Ripped from the Headlines: July 2023: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for July 22–July 28, 2023

A new study shows that acupuncture can ease certain kinds of chronic pain. Researchers compared the treatment to a "sham" version, where acupuncturists inserted fine needles into patients' skin, but didn't place them in the correct spots. Real acupuncture, using precise locations, was significantly more effective at relieving lower back pain, suggesting that its benefits aren't just the placebo effect. The roots of acupuncture mean "a needle" and "a pricking."

Katie Ledecky tied Michael Phelps's record for the most individual world swimming titles, winning her fifteenth championship on July 25. Ledecky was first in the 1,500-meter freestyle race at the World Aquatics Championships, finishing 17 seconds before her closest competitor. She has won 20 gold medals, more than any female swimmer in history. Championship is from champion and its root, meaning "gladiator."

An underwater concert in the Florida Keys advocated coral reef protection, raising awareness about the importance of preserving the living reefs, which are composed of stony sea polyps. The Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival presented pre-recorded songs for divers and snorkelers, including "Octopus's Garden" and the Little Mermaid theme. Coral derives from the Greek korallion, which shares a root with the Hebrew goral, "small pebble."

A new study clearly showed that treating Alzheimer's early can drastically slow dementia. In a trial, patients who received the experimental drug donanemab soon after the disease was diagnosed got the most benefit, with memory loss and other thinking problems progressing more gradually. Those who started the drug later, after disorientation and confusion had already begun, saw fewer results. In Latin, dementia literally means "a being out of one's mind."

A new study showed that at elite colleges, the children of very wealthy families have an enormous admissions advantage over less affluent applicants. Economists found that the richest one percent of U.S. high school seniors are twice as likely to be admitted to prestigious private colleges, despite having the same grades and test scores as seniors who come from lower-income families. Elite is from the French élite, "choice," and a Latin root meaning "choose."

The movie Barbie broke box-office records with a $162 million opening weekend. It's a spectacular success, credited in part to Barbie's current fad status, with theater-goers dressing in the Barbie character's signature hot pink and Mattel's dolls flying off the shelves. There's even a related fashion trend coined "Barbiecore." The origin of fad is uncertain, though some think it goes back to the Latin word fatuus, which means "stupid."

Inconclusive election results in Spain seem likely to leave the future of the country's leadership up in the air for weeks. Neither the current governing party, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party, nor the conservative Popular Party or hard-right Vox Party won enough votes to form a government. The political uncertainty is likely to last for some time, as the parties negotiate and possibly call for another election.

Despite widespread opposition, on July 24 Israel's government passed a measure to limit the powers of the country's judiciary. Protesters, who see the move as an attack on democracy, gathered outside the Israeli Parliament building. The Supreme Court will no longer be able to overturn "unreasonable" actions by the government, which has no constitution. Judiciary is from the Latin iudiciarius, "belonging to a court of justice," and a root that means "judge."

Elon Musk made what is the most conspicuous change to Twitter since he took control of the company last year: he swapped its familiar blue bird logo for an X. The new branding appeared on the website and was projected onto Twitter's headquarters and incorporated into the names of conference rooms, which now include "eXposure" and "eXult." Musk says he eventually wants to turn Twitter into X, an app for shopping and banking as well as social media.

Using genetic engineering, scientists are trying to get mosquitoes to help in the fight against malaria. The disease, which is spread from person to person through mosquito bites, causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Researchers want to alter the insects' genes so they produce antibodies that resist the malaria pathogen. The roots of malaria mean "bad air," once thought to be the cause of the disease.

On July 25, President Biden dedicated a new national monument to Emmett Till and his mother. The memorial officially opened on what would have been Till's 82nd birthday. He was just 14 when he was brutally killed by a white lynch mob after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, spent the rest of her life fiercely advocating to get justice for her son's murder. The Latin root of monument means "something that reminds."

While many are describing an invasion of lionhead rabbits in Wilton Manors, Florida as adorable, some residents consider it a scourge. The bunnies, descended from pets that were released outdoors months ago, have overrun the town. About 100 fluffy rabbits spend their days burrowing under lawns and gnawing through cables and electrical wiring, causing widespread anger and frustration. Scourge came to mean "a punishment," from a Latin root meaning "to whip."