Ripped from the Headlines: July 2024: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for June 29–July 5, 2024

A day after Hurricane Beryl was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, its wind speed fell slightly and it hit the coast of Grenada as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm's impact on the Caribbean country was catastrophic. Officials said 98 percent of buildings were damaged, many of them completely destroyed, along with crops and communications systems. Despite the devastation, just three deaths were reported. Catastrophic is from the Greek katastrophē, "an overturning."

An Eritrean cyclist made history on July 1 when he won the third leg of the Tour de France. Biniam Girmay was the first Black rider to win a stage of the world's most prestigious bicycle race. Girmay is also just the third person from the continent of Africa to finish first in a stage. Short for bicyclist, cyclist was preceded by the now-obsolete nicknames cycler and wheelman.

After last week's presidential debate between President Biden and Donald Trump, a national poll found it had little effect on registered voters' opinions of the candidates. Biden was widely seen as faltering and shaky in the face of Trump's aggressive rhetoric, which included many falsehoods and inaccuracies. Rather than an exchange of reasoned opposing points, most observers agreed the debate was an uneven, chaotic argument. Debate has a Latin root meaning "beat."

Public health experts are warning the southern U.S. to brace for mosquito-borne illness, after Puerto Rico was devastated by dengue cases this spring. Climate change has fueled a dramatic increase in mosquitoes, which multiply rapidly in warm, wet conditions and spread the virus to humans. Though dengue is often mild, subsequent infections can cause serious complications. Dengue is from the Swahili dinga, "seizure or cramp."

Entomologists found evidence that some butterflies cross the Atlantic Ocean during migration. Researchers discovered Vanessa cardui, or painted ladies, in South America; though they're among the world's most common butterflies, they aren't native to that continent. The scientists examined DNA from pollen carried by the painted ladies to determine they'd made the 9,000-mile flight from North America. The Greek entomon, "insect," is the root of entomologist.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on July 1 that Donald Trump has significant immunity from prosecution. According to the majority opinion, the former president is exempt from legal punishment that would normally apply, as long as he's acting in an official capacity. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, "The president is now a king above the law." Immunity from the Latin immunis, "exempt, free, not paying a share."

A dentist was granted FDA approval to test a possible longevity drug in patients with gum disease, a condition that tends to develop as people grow older. The drug, rapamycin, has been tested in dogs and is proven to increase the lifespan of mice; it is also FDA-approved to use for transplant patients. A study of people over 50 with gum disease will also measure changes in other markers of aging. Scientists hope the drug will slow many age-related diseases and help humans live longer.

The Supreme Court upheld a Grants Pass, Oregon ordinance that forbids homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. The ruling means the city can enforce its ban on camping and issue fines, even if people have nowhere else to go. Attorneys for unhoused Oregonians argued unsuccessfully that the local law was cruel and unusual punishment, which is unconstitutional. A state law requires rules about camping to be "objectively reasonable," complicating enforcement of the ordinance.

A nine-year-old chess prodigy will become the youngest person ever to represent England in any international sport. Bodhana Sivanandan, who lives in northwest London, will be on the English team in September's Chess Olympiad in Budapest. She is 14 years younger than her next-youngest teammate. Sivanandan learned to play chess in 2020, when she was five years old; in 2023, she beat several grandmasters and was named the best female player at the European Blitz Chess Championship.

A recent scientific advance allows people to control their prosthetic limbs with their minds. The breakthrough makes it possible for those with leg amputations to walk more smoothly and navigate around objects more easily. One researcher said a study showed "full neural control of bionic walking,” with subjects' brains controlling the movements of their prosthetic legs. Prosthetic is from the Greek prosthesis, "an addition."

Six years after they rehabilitated five orphaned elephant babies, Kenyan sanctuary workers released them to the wild as a close-knit herd. When the calves were found without their mothers, their keepers nursed them back to health using unusual methods that included feeding them goat milk. Sanctuary officials say the elephants have matured and formed strong bonds that will raise their chances of survival. They were freed in a forest, where they quickly connected with an established herd.

About 30 airline passengers were hurt during severe turbulence over Brazil on July 1. After 20 minutes of mild bumpiness, their Air Europa flight hit more extreme air currents that caused it to drop sharply and pitch wildly. Some passengers who ignored the seatbelt sign and the flight crew's instructions to buckle up were thrown out of their seats and suffered head and neck injuries. While turbulence can be scary, it doesn't harm the airplane, and it rarely injures passengers.