Ripped from the Headlines: May 2024: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 4–May 10, 2024

Marine biologists and computer scientists who study whale communication say they've discovered what they are calling a whale alphabet. They say that sperm whale songs, characterized by clicking and creaking noises, are much more complex than previously thought. Researchers found that the clicks followed hundreds of specific patterns, similar to the way humans form phonetic sounds. They now theorize that sperm whales combine click patterns to form phonetic alphabets of their own.

A new study shows that gas stoves spread pollution through entire homes, triggering asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Stanford University researchers found that unhealthy levels of nitrogen dioxide lingered hours after stoves were turned off, and the polluted air was present in upstairs bedrooms. The findings suggest that gas stoves may have caused 50,000 current asthma cases in kids. In Greek, asthma is "shortness of breath," from a root meaning "breathe hard."

A Texas congressman and his wife were accused of taking bribes from an oil company controlled by the Azerbaijan government and a Mexican bank. Representative Henry Cuellar was indicted on charges alleging that he promised to lend his political influence in exchange for an estimated $600,000. His wife, Imelda Cuellar, is also accused of bribery, money laundering, and other corruption charges. In Old French, a bribe was "a gift," from a verb meaning "to beg."

Caitlin Clark excelled in her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever, playing a sellout game against the Dallas Wings. It was the first professional basketball game for Clark, who had a stellar NCAA career, during which she broke scoring records for college basketball. During her inaugural foray onto the pro court, Clark scored 21 points for her team, which ultimately lost to the Wings 79-76. Debut is from the French débuter, "make the first stroke at billiards."

Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby on May 4, beating Sierra Leone by a nose. The second-place horse had been favored to win the iconic annual race, which is limited to three-year-old racehorses. Betting on the Kentucky Derby, where the odds on Mystik Dan were 18-1, exceeded $200 million, breaking records. The first derby was an English horse race named for the man who developed it, the Earl of Derby.

Former president Donald Trump has been fined for 10 violations of a gag order since his criminal trial started last month. On May 6, the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, warned Trump that if he continues to defy the legal restriction against public comment about the trial, he may face jail time. So far, Trump's press statements about the jury and social media posts about Justice Merchan's daughter and his own former attorney, Michael Cohen, have cost him $10,000.

Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth hosted this year's Met Gala, the annual star-studded party that's been described as "the Oscars of fashion." The event, which will use the proceeds from its $75,000 tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, had a "Garden of Time" theme. Attendees arrived in glitzy gowns, enormous capes, and elaborate suits. Gala derives from the Old French galer, "rejoice, make merry."

For the first time, more Pulitzer Prizes in journalism were awarded to online news sites, including ProPublica and The Marshall Project, than to newspapers like The New York Times. Journalists received awards for stories on the war in Gaza and migrant child labor in the U.S., among others. The Pulitzer Board also officially commended student reporters who have covered the ongoing protests on college campuses.

The acclaimed minimalist painter Frank Stella died at 87. Stella is considered one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. He was among the first to embrace the idea that art should convey a message rather than representing a scene, figure, or object. Stella's early minimalist work emphasized its two-dimensionality with parallel black lines painted on canvas. He remains the youngest artist to have a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, when he was 33.

A 10-year-old oyster entered the record books as the world's heaviest, at more than six and a half pounds. The giant mollusk, named Jill by Australian oyster farmer Bernie Connell, won a "big oyster competition" in New South Wales on May 4. To qualify for the title, the soft-bodied, hard-shelled animals must be alive and relatively free of barnacles. Connell said Jill's success lay in the purity of the Clyde River's water and the health of its algae, which Pacific oysters feed on.

A wild orangutan was observed by scientists in Indonesia treating a wound on his face with a medicinal plant. The red-furred primate, which may have been injured in a fight with another male, chewed the leaves of a liana vine, a plant known to relieve pain, and deliberately applied them to the injured area. It's the first time biologists have witnessed a wild animal treating its own injury. The Malay root of orangutan translates as "man of the woods."

More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef were recalled because of possible E. coli contamination. The meat was produced and distributed by Cargill Meat Solutions and sold at Walmart stores in the eastern United States. Cargill said "out of an abundance of caution" it was advising customers who bought certain ground beef products to bring them back to Walmart or call a hotline for a refund. Recall comes from the Latin revocare, "rescind or call back."