Ripped from the Headlines: February 2022: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 19–February 25, 2022

What began as a normal handshake line after a college basketball game on February 20 quickly devolved into an altercation between the teams. Following Wisconsin's 77-63 win over Michigan, the losing team's coach, Juwan Howard, exchanged angry words with Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft, and then slapped him in the head. Both team's players began shoving and yelling at each other until the brawl was broken up by referees and onlookers.

A new exhibit at the British Museum features more than 400 rare artifacts from an 8,000-year time span, linked to various locations in Europe. The ancient objects illuminate details of human life before, during, and after the building of Stonehenge, and shine new light on the mysterious stone circle. The biggest revelation, experts say, is how interconnected people were, traveling and immigrating across the continent. Artifact's Latin roots mean "by skill," and "thing made."

A cargo ship transporting luxury vehicles caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean last week, and continued to burn through February 22. The entire crew of 22 was able to escape to safety as the 650-foot-long vessel was engulfed in quickly-spreading flames. The Felicity Ace was carrying about 4,000 cars, including Porsches and Lamborghinis, from Germany to Rhode Island. Economists estimated that cargo worth $334.5 million was destroyed in the fire.

Next month's Academy Awards ceremony will be hosted by three comedians. Amy Schumer made the announcement on February 22, saying, "I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea, but I am hosting…with my good friends Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall." She added, "I better go watch some movies.” Joke-cracking emcees are a longstanding Oscar tradition, although this will be the first broadcast hosted by three women. In the 16th century, a comedian was a "comic poet."

Horseshoe crabs, marine animals with hard exoskeletons and long tails, have recently become the subject of a scientific controversy. Researchers have long believed the crabs to be the direct descendants of their prehistoric ancestors, basically inhabiting their own branch on the tree of life. A new study, however, puts them in the arachnid class, along with spiders. Many scientists disagree with the results, saying the fossil record contradicts them, and expect fierce debate to continue.

Preet Chandi, a 32-year-old British-Indian Army officer, has become the first known woman of color to finish a solo expedition to the South Pole. It took her 40 days to complete the trek, which covered 700 snowy miles. Chandi trained in Norway and Greenland, practicing polar survival techniques that she used during her Antarctic journey. She pulled supplies on a sled, including a first aid kit, food, water, and fuel, traveling on skis. The root of expedition means "prepare."

More than 400 Family Dollar stores were temporarily closed over the weekend after a rodent infestation was reported at one of the company's distribution centers. An FDA inspection of the Arkansas warehouse found evidence of nesting and gnawing, along with more than 1,000 dead rats. Records revealed that at least 2,300 rodents had been removed by Family Dollar in the prior six months. The company issued a recall of products shipped to stores from the infested distribution center.

Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. On the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russian troops moved into the neighboring country by land, air, and sea, pouring across its borders and dropping missiles from above. More than 40 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the early hours of the assault. It's the largest-scale attack of one country against another since World War II, and NATO allies have pledged to intensify sanctions against Russia.

New research has revealed a connection between heart disease and loneliness. A long-term study that followed 58,000 older women for more than a decade showed that those who reported high levels of social isolation and lonely feelings had a 13 to 27 percent higher risk for cardiovascular issues. Loneliness derives from alone, which was originally a contraction of the Old English all ana, "all by oneself."

A notebook containing original handwritten Beatles lyrics will be displayed at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool, England starting this month. The journal, which includes the words to the song Hey, Jude in Paul McCartney's handwriting, belonged to the band's tour manager, Mal Evans. It also contains partial lyrics to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and recording notes on All You Need is Love. The Greek root of lyric means "lyre."

The Saudi Arabian women's soccer team won its first-ever international match on February 20. The competition was held in the Maldives, where the Saudis beat the Seychelles 2-0. Legendary Brazilian soccer player Pelé congratulated the month-old team on their victory, calling it a "historic day." Until recently, Saudi Arabian women were not allowed to participate in sports. The sporting definition of match comes from a Middle English root meaning "matching adversary."

Buckingham Palace announced on February 20 that England's monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, tested positive for Covid-19. Her son, Prince Charles, had gone into isolation after his own positive results ten days earlier. According to the statement, the queen was experiencing mild symptoms and would continue "light duties" at Windsor Castle this week. Monarch has a Greek root, monarkhēs, "one who rules alone."

Puzzled for decades by the paradoxical nature of a lizard's tail, which is strong and sturdy but can also snap off in an instant, scientists have finally discovered how it works. The contradictory attributes were explained by microstructures that could only be seen under powerful microscopes: the structures stayed intact when the tail was pulled, but shattered apart when twisted. The root of paradoxical means "contrary to expectation."

On February 22, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a new coastal sea level study, including detailed projections of how high it will rise in the coming years. NOAA scientists predicted that by 2050, average sea level will rise by a foot in many coastal areas, and higher in others. According to these estimations, flooding is likely to become more frequent and damaging, with the dramatic rise occurring even if global carbon emissions are reduced.

A 500-pound bear has repeatedly ransacked the California town of South Lake Tahoe for months. The culprit, known as Hank the Tank, has broken into dozens of houses, vandalizing kitchens in his search for food. Hank's nickname comes from his unusual size, twice the weight of an average black bear. Experts say that girth comes from his habit of ransacking homes for human food and garbage. Ransack derives from a Scandinavian root meaning "search the house."

A group of engineers has released a report suggesting that the use of renewable energy may be the best way to avoid rolling blackouts like the one that left millions of people in Texas without power last year. The study showed that even during extreme weather events, generating electricity using solar, wind, or water power would protect the energy grid and cost far less. Sustainable sources of electricity also result in zero carbon emissions.

On February 22, the U.S. Soccer organization reached a settlement with a group of players after years of negotiations over equalizing pay between men's and women's national teams. The players, current and former female soccer stars, will share a $24 million payment from U.S. Soccer. The official agreement, which includes equally compensating men and women in all competitions, brings the ongoing dispute to an end. The legal meaning of settlement dates from the 1670s.

A small space telescope launched by NASA in December, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer, has sent its first images back to Earth. The telescope can view polarized light that's normally blocked by our atmosphere, resulting in the pictures of Cassiopeia A, a bright remnant of a supernova that exploded in the 17th century. Astronomers anticipate that the IXPE will reveal new information about the luminous star explosion and give them a deeper general understanding of supernovas.

In response to McDonald's failure to follow through on a ten-year-old promise to buy pork from farms that treat pigs humanely, billionaire Carl Icahn is attempting to seize control of the company's board of directors. Icahn has nominated new board members who will prioritize pig welfare. The move is a protest against McDonald's continued use of pork raised using "gestation stalls," areas that are too small for pregnant sows to turn around in or comfortably lie down.