Ripped from the Headlines: April 2024: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 27–May 3, 2024

At least eight lawsuits against Tesla argue that the company's autopilot feature is dangerous. The civil cases involve deadly crashes that happened while a Tesla's driver was using the self-driving mode, which controls steering and speed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will also review Tesla's autopilot in response to allegations that drivers have been misled to think it "has greater capabilities than it does."

Scientists have learned that bioluminescence may have developed millions of years earlier than they previously thought. A new study examined coral fossils, which commonly emit a glowing light, and used statistical modeling to calculate how long they've been doing it. The ability of organisms to emit light is now believed to have begun in a coral ancestor about 540 million years ago. Bioluminescence is from the Greek bios, "life," and the Latin lumen, "light."

Nearly 1,000 people protesting the war in Gaza were arrested on college campuses over the last two weeks. At Columbia University, where protests began April 18 in response to the arrests of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, students who occupied and barricaded an academic building were removed by police. Colleges across the country are experiencing similar disruptions as protesters demand their schools end financial ties to Israel. In Latin, campus means "flat land or field."

Entrepreneurial Taylor Swift fans have started a thriving industry selling crafts inspired by the musician. These innovative Swifties have turned hobbies into lucrative enterprises hawking items like a line of yarn based on Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, and cookies decorated with pictures of Swift and her current boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Entrepreneurial is from the French entrepreneur, "one who undertakes."

An artifact that was stolen from the Temple of Ramses 30 years ago has been returned to Egypt. The head of Ramses II was broken off of a 3,400-year-old statue depicting the pharaoh. It was one of several works that featured the powerful king seated among Egyptian deities, and it was found in a European auction house. The Egyptian Pero, "great house," is the root of pharaoh.

The Food and Drug Administration said it will regulate some laboratory medical tests over concerns of reliability. Critics of the agency's increased oversight worry it will slow the development of new tests, while supporters contend that inaccurate testing leads to delays in care and unneeded treatment. Tests used to detect cancer and Alzheimer's disease, among other conditions, will be reviewed and overseen by the FDA. Regulate derives from a Latin root meaning "rule."

WNBA star Candace Parker said she would retire from basketball after 16 seasons. Parker, who won two Olympic gold medals and is also a two-time league MVP, was sidelined last season by a foot injury. She most recently played for the Las Vegas Aces and is the only WNBA player to win championships with three different teams. Though she's stepping down from her role as a professional athlete, Parker plans to stay connected to basketball as a broadcaster, and she aspires to own a WNBA team.

Recently discovered fossils have led researchers to calculate that an ancient Indian snake, Vasuki indicus, was probably longer than a school bus. The enormous serpentine reptile lived about 47 million years ago and weighed as much as 2,200 pounds, its sinuous, flexible body stretching up to 50 feet long. Serpentine is from the Late Latin serpentius, "of a serpent" and the Latin root serpens, "snake."

A cat was discovered in a California Amazon warehouse inside a returns box that had been shipped from Utah. The feline stowaway, described by her owner as a shy indoor cat who "doesn't meow a lot," snuck into the box just before it was taped up. She survived for a week without food or water. An Amazon employee found her and took her to a veterinarian in Riverside, California, where she was reported to be in remarkably good health.

Tornadoes killed at least five people in Oklahoma and Iowa over the weekend. Storms that swept through the area brought thunder and lightning, hail, and high winds, as well as the swirling funnel clouds. Dozens of homes were destroyed by the tornadoes, which left devastating wreckage in their wake. Tornado is borrowed from the Spanish tronada, "thunderstorm," and its Latin root which means "thunder."

A vegan cheese caused an uproar in the cheese world when it was nominated for a Good Food Award after a blind taste test. Climax Blue is made of plant-based ingredients including hemp seeds and coconut fat rather than milk. The controversy that followed culminated in the non-dairy cheese being removed from the competition with no explanation for its disqualification. Vegan was coined in 1944 from vegetarian to mean "strict vegetarian who eschews all animal products."

Four zebras escaped from their trailer on April 28 while en route from Washington state to a Montana petting zoo. The hoofed, black-and-white animals ran loose through suburban neighborhoods until several bystanders, including a former rodeo bullfighter, corralled three of them. The fourth zebra remained at large, with authorities urging people to call 911 if they spotted something appearing to be a striped horse.