This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 4–October 10, 2025

Researchers studied wolves' reactions to various recorded noises and found that hearing human voices made them apprehensive. A team of ecologists carried out the experiment in a Polish forest that's home to 15 protected wolf packs. They played recordings of dogs barking, birds calling, and people speaking in calm voices. The wolves were more than twice as likely to startle and run away at the sound of humans than any other noise. The scientists concluded that wolves are fearful of humans.

A medical journal retracted a study from last year that said apple cider vinegar could help people lose a significant amount of weight. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health disavowed the research, which claimed those who drank vinegar daily lost almost 10 percent of their body mass. Many experts had immediate doubts, calling the results "implausible." The Old French source of disavow is desavouer, from des- "opposite of," and avouer, "accept."

The largest Lutheran denomination in the United States named its first Black presiding bishop. Yehiel Curry was elected to the elevated ecclesiastical position, heading up the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Curry's predecessor, the Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, was the ELCA's first female presiding bishop. Ecclesiastical derives from the Greek ekklesiastes, "church speaker," and its root ekkalein, "to call out."

A new study contends that the Antarctic wreck of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance in 1915 was due to the ship's structural weakness, not just bad luck, as had been previously thought. Evidence recovered from the wreckage of the wooden schooner has now revealed that despite its tenacious name, the Endurance wasn't built with the strength required to endure the crushing ice. Researchers say that it's likely Shackleton knew his ship wasn't as stalwart as its name implied.

New analysis reveals that worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year. The report shows that in the first six months of 2025, solar energy production grew 31 percent, and wind power increased by nearly 8 percent. Together, these renewable methods produced more electricity than coal and also exceeded the total amount used around the world. Fossil fuel generation fell by 1 percent, a decrease experts described as "small but significant."

Data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed that between 2005 and 2023, per capita carbon dioxide emissions declined in every state. The country as a whole saw a 20 percent decrease in energy-related emissions, even as its population grew by 14 percent. The average decline per person was 30 percent, with the greatest change in Maryland, where CO₂ emissions went down by 49 percent per capita. In Latin, per capita means "by the head."

The government shutdown is causing disruptions at airports, where air traffic controllers are not receiving paychecks. The FAA had already faced a staffing shortage, and as some unpaid workers call in sick, delays are increasing. While the controllers are required to work without pay, a 2019 law stipulates that they will receive retroactive pay when the government reopens. Despite the promise of eventual paychecks for past unpaid work, some are reportedly seeking temporary part-time jobs.

October 7 was the two-year anniversary of an attack in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed and 250 were taken hostage by the militant group Hamas. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have died during the ensuing conflict. The somber occasion was marked by small, solemn gatherings. An October 9 peace deal raised hopes of a cease-fire and the release of the remaining Israeli captives and Palestinian detainees. Somber is from the Late Latin subumbrare, "to shadow."

On October 5, Typhoon Matmo made landfall on China's southern coast, forcing about 350,000 people to evacuate. The powerful storm battered the region with swirling winds of up to 94 miles per hour. Torrential rain resulted in catastrophic flooding across several Chinese provinces and neighboring countries. The Greek root of typhoon is Typhōn, the name of a mythological figure, a monstrous giant known as "the father of dangerous winds."

Scientists determined the chemical origins of a vibrant blue pigment in a Jackson Pollock painting, Number 1A, 1948. Using lasers to analyze scrapings of the vivid paint, researchers measured the paint's molecular vibrations and identified it as manganese blue. The red and yellow splatters and drips on the nine-foot canvas were identified years ago, but the source of the brilliant blue had remained a mystery for decades. Vibrant originally meant "vibrating."