When he set out in 1746 to write the first great English dictionary. Samuel Johnson intended his definitions to be laws that would firmly establish meanings. But usage thumbs its nose at laws; the dictionary nowadays is more a Social Register of words than a Supreme Court of language. In the 27 years since the G. & C. Merriam Co. published the Second Edition of its unabridged Webster’s New International Dictionary, thousands of new words have clamored to be listed.

In a report published in both its print and online platforms a couple of days ago, the media company suggested that the Federal Government had accepted some controversial clauses in the Samoa Agreement, which compel underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community recognition. Dubbed the LGBT clause, the pre-conditions are prerequisites for nations to get financial and other support from advanced societies.

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Updated: May 18, 2016 10:55 AM [ET] | Originally published: May 18, 2016 8:28 AM EDT; A difference of as few as 70 genes led giraffes to distinguish themselves from their closest relative by their long necks, according to new research. Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, sequenced the genomes of two giraffes and one okapi—the giraffe’s closest relative. The development of the long neck likely comes as a result of genetic changes to proteins that control growth and others that control the body and limb development.

Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial opened the new decade in spectacular fashion. Curious onlookers, protesters demanding justice, police, and the media filled the State Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan to witness the beginning of weeks of emotional testimony from accusers. If convicted, the 67-year-old could face life in prison; if acquitted, he faces another rape trial in Los Angeles. The New York trial marked at once a pivotal moment in the #MeToo movement and the fall of a mighty Hollywood emperor.