Topic Reading-Vol.5195-7/15/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Sick of Earth? NASA is recruiting volunteers for a yearlong Moon and Mars simulation

Though it is not quite like flying to, living on, and returning from the red planet, you’ll experience what they are going to be like in the same space and environment. NASA is now recruiting volunteers who are willing to commit themselves to spending 14 months in a simulator with three others. The participants will spend several months inside a mock 60-square-meter spacecraft unit, move into a one-story, 84-square-meter facility to do on-Mars duties, and then go back to the spacecraft unit for the return journey. The mission crew will live on a Martian day, about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Also, their diet is limited to space food and a few vegetables they grow in the simulator. They are expected to perform all scheduled tasks, exercises, and rests. What the participants will miss is Mars's gravity, which is only 38% of Earth’s, and the hundreds of days the mission will require to stay on Mars before the return journey. Can you maintain physical, mental, and emotional health in a confined environment with only three co-participants?

Read the article and learn what NASA’s yearlong simulation program is like.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/science/nasa-moon-mars-simulation-scli-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5194-7/14/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Most popular baby names for boys and girls in 2025 revealed

Nearly 90% of the UK’s 69.5 million population lives in England and Wales. There, 585,000 live babies were born last year. Some people might assume their popular names are like Charles, William, Harry, Edward, George, Tony, Gordon, or David for boys, and Camilla, Catherine, Sophie, Charlotte, Theresa, or Mary for girls, just like the UK’s royal families and PMs. In fact, Muhammad, Noa, and Leo are the top names for boys, and Olivia, Lily, and Amelia for girls, last year. Muhammad, also spelled Mohammed or Mohammad, is an Islamic name and a direct tribute to the founder of Islam. This Islamic name is so popular in the UK because the Muslim fertility rate is about twice as high as that of other Britons. Would you like a popular, familiar name or a unique, iconic name for your baby?

Read the article and learn the most popular baby names in the UK.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevlw4wnlmxo

Topic Reading-Vol.5193-7/13/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why 'Asia's cleanest village' bans tourists on Sundays

Mawlynnong is a small village in the north-east of India near the border with Bangladesh. The village with a population of just 600 became famous for its cleanliness after it was named Asia’s cleanest village in 2003. It features flower-lined pathways, bamboo dustbins, and is free from single-use plastic. The village is maintained by its predominantly Christian villagers, young and old, many of whom do business with visitors. But on Sundays, they keep the village only for themselves to attend church and enjoy a peaceful day. Because it is a day off for everyone, they can also plan a family gathering, personal meeting, or community event without schedule conflicts. Do they lose a day of business every week? Since the Sunday closure is well-known, most visitors come on other days of the week. The cleanliness of the village seems to be sustained longer with the welfare of the villagers.

Read the article and learn about how a small village in India maintains its cleanliness.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260625-why-asias-cleanest-village-bans-tourists-on-sundays

Topic Reading-Vol.5192-7/12/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Ford rehires human engineers after AI fails to match quality checks

Founded in 1903, the Ford Motor Company is the second-largest American-based automaker, producing popular vehicles including the F-150 pickup, Explorer SUV, and iconic Mustang. In the last few years, the legendary automaker has introduced AI across its operations, including the quality-checking process. However, the company didn’t seem to have planned a smooth human-to-AI transition well, and the AI quality checker failed to live up to expectations. The management has learned that AI needs to learn sufficiently to perform its duties. The automaker has then rehired veteran technicians to train the machines that had taken over their jobs earlier. What will happen to them when the machines have learned enough knowledge and skills from them? When humanoid robots are deployed to human environments where safety is the #1 priority, they surely need to be trained properly and sufficiently before their introduction.

Read the article and learn how essential training is for a smooth transition to AI operations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o

Topic Reading-Vol.5191-7/11/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI glasses are aiding cheating in exams. Test-obsessed Asia is ground zero

Ever since students started using AI tools like ChatGPT for academic writing, teachers have been struggling to find the right way for assessment. In the meantime, high-tech wearable tools like AI glasses have been found at exam sites in countries where test scores make or break the chance for college admissions or job qualifications. As smartglasses’ appearances become more ordinary and their functions improve rapidly, they are threatening the fairness and integrity of exams. For example, if you just look at the exam paper through the glasses, they would transmit the information, find the answers, and display them on the lenses. To combat high-tech cheating, proctors of China’s national entrance exams manually or digitally check frames for built-in cameras, internet connectivity, or AI features. It seems to be the time for assessors to rethink how to evaluate the competence and potential of the test takers. Should humanoid robots take place for human proctors?

Read the article and learn how high-tech wearables are threatening the testing authenticity.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/26/asia/ai-glasses-cheating-exams-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.5190-7/10/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The sites fighting to be removed from the UNESCO World Heritage List

UNESCO’s World Heritage List was brought forth to protect culturally and environmentally significant places in 1978. Since 12 sites were first inscribed on the list in 1978, it has grown to over 1,200 in 170 countries. In the beginning, the sites inscribed were monuments, archaeological sites, and buildings, but newly inscribed sites overlap with places where locals live, such as Vlkolínec in Slovakia and Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. Once inscribed on the list and posted on SNSs, world heritage sites become popular tourist destinations, which helps the local economy and raises funds for conservation. However, when a site is overvisited by tourists and overinvested by businesses, its original value might be lost, and residents’ lives are disrupted. Some of them are now even calling for the removal of the site from the heritage list. The World Heritage List certainly authenticates the significance of the site, and SNSs amplify its popularity. Which affects local communities more?

Read the article and learn how the UNESCO World Heritage List could affect local communities and residents’ lives.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260611-the-sites-fighting-to-be-removed-from-unesco

Topic Reading-Vol.5189-7/9/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Bored at work? Let AI do the heavy lifting

As AI takes over entry-level tasks in many workplaces, requirements for entry positions, and even for veterans, are rapidly changing. While many entry-level jobs and repetitive tasks are being replaced by AI, humans are doing more productive, creative, or managerial tasks. They are now expected to undertake greater responsibilities faster and better by using AI, which is improving and evolving continuously and rapidly. Therefore, all workers, including newcomers or job starters, need to be competent in using AI and keep upskilling to be valuable office workers. One valued skill in today’s work environment is the ability to integrate AI into real work processes to produce better solutions. Another is the ability to use AI as an agent to improve the work quality and efficiency. For example, the effectiveness of an ad can be analyzed and summarized, and suggestions for improvement can be proposed by AI. Humans then give new directions and make judgments as to how to reach and move the target audience more. AI is indeed reshaping job requirements, but it is still humans who finally exercise soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, and face-to-face interaction, to be valuable in the workplace and for customers and clients.

Read the article and learn how things are changing with AI in China’s workplaces.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/26/WS6a3dbb4ea310986e2b461f61.html