Ripped from the Headlines: June 2023: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for June 3–June 9, 2023

A woman who was catatonic for 20 years woke up after an experimental treatment. The patient, initially diagnosed with schizophrenia, was later found to also have an autoimmune disorder which doctors suspected might be causing her inability to move or react to events around her. She received immunotherapy for two months and recovered her ability to walk, smile, and interact with people. The Greek roots of catatonic mean "down" and "tone."

A three-train collision in India killed at least 275 people and injured more than 1,000. The disaster, which is being described as the worst Indian railroad crash in two decades, began when a full-speed passenger train hit a stopped freight train and derailed. Moments later, a second passenger train struck the derailed cars. Collision is derived from the Latin collidere, "strike together."

A service dog won his own diploma from Seton Hall University along with his owner. At the ceremony where Grace Mariani was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in education, graduating magna cum laude, her dog Justin got his own diploma from the university president. As the Labrador took the rolled-up document in his mouth, there were cheers and applause from the audience. Justin attended every class with Mariani, who uses a wheelchair.

A British feline celebrated her 32nd birthday this month, making her the oldest-known pet cat in the world. Rosie, who lives with 71-year-old Lila Brissett in Norwich, England, was born in June of 1991. Brissett adopted Rosie when she was a tiny kitten and said she'd only been to the vet twice in her long life. The Latin root of feline is feles, "cat, wild cat, or marten."

According to scientists, melting ice caps in Antarctica are making hurricanes along the Gulf Coast more powerful. Because Antarctic ice acts as a kind of mirror, reflecting heat away from the earth, its loss means our climate is warming faster. This extra heat in the atmosphere fuels tropical storms, making them much more dangerous. Texas's coast is especially vulnerable to these hurricanes because it juts down into warm, tropical ocean water, directly in their path.

Several new studies show that lullabies really do help soothe babies, easing them into sleep faster. Scientists say the slow, rhythmic nature of the bedtime songs works to lull young children into slumber. The soothing music also lowers babies' heart rates and respiration, and even helps premature infants to feed. The results are inspiring new research about the connections between sleep and music. Lullabye comes from lull, "calm or hush to sleep."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a Swedish soccer star who inspired a character on the series Ted Lasso, is retiring. The fictional Zava, based on Ibrahimovic, is a star player and a prima donna with a brash, overconfident personality. In real life, Ibrahimovic is one of the world's best soccer players (and Sweden's all-time top goal scorer), who can be a bit of a diva. "I'll see you around if you are lucky," he told fans at his last match on June 4.

Golf prodigy Rose Zhang triumphed at the start of her professional career, playing in the Mizuho Americas Open on June 4. She became the first woman in 70 years to win in her pro debut, after a stellar amateur career. She has dominated at each stage, from when she started playing golf at age nine through her successful run as a college player at Stanford University. Before it meant "young person with exceptional abilities," prodigy was used to mean "prophetic sign or omen."

Wildfires are currently ravaging northeastern Canada, causing significant damage and posing a threat to both human lives and the environment. The fires, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds, have spread rapidly, leading to widespread evacuations of communities. Smoke from the fires are affecting areas throughout Canada and the northeastern United States.

The schwa knocked out several finalists in the Scripps National Spelling Bee — but not the competition's winner, 14-year-old Dev Shah. After his competitors stumbled over the unstressed vowel sounds in words like pataca and pharetrone, Shah went on to correctly spell his final (shwa-less) word, psammophile, a plant or animal that thrives in sandy areas. Schwa is from the Hebrew shewa, "emptiness."

Prince Harry testified this week in a case against three British tabloids, which he has accused of hacking his phone and medical records. The sensationalist newspapers, The Mirror, The Sunday Mirror, and The Sunday People, are known to use questionable methods to gather information in order to generate lurid, attention-grabbing headlines.

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority may install subway turnstiles that are harder to jump over, after losing about $690 million to fare evasion last year. Enforcement in the stations has increased recently; evading a mechanical gate by leaping over its rotating arm now commonly results in a ticket and a fine. Still, more and more commuters avoid paying the $2.75 fare. The new gates would have tall doors made of plexiglass that could not be scaled.

Researchers say that "enhanced weathering" of volcanic rock can help combat climate change. They propose using basalt, a common rock that's left behind long after a volcano erupts, to capture carbon dioxide. When rain falls on pulverized basalt, carbon is naturally pulled from the atmosphere. Speeding this process may be one way to save the planet from catastrophic warming. Volcanic, "from a volcano," is from the Latin root Vulcanus, "Vulcan," the Roman god of fire.