This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 27–October 3, 2025

A growing number of people who once suffered from arachnophobia say they've overcome their fear by keeping jumping spiders as pets. The fuzzy, big-eyed arachnids are popular on social media for their looks and quirky waggling movements. Charmed by the unexpected appeal of the tiny animals, more and more arachnophobes are conquering their terror by adopting jumping spiders. Arachnophobia is from the Greek roots arakhnē, "spider," and phobos, "fear."

Psychiatrists have long recommended "bright light therapy" for people whose moods dip as the days get shorter and darker. This usually means sitting in front of a light box, which emits bright light, for about 30 minutes each morning. New research shows that it's most effective to begin this seasonal depression treatment in September, rather than waiting until winter. Light therapy helps maintain the circadian rhythm, or internal clock, which can be thrown off by changes in daylight.

A new consortium in California will focus on "safe, ethical, equitable, and sustainable" research and development of artificial intelligence (AI). The group, called CalCompute, was established as part of a broad law regulating AI in the state. CalCompute's original proposal specified that the association of AI researchers and startups would be publicly owned and share the goal of using the technology for the common good. In Latin, consortium means "fellowship."

The National Football League announced that Bad Bunny will play the Super Bowl halftime show. The announcement followed the singer and rapper's two-month performance stint on the island of Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised. During his summer residency, Bad Bunny played 31 concerts — called No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí, or I Don't Want To Leave Here — for nearly 500,000 fans. He described the shows he played during this long-term engagement as love letters to Puerto Rico.

A new study shows that the Amazon's biggest trees are more resilient than previously thought. Researchers found that mature forested areas remain surprisingly strong in the face of climate change, recovering quickly from stresses of warming temperatures, and pulling tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Experts cautioned that the trees do remain under threat from clear-cutting and wildfires. Resilience is from a Latin word that means "to jump back."

On September 28, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The financial and political penalties, halted since 2015, were reinstated in response to the country's stockpile of enriched uranium and its refusal to be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The sanctions include frozen assets, travel restrictions, and a ban on selling or trading weapons. Sanction derives from the Latin sancire, "to decree."

Moldova's pro-European Union Party of Action and Solidarity, or PAS, won a decisive parliamentary majority in elections there. The results were a setback for several pro-Russia parties and make it increasingly likely the country will pursue membership in the European Union. The pro-Western members of the PAS united around this common goal, also campaigning against corruption and Russian influence, and promising higher incomes and upgraded infrastructure.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro set off a backlash when he made a glib remark about men named Brayan. In Colombia, the name carries the stigma of being poor, reckless, and criminal. At a cabinet meeting, Petro referred to Brayans as "vampire men" who abandon women, reinforcing the disgraceful stereotype. Many of Columbia's tens of thousands of Brayans complained on social media that they're "unfairly singled out" and mocked. In Greek, stigma means "tattoo mark" or "brand."

The U.S. government shut down at midnight on September 30 after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a funding deal. The parties were at odds over healthcare subsidies. Before they would support the deal, Democrats wanted an agreement to keep the program that provides federal dollars to make insurance more affordable through tax credits or cost reductions. Republicans argued that the Affordable Care Act subsidies could be negotiated after the funding bill was passed.

On an island nature reserve in a Tennessee river, a herd of goats is helping conservationists fight invasive species. After 19-acre Maclellan Island became overrun with English ivy and other nonnative plants, the Chattanooga Audubon Society decided to send in some hungry goats. The six voracious animals spent the summer feasting on the plants, which the goats digest easily, clearing five acres for native wildflowers to be planted. The Latin root of voracious means "greedy."