This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 26–October 2, 2026

Scientists at the University of British Columbia named two brand new species of marine arthropods in the Salish Sea on Canada's west coast. Like its on-land relatives, a sea spider has at least eight legs, but the marine version uses them to move very slowly across the sea floor. The Modern Latin Arthropoda means "those with jointed feet," a reference to arthropods' segmented legs.

El Niño is creating atypical hurricane seasons in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But while the Pacific is experiencing an unusually active season, the Atlantic is remarkably quiet. It's the first time in a century that no hurricanes have formed by October 2 in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile there have already been 18 hurricanes and 41 named tropical storms in the Pacific, far more than average.

A Catholic bishop who reached millions through radio and television broadcasts between the 1930s and 1960s was venerated by the Roman Catholic Church, a step toward sainthood. The beatification of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen took place in St. Louis, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presiding. A letter from Pope Leo XIV said that Sheen's life was one of "heroic virtue" and credited him with one verified miracle. The Latin root of beatification means "make happy or blessed."

Recent analysis of traffic data in Edinburgh, Scotland showed that bicycles outnumbered cars during a May morning rush hour for the first time in history. Between 8 and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, there were more bike commuters than drivers on Leith Walk, a major street running between the port district and city center. New segregated bike lanes and a popular e-bike rental program are being credited with the increase in people pedaling to work.

A new study provided new evidence that an ancient limestone slab was part of a Roman board game, and with the help of AI, archaeologists believe they've deciphered the game's rules. Using artificial intelligence technology to analyze patterns of wear on the oval stone helped the researchers puzzle out nine possible gameplays, each of which involved an ultimate goal of blocking an opponent's pieces at the end of the board.

For the first time, scientists documented evidence of a raccoon making and playing with toys as other raccoons watched and learned. Researchers in Cozumel, Mexico observed a particularly dexterous pygmy raccoon pull paper from a trash can and roll it with her tiny hands, deftly dipping it in water to more easily sculpt it into a ball. Her sister imitated the action repeatedly, failing several times before she eventually became nearly as adept at toy-making.

Three days after a state visit during which Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised to send "envoys of friendship" to the U.S., two giant pandas arrived in Atlanta. A male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang traveled to Zoo Atlanta from Chengdu, China on an overnight cargo plane. Pandas have long been used by China as symbolic messengers of diplomacy in an attempt to soften its political image. Envoy is from the French envoyé, "messenger," or "one sent."

Tens of thousands of furious demonstrators marched through Madrid to protest the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from the apartment where she had lived for more than 70 years. The protesters' indignation stemmed from a wave of evictions and a lack of legal protections for tenants in cities across Spain. After the woman was returned home with a new rental agreement, thousands remained camped out in Puerta del Sol demanding the government "advance the right of housing."

After a September 13 refereeing error cost the soccer club Manchester United a win, the team only got a mea culpa. When a similar mistake this week led to a full rematch between Woodford Town and Mulbarton Wanderers, fans and some critics argued that Man United also deserved more than a simple admission of fault. In Latin, the phrase mea culpa means "I am to blame, through my own fault."

Using a rubric that included various measurements of water quality, researchers determined that the Long Island Sound's health was steadily improving. The nonprofit Save the Sound publishes its report card biannually, grading five sections of the Sound based on a long list of criteria. The areas were each assessed for dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, water clarity, and organic carbon, with every section showing gains. The Central and Eastern Basins both received a grade of A plus.