This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 23–August 29, 2025

A study has shown that fish likely experience pleasure when being groomed by cleaner fish. Researchers once thought the behavior of fish seeking out smaller fish to remove parasites from their bodies was arbitrary, a random act driven by an instinctive need for parasite removal. But researchers observed threadfin butterflyfish deliberately seek out cleaner fish even when they didn't need cleaning. Further testing revealed the likely reason for this behavior: It feels good to be groomed!

A new artificial knee for lower-leg amputees "pushes the definition of what a prosthesis can be," according to researchers from MIT’s Yang Center for Bionics. The device is engineered to feel like a body part and to allow users to move in an agile and comfortable way. Part of the bionic knee is implanted surgically, directly connected to muscles, making it easier for wearers to sense where their lifelike limb is in space. Bionic is from the Greek bios, "life."

The African Union joined a campaign calling for a commonly used map, the Mercator map, to be replaced with a more accurate one. The campaign advocates correcting the inaccurate cartography of the Mercator map, which makes Africa look smaller than it actually is in comparison to landmasses closer to the North and South Poles. The group says that correcting Africa's relative size on a common map will also "highlight the true scale, power, and potential of the African continent."

A Thai court acquitted the country's former prime minister of a defamation charge that could have sent him to prison for 15 years. Thaksin Shinawatra was accused of making insulting comments about then-king Bhumibol Adulyadej to a journalist. A Thai law makes it illegal to "defame, insult, or threaten" royal figures. Critics say it's often used to punish those who oppose the government. The Latin root of defamation is diffamare, "spread by ill report."

On August 26, the musician Taylor Swift announced her engagement to professional football player Travis Kelce. Since the couple began dating in 2023, they have attracted enormous amounts of attention, thanks to Swift's pop stardom and Kelce's own popularity as a record-setting tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. The announcement included a photo of Kelce kneeling in front of Swift, and another of her wearing a large diamond engagement ring.

A black bear broke into a Lake Tahoe ice cream shop and proceeded to gobble nearly all the frozen treats. The bear, dubbed Fuzzy by police, was seen by a security guard inside the Camp Richardson Ice Cream Parlor. While he didn't consume every last bit of ice cream, Fuzzy did devour most of it, sampling bites of every single one of the shop's 20 flavors before sheriff's deputies scared him off with shouts and flashlights. Gobble derives from gob, "a mouthful."

Animal advocates in India cheered a decision to scale back a plan to remove all stray dogs from Delhi's streets. After critics cited the cost and impact of rounding up a million strays, the Supreme Court reconsidered the plan in favor of a more holistic approach for the entire country. The new policy considers individual dogs' temperaments: Only aggressive or rabid dogs will be put in shelters; the rest will be sterilized, vaccinated, and returned to the streets where they'd been living.

Executives at Krispy Kreme face the onerous challenge of convincing investors that they will be able to turn the struggling company’s fortunes around. The doughnut maker has seen its shares drop 66 percent in value this year, as it grapples with the challenges of expanding a business that is defined by fresh doughnuts. Many Wall Street analysts doubt the company can overcome the hurdles it faces and earn higher revenues. The Latin root of onerous is onus, "a burden."

For the thirty-first time since December, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted, spewing lava 100 feet into the air. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, regularly emitting fountains of molten rock that cascade from the top of the mountain. The recent eruption, while spectacular to watch, didn't threaten any nearby homes. The Old English spiwan "spit," is the root of spew.

The United States will acquire a nearly 10-percent stake in the technology company Intel. The deal involves a government investment totaling about $8.9 billion. The computer chipmaker has struggled financially in recent years. President Trump said the country stands to gain financially from the move, which will mean that the government — and American taxpayers — are officially the largest collective group of shareholders of Intel.