This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 20–July 26, 2025

A recent audit of Amtrak's train operations found that the company has made progress in making its trains more accessible for disabled riders, but many improvements are still needed. The main focus of Amtrak's annual review of its operations was accessibility. According to the audit, many people with disabilities prefer traveling on trains to flying on airplanes, but Amtrak has done an unsatisfactory job of listening to and responding to the complaints of disabled passengers.

Researchers found that the seeds of the squirting cucumber, a toxic relative of edible cucumbers, can reach velocities of 37 miles per hour and distances of 40 feet. Scientists described the angle between the plant's stem and ripe fruit as "the perfect ballistic angle" for the cucumber to shoot its seeds a long distance. When disturbed, the fruit explodes, sending its seeds shooting out on a jet of fluid that helps them accelerate. Ballistic's Greek root means "to throw."

Lawmakers proposed a set of bills aimed at updating safety laws for cosmetics. The "Safer Beauty Bill Package" would ban several toxic ingredients and require disclosure about toxic chemicals commonly used in personal care and beauty products like shampoo, lotion, nail polish, eyeliner, lipstick, and other cosmetics. Although scientists have long linked certain ingredients with health problems such as cancer and reproductive issues, the beauty industry remains largely unregulated.

The U.S. Army announced that it will scale back its Military Working Equid program. Of the 236 horses, mules, and donkeys currently owned by the Department of Defense and kept on Army bases, 141 will be put up for adoption. Only the Old Guard equine units in Washington, D.C., and San Antonio, Texas, which participate in military funerals and parades, will keep their horses. The root of the word equine is the Latin equus, meaning "horse."

The EPA will close its Office of Research and Development, which provides scientific expertise relevant to setting environmental regulations. The office is staffed by trained scientists who analyze the dangers of environmental hazards, including water pollution, air pollution, wildfires, and toxic chemicals. Removing the department will save $748.8 million. Some experts will be assigned new jobs within the agency. Expertise is from a Latin root meaning "tested or proved."

Lesotho's garment industry has been devastated by U.S. tariffs, leading the country to declare a state of disaster. The small African nation was hit with 50 percent tariffs in April. The tariffs have since been paused, but they caused many of the country's factories, which produce jeans and other clothing items, to shut down or lay off workers, rattling the entire economy. Before the tariffs, Lesotho's garment workers produced apparel for brands including Levi, Gap, and Wrangler.

Twenty-six new locations became official UNESCO World Heritage sites this week. The prestigious list features more than 1,200 sites that are considered to be culturally or historically significant and worthy of protection under international law. This year's additions include Bavarian palaces, a Brazilian river canyon, and a sacred mountain in Malawi. The word heritage is derived from Old French, in which it meant "inheritance," from a Latin root meaning "heir."

Some of the 55,000 tennis balls used at Wimbledon each year are being repurposed as homes for the U.K.'s threatened harvest mice. Some of the tennis balls are sold as souvenirs, with the proceeds benefiting the Wimbledon Foundation, but thousands are donated to The Wildlife Trusts. This coalition of environmental charities has found a brilliant new use for the bright yellow balls. Volunteers cut holes in them and attach them to poles; the tiny mice climb up and build nests inside them.

A domestic pony named Alice is helping to care for a wild horse foal in a Minnesota zoo. The young Przewalki's horse, named Marat by zookeepers, became ill and was separated from its mother, who rebuffed him when he was returned. Fortunately, Alice, a gentle mare who had just lost her newborn filly, stepped in to help. When introduced to Marat, she immediately lavished him with attention, nuzzling and nursing him. Thanks to the solicitous pony's nurturing, the rare horse is thriving.

Researchers found that keeping vaccine stockpiles in cold storage has saved at least 300,000 lives in the past 20 years. Public health groups around the world have amassed millions of vaccine doses in case of disease outbreaks. Vaccines to prevent Ebola, cholera, meningitis, and other illnesses are kept in reserve despite the cost of storing them. A new analysis shows the stockpiles are worth the cost, having led to a 60 percent reduction in cases of serious diseases.