Ripped from the Headlines: March 2023: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 4–March 10, 2023

An Indian journalist has created a news outlet that will focus on caste and issues affecting marginalized groups. Meena Kotwal, who is a Dalit, the lowest and most oppressed hereditary social group in India, is the founder of The Mooknayak, or "the leader of the voiceless." Despite a constitutional ban on caste discrimination, Dalits are regularly subjected to bias and violence, and many live in poverty. The Latin root of caste means "cut off or separate."

President Biden spoke in Selma, Alabama on March 5 at a commemoration of the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. In 1965, 600 civil rights activists marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge were violently attacked by state troopers. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law five months later. Biden referred to current-day laws which still threaten to restrict access to the right to vote. Civil rights are the rights all citizens are entitled to, from civil, "of a citizen."

Before the May 6 coronation of King Charles, an ancient throne needs some restoration work. The ornate, 700-year-old chair is where Charles will sit when a crown is placed on his head, officially making him the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and its realms. Since 1300, new kings and queens have sat on the tall oak seat during the ceremony, including Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, and Henry VIII. Coronation has a Latin root, corona, "crown or wreath."

On March 4 a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio. The accident, in which 28 cars left the tracks, occurred just one month after another derailment leaked hazardous chemicals near East Palestine, Ohio. The rail company's latest wreck involved a train that was not carrying toxic materials, and authorities reassured nearby residents there was no need to evacuate. Derail comes from the French dérailler, "to go off the rails."

Japanese researchers rediscovered a plant they've spent decades trying to find, Thismia kobensis, or the "fairy lantern." This elusive species resembles miniature glowing lights that seem to shine from the inside against the dark ground of the forest. They're so rare that some scientists believed they were extinct; the finding is encouraging, but experts warn the scarce plant remains critically endangered.

Historic rain in California has led to an explosion of mushrooms never before found in the state. Damp conditions are ideal for fungi, and Southern California has received 600 percent more precipitation than average over the past year. Mycologists and mushroom hunters are harvesting prized edible species like morels and chanterelles, as well as dozens of rare fungus samples. Fungus is a Latin word meaning "mushroom."

New research suggests that gladiators competed in Britain in the late second century CE. Recent tests on a vase etched with images of ancient Roman fighters confirmed that they were carved around 160 CE. The vase, found in what is now Colchester, England, was made of local clay and may have been commissioned by a gladiator trainer. It's the first evidence that the violent games occurred in that part of Europe. Gladiator derives from gladius, "sword."

Eli Lilly announced it would reduce the price of its synthetic insulin. The pharmaceutical company is one of the three main producers of the drug, which patients with diabetes need to stay healthy. Insulin prices had tripled over the past ten years, with one in seven people spending 40 percent of their income to purchase the medication. Eli Lilly's insulin, which helps diabetics regulate their blood sugar, will cost no more than $35 per vial.

If the European Space Agency has its way, you'll soon be able to find out what time it is on the moon. The agency wants to set a lunar time zone, a common reference for space organizations worldwide. Currently, moon missions use the time of the country that operates the spacecraft. A dedicated moon time zone would add lunar time to existing zones, like Eastern Standard Time, Greenwich Mean Time, and Central African Time. Lunar is from the Latin luna, "moon."

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on March 5, when 33 mushers set off with their dogs from Willow, Alaska. It's the Iditarod's smallest field of dog teams ever. The handlers will mush their teams along a 1,000-mile course, crossing frozen rivers and mountain ranges, for about ten days. Mush is an English Canadian version of the French word marche, "walk" or "move," a command (now rarely used) that was once called out to sled dogs.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to redefine "healthy," and the packaged food industry is pushing back. Under the reworked language, healthy food is described as having much less sodium, sugar, and saturated fat, a redefinition that would disqualify the majority of prepared and packaged foods. Industry groups are arguing that the new characterization of what meals and snacks are beneficial for people's health violates the companies' First Amendment rights.

A new study found that whales vocalize in a similar way to humans. In particular, a speaking voice known as "vocal fry," characterized by a deep register and a gravely or creaky sound, is very much like one that sperm whales, orcas, dolphins, and porpoises use to find prey. Researchers say whales, like humans, communicate in at least three registers: a falsetto, a normal voice, and vocal fry. Vocalize is from vocal, "spoken," and its Latin root, vox, "voice."