Ripped from the Headlines: February 2021: This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for February 20–26, 2021

Scientists cloned a black-footed ferret as part of an ongoing effort to protect the endangered species. Since nearly becoming extinct in the 1970s, the ferrets have made a comeback thanks to an extensive breeding program. But the gene pool is small, which is why this clone was created: to increase the genetic diversity of the species. The new ferret is a genetic copy of an animal that died in 1988 and was frozen in a laboratory to preserve her genes for the future.

The daughters of Malcolm X — the Black Muslim civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1965 — have demanded that his murder investigation be reopened in light of new evidence. Raymond Wood, who was a New York City police officer at the time of the assassination, wrote a letter before his recent death in which he alleged that the NYPD and FBI conspired to cover up their role in the shooting.

The BlizzCon gaming convention's keynote included a live performance by Metallica, who played their 1984 song For Whom the Bell Tolls. But because of concerns about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), some streaming feeds — including the official Twitch gaming channel — replaced the music with an extremely cheesy digital tune. Many observers were tickled by the replacement, particularly since Metallica was instrumental in the creation of the DMCA.

A United Airlines flight from Denver to Honolulu suffered a serious accident shortly after takeoff when one of its engines exploded. Nobody was injured by the falling debris from the plane, though some homes and property were damaged. The plane landed safely back at Denver airport. Debris is a French word meaning "waste or rubbish" and came into English use around 1700.

After being identified and convicted as one of the guards at a Nazi concentration camp, a 95-year-old man living in Tennessee was deported back to Germany. Friederich Karl Berger served as a guard at the Neuengamme camps, where an estimated 40,000–55,000 people died during World War II. Berger may be the last Nazi prosecuted by the U.S., since few people who were adults during the war — which ended 75 years ago — are still alive.

Merrick Garland, President Biden's nominee for Attorney General, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of his confirmation hearings. Garland has been a Federal Appeals Court judge for the last 24 years. Five years ago, Garland was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama, but the Senate refused to hold hearings for him.

The Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter landed successfully on Mars. The rover and helicopter will explore the edge of the Jezero Crater, a site that scientists believe is an excellent choice for investigating whether or not Mars used to have microscopic life. The crater was once full of water, so the hope is that traces of life — if there was any — remain in the rocks around the crater's rim.

The Swiss chocolate company Lindt introduced a new bar that's made from 100 percent cacao — no sugar or other additives, just pulp and beans from cacao pods. As a result, the bar cannot legally be called "chocolate." Switzerland is famous for its chocolate, and Swiss law has strict requirements for what does and does not qualify as chocolate. The bar is called "Cocoa Pure" instead.

British geologists drilling through 3,000 feet of Antarctic ice shelf made a surprising discovery. Instead of sediment on the ocean floor, their drill — which was equipped with a camera — encountered a boulder covered with living creatures, mostly sponges and worms. Because there's no sunlight at this depth, there's no possibility for photosynthesis, meaning no plankton or other microscopic life can survive. So what these animals feed on is a mystery.

A whale that beached itself and died in Florida two years ago has been identified as a previously unknown species, a Rice's whale. Experts originally thought the dead animal was a Bryde's whale but realized their mistake after carefully examining the whale's remains, especially the skeleton. Rice's whales, named after the biologist Dale Rice, are among the most endangered species on Earth, with only 26–44 of the creatures left in the world.

Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open, beating Jennifer Brady 6–4, 6–3. The victory, her fourth Grand Slam title, extended her winning streak to 21 consecutive matches. Observers say that Osaka — who is known for her power, speed, and mental focus — could dominate the women's game for years to come.

In the wake of the military coup in Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of people took part in protests and a general strike. Many businesses remained closed as workers around the country took to the streets, and even government employees refused to show up for work. The first use of strike to describe a work stoppage as a means of protest was in the early 1800s.

The Supreme Court ruled that a prosecutor in New York can have access to President Trump's tax returns and other files. Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan District Attorney, had issued a subpoena for documents covering the period from 2011 to 2019 as part of his investigation into business dealings and other transactions by the former president and his campaign. Subpoena means "under penalty" in Latin.

Texas struggled with massive power outages as utility companies worked to restore power to millions of homes and businesses during a record-breaking cold snap that caused at least 60 deaths in the state. The intense cold caused a number of gas and coal power plants to freeze, preventing them from generating power. Because much of Texas is not connected to the national power grid, other states were not able to help by transmitting power into the affected areas.

Large parts of the country were gripped with freezing temperatures as a huge polar vortex brought frigid Arctic air much farther south than normal. The polar regions are always covered by a swirling mass of cold air, but sometimes other weather patterns can push this air outside its normal zone. Vortex is a Latin word, referring to an area of rotating air or water like a whirlpool.