analyzed survey responses of 84,000 people of all ages and found that frequent use of social media correlated with lower "life satisfaction" around puberty (from age 11 to 15) and again at age 19. Adolescence derives from a Latin root meaning "grow up or ripen."

Experts on ancient Peru have published research casting doubt on the name of a famous Incan city, widely known as Machu Picchu. A Peruvian historian and American archaeologist say they believe the Incas actually referred to the city, located high in the Andes, as Huayna Picchu, or simply Picchu, the name of a nearby mountain peak. The researchers reached their conclusion after reexamining artifacts and historical records connected with the site.

Italian scientists recently achieved what seemed impossible, creating a pizza dough that rises without yeast. This basic ingredient normally eats sugar to create carbon dioxide, which makes the dough rise. The team instead used an autoclave, a medical tool meant for sterilizing instruments. By adjusting pressure inside the device, they were able to introduce foamy gas bubbles into yeast-free dough, causing it to rise. Autoclave has a root meaning "self-locking."

On March 29, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a second coronavirus booster for people 50 and over. The authorization also applies to all immunocompromised people older than 12. A second follow-up dose, which for most would be their fourth shot, is recommended at least four months after the initial booster shot. The root of booster is unknown, but the medical meaning stems from the figurative "lift up or raise" sense of the verb boost.

Antarctica's Conger ice shelf collapsed this month, the first such breakdown on the eastern part of the continent. Scientists who observed the collapse via satellite say the destruction of the floating sheet of ice was caused by extremely low ice levels exacerbated by unusually warm weather. The conditions caused the 450-square-mile ice shelf to crack and eventually crumble into the sea. The Latin root of collapse means "fall together."

With its win over NC State on March 28, the UConn women's basketball team secured a spot in its 14th consecutive Final Four. The Huskies beat out the number one-seeded Wolfpack in a double-overtime game. Long-time UConn coach Geno Auriemma has led the team to 22 Final Fours, the last 14 of them in successive years. The Latin consequi, "to follow after," is at the root of consecutive.

A 101-year-old man fulfilled a lifelong dream last week when he received his high school diploma. Merrill Pittman Cooper was a union leader and one of Philadelphia's first Black trolley drivers, but after dropping out of school to help support his family, he never graduated. Cooper's family arranged the honorary graduation, complete with cap and gown and diploma. "It took me awhile, (but) I’m happy to finally have it,” he said. The Greek diploma means "paper folded double."

There was hope that diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine on March 29 would lead to a cease-fire. During the strategic meeting in Istanbul, which was attended by negotiators from both countries, Russia agreed to scale back attacks near Kyiv and Chernihiv. However, on Wednesday, strikes near those cities resumed, and officials predicted that negotiations were likely to continue for weeks.

A $5.8 trillion budget proposed by President Biden on March 28 would increase funding for the military and police and raise taxes on the very wealthiest Americans. The proposal also includes money to finance anti-gun violence initiatives, affordable housing, and investments in manufacturing. The largest increase in spending would fund a ten percent increase in the Pentagon's budget, a total of $773 billion.

Neuroscientists who study aspects of the human brain that make it unique have zeroed in on our ability to recognize geometric shapes. A recent study comparing the way humans and baboons perceive and differentiate between quadrilaterals suggested a "human singularity" for recognizing properties like parallel sides and right angles. Research is ongoing, but many scientists suspect that geometry is uniquely human. The Greek root of geometric means "measuring of earth."

When the last king of Italy was deposed 75 years ago, the ruling family's valuable crown jewels were sent to the Bank of Italy in Rome. Now the king's heirs, his children Prince Vittorio Emanuele and Princesses Maria Gabriella, Maria Pia, and Maria Beatrice, are suing the bank for the restitution of their inheritance. The 14 pieces include a diamond-studded tiara. Heir shares a root with hereditary that means "an inheritance."

At the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, CODA won Best Picture, a historic victory for the Deaf community. It's the first time a film focused on Deaf characters and featured Deaf actors speaking American Sign Language. Troy Kotsur also made history, becoming the first Deaf man to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The movie tells the poignant story of a hearing child of Deaf parents who dreams of being a singer.

New York University announced this week that Taylor Swift will speak at its graduation ceremony in May, where she will also receive an honorary degree. Swift will be awarded the title of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, in recognition of her contributions to music. This year, NYU added a course on Swift and her career to its curriculum. Honorary's root means "dignity," and it's been used since 1660 to mean "done merely to confer honor, without usual requirements."

A campaign by a second-grade class to help shelter animals find homes has been a total success. The students wrote and illustrated individual pleas for each dog or cat, and workers at Virginia's Richmond Animal Care and Control displayed the heartfelt appeals on the animals' kennels. The entreaties included messages like "I am cute and short haired. I can cuddle and bark. Please adopt me!" Nearly all of the 24 hard-to-place animals have been adopted since the project began last month.

Experts who have struggled to combat an invasive snake in Florida are hopeful that a native predator may help their efforts. Burmese pythons, introduced to the state as pets in the 1980s, have devastated bird and mammal populations. Ecologists recently learned that native bobcats have an appetite for python eggs, reporting their findings this month in Ecology and Evolution. They hope these wildcat predators are just beginning to respond to the snake's presence in the state.

A classical music festival planned for March 26 in Kharkiv was canceled due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Instead, organizers held an improvised concert in one of the city's subway bomb shelters. A quintet played their violins, cello, and bass underground, starting with the Ukrainian national anthem and moving on to pieces by Dvorzak and Bach. One of the five musicians said he hoped to help restore "faith and optimism." Quintet has a root that means "five."

New evidence suggests that Vikings were forced to abandon a successful settlement in Greenland because of drought. The Eastern Settlement was founded around 985 and abandoned in the 15th century. Researchers had long wondered why a vibrant Norse community of nearly 2,000 people, established for centuries, had been vacated. Analysis of lake sediment at the site revealed evidence of an increasingly dry, inhospitable climate.

A team of evolutionary biologists published a study this week that explains how a boa constrictor can squeeze its prey, often for hours, while simultaneously continuing to breathe. Their research shows that the snakes are able to temporarily shift the part of their rib cage that expands when they inhale, making it possible to compress their unlucky future meal at the same time. Simultaneously is derived from a Latin word meaning "at the same time."

New research by computer scientists may help to explain nature's apparent preference for symmetry. From butterfly wings to elephant ears to flower patterns, organisms tend to exhibit the repetition of mirror images. After extensively studying RNA structures, researchers suspect that evolution favors the balanced, reflected forms because symmetrical instructions are easier to embed in genetic code. Symmetry has a Greek root that means "even or proportionate."

Four states have enacted a temporary gas tax suspension in an effort to ease the burden of high gas prices. The average cost per gallon is $4.24, 48 percent higher than last year. In Maryland, a 36-cent gas tax will be paused for 30 days, and Georgia's 25-cent tax will be suspended until May 31. The brief respites will be expensive, and most states are expected to pay for them using pandemic-related budget surpluses. Tempus, or "time," is the Latin root of temporary.