Topic Reading-Vol.5299-10/27/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Think you can’t live without a smartphone? Why a flip phone might be an upgrade

Which device do you think improves your well-being, a smartphone or a dumb phone? Teenagers in the US spend eight hours on screens, about half of the time their eyes are open. Some people are afraid of not being connected to their social circles, and others cannot stay away from images or feeds that keep appearing on the screen. Also, we rely heavily on smartphones for convenience, such as QR codes, directions, tickets, payments, applications, and so on. The more we rely on our smartphones, the less we activate our brains. But will we be so technically disconnected, socially isolated, physically inconvenient, or cognitively dumb without smartphones? A young lady based in upstate New York, fed up with her smartphone soon after her 27th birthday, has been living without one ever since. What is life without a smartphone?

Read the article and learn about a life without a smartphone.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/11/health/living-without-a-smartphone-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5298-10/26/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

K-pop giants Stray Kids join BTS in boycotting the Grammys

Formed in 2013, BTS is a seven-member Korean male pop group that pioneered the modern global K-pop boom. Another K-pop giant is Stray Kids, an eight-member group formed in 2017. Both groups were strong contenders for the newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at the 2027 Grammy Awards. The new Grammy category requires the candidate songs to use one or more Asian languages, and the award is determined by musical style and language, not nationality or ethnicity of the performers. However, BTS announced in July that they would not submit music for consideration in any category for Asian pop music because they believe music should be loved for what it is regardless of the region or language. Earlier this month, Stray Kids followed suit and boycotted the award, stating that their priority is not to aim for award results or records, but to make their fans happy and satisfied. Both groups are the two most dominant male K-pop acts in the US, and their songs have continuously been at the top of the charts. They may not need to be recognized by the prestigious award so much.

Read the article and think if the newly created regional award excludes or segregates certain musical styles or languages from the main categories.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5398kkx27ewo

Topic Reading-Vol.5297-10/25/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why athletes are training their brains as well as their bodies

Athletes need to train physically to become faster, stronger, or better. But in the last mile, stretch, round, or minutes of the competition, what makes athletes perform at their best isn’t just physical strength but also mental toughness. It is the brain that commands your body to physically perform, after all. So, if athletes are trained to become resilient to mental fatigue, they may perform beyond their current limits. That is what brain endurance training (BET) helps them develop. It trains your brain to handle psychological stress, lower your perceived rate of exertion, and maintain decision-making quality when you are exhausted. BET can be implemented with a cognitive app that guides you to perform 15-20 minutes of training either immediately before, during, or after your regular physical workout. The benefits of brain endurance exercises can be enjoyed by those who want to overcome mental fatigue in high-pressure and demanding tasks, such as executives and doctors. But be warned that BTS is a highly demanding training because it is meant to exceed current physical limits.

Read the article and learn about the endurance training for your brain.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/brain-endurance-training-athletes-spc

Topic Reading-Vol.5296-10/24/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Bigger than Manhattan: The record-breaking airport megahub that conquered the world

While mega hub airports in the Middle East have been affected by the US-Iran war, Istanbul International Airport is handling more international flights and passengers, taking advantage of its geographical position and capacity. According to a global travel data provider, Istanbul Airport (IST) served more international connections and destinations on seemingly the busiest day of the year, August 2, than London Heathrow (LHR), the previous year’s top. IST operates 24/7 with one massive main passenger terminal under a single roof. It has three runways and will soon add another one, which will provide more capacity and better punctuality. Currently, over 84 million passengers pass through IST each year, and the airport plans to increase its capacity to 200 million passengers per year with six active runways. The airport sits about 40 km from the city center and is connected by metro (though it requires a gruesome transfer), so transit passengers may choose to visit the world-famous tourist sites. While airspace over Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East is disrupted by the ongoing wars, Istanbul Airport is gaining momentum as the main hub between Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Read the article and learn about Istanbul’s mega airport.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/istanbul-airport-connectivity

Topic Reading-Vol.5295-10/23/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The radical idea that temperature sets when we sleep

We know the ambience affects how deeply we sleep and how refreshed we feel after sleep. The darker and quieter the place we sleep in is, the better our sleep quality tends to be. That’s because light exposure affects melatonin, a natural hormone that regulates the body’s circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle. Also, a regular wake-up and sleep cycle helps us sleep better because our circadian rhythms, cycles of mental, physical, and behavioural changes, occur in a 24-hour period. Another factor for better sleep is temperature. Since our core body temperature falls by about 1C from its daytime high to nighttime low, warmer ambience won’t help our sleep. When the bedroom is too warm, you tend to have difficulty falling asleep. When the sun sets, the ambience becomes darker, quieter, and cooler in the natural environment. Today’s environment, especially in towns, seems quite different from the one humans have evolved for.

Read the article and learn about the factors that affect our sleep.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20261007-how-does-temperature-affect-your-sleep

Topic Reading-Vol.5294-10/22/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Scientists identify two of the world’s noisiest birds – and they’re as loud as a jackhammer

A volume of 100 decibels (dB) measured at one meter is extremely loud, almost equivalent to a car horn, a gas-powered lawn mower, a motorcycle engine, or a live rock concert. Then how much louder is 120 dB? Every 10 dB increase represents a 10-fold increase in sound intensity or energy, so going from 100 dB to 120 dB is 100 times more intense energy-wise. Since human brains perceive every 10 dB increase as roughly doubling in loudness, 120 dB sounds roughly four times louder to the human ear than 100 dB. Surprisingly, this is how loud some of the South American bird species sing. The bare-throated bellbird is only about 27 cm long but has a large mouth opening and a wide beak to amplify sound to call females. The red-legged seriema is a large bird species, about 75 to 90 cm long, with bulky throat and chest muscles to create large calls for territorial defence. Recently, these two species were found to create songs louder than 120 decibels. Since both species live in Atlantic forests around Brazil, their loud songs won’t bother you anytime soon.

Read the article and learn about the noisiest bird species.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/29/science/two-loudest-bird-study-intl-scli

Topic Reading-Vol.5293-10/21/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How much should you actually tip on a 'free' walking tour?
There are quite a few travel websites that list “free walking tours” for popular tourist destinations, such as Rome, New York, or Tokyo. In reality, these tours are not really free of charge, but tip-based. It’s a pay-what-you-wish model where you can book for free online and tip your guide at the end of the tour based on what you feel the tour was worth for you within your budget. For travelers, it is appealing because there are no upfront booking fees or financial commitment. For freelance tour guides, the tour not only eats up other income opportunities but also costs them booking fees to the online platform. Some platforms show a suggested tipping range, but it depends on where, when, and how satisfactory the tour was to the individual. In reality, those tour guides aren’t really volunteers but freelance guides who make their living from tips. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Read the article and learn about how free walking tours work.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260924-how-much-should-you-actually-pay-on-a-free-walking-tour