Topic Reading-Vol.5133-5/14/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

One of the planet’s biggest cities is sinking so rapidly it's visible from space

Built in 1910 to commemorate the centennial of the War of Independence, El Ángel, The Angel of Independence, is the most popular monument in Mexico City. Originally, nine steps led to the base, but fourteen more steps have been added in later years due to the sinking of the ground. Indeed, Mexico City is one of the fastest-sinking capitals, at more than a centimeter a month. The metropolis of over 22 million residents sits atop an ancient aquifer, which has been so over-extracted that it’s no longer able to provide drinking water or sustain the weight of the city. The sinking is so fast that it is even visible from a space radar system. Indonesia is now relocating its capital, Jakarta, the world’s fastest-sinking capital at only several meters above sea level, due to sinking and flooding. Mexico City is safe from sea level rise because it sits at over 2,200 meters above sea level, but its water supply and ground foundation rely on the depleting aquifer. Groundwater extraction, heavy buildings and infrastructure, and rising sea levels are all human-caused problems that contribute to urban sinking. We can monitor what is happening on the ground, ice, and sea from space. Then, what should we do with the data?

Read the article and learn about the sinking capital of Mexico.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/05/climate/mexico-city-sinking-nasa-aquifer-water

Topic Reading-Vol.5132-5/13/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Food labels have far-reaching effects on our health

What is shown on most packaged foods are alluring images of the food, brand name, and catchy marketing copy, which are all designed to make you buy the product. On the side or back of the package, you can find a nutrition label in black, painstakingly small letters as required by the regulator. While cigarette packs now show large, graphic health warnings to illustrate health risks in many countries, food packages often show little or no such warnings, even on highly processed or sugary foods. In fact, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in particular, such as soda, snacks, ready-to-eat noodles and soups, and sugary cereals, are linked to obesity or chronic diseases, but they are sold just like other packaged foods on the shelves. In some countries in Europe, however, a five-color nutrition label called Nutri-Score has been shown on the front of the package for several years. Though the label is not mandated by regulators, some food manufacturers redesigned their products by reducing sugar content or changing ingredients in a healthier way, while supermarkets started promoting healthier food options. Since more than half of adults in the world are predicted to weigh too much by the middle of the century, better labeling on processed and packaged foods seems essential to reducing weight-related health problems.

Read the article and learn about how food labeling could affect our health.

ihttps://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260501-food-labels-are-actually-affecting-your-health

Topic Reading-Vol.5131-5/12/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Nature vs nurture: How much of our personalities are determined at birth?

Was our personality set at birth or developed as we grew? While nature is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors, nurture is the influence of external factors, such as exposure, experience, interactions, and learning. Identical twins share 100% of their DNA, but their key personality traits, such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional instability or anxiety, aren’t exactly the same. To your surprise, all humans are roughly 99.9% identical in their genetic makeup, and the remaining 0.1% accounts for all individual differences, including appearance, susceptibility to diseases, and other traits. Also, studies found that the environment, social interactions, or even significant life events we’ve experienced have a limited influence on our personality traits. It seems that no one thing determines who we are or how we behave, but multiple genetic and environmental factors do.

Read the article and learn how nature and nurture influence our personality traits.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260501-nature-vs-nurture-how-much-of-our-personalities-are-determined-at-birth

Topic Reading-Vol.5130-5/11/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

California to begin ticketing driverless cars that violate traffic laws

How reliable are autonomous vehicles (AVs)? In March, more than 100 self-driving robotaxis operated by Baidu in Wuhan, China, stalled in the middle of the road due to a system malfunction, causing hours of distressing congestion. Later, Chinese regulators suspended issuance of permits for new autonomous vehicles. Also, in the USA, driverless autonomous robotaxis like Waymo are becoming popular in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, and they sometimes violate traffic laws, like illegal U-turns or blocking emergency vehicles. However, when an officer stops an autonomous car for a traffic violation, they find no driver responsible for such violations. To enhance accountability of traffic violations by AVs, starting from July, officers can issue traffic tickets directly to the autonomous vehicle’s operator when a robotaxi violates traffic laws. Also, autonomous vehicle operators are required to respond to law enforcement requests within 30 seconds to mitigate traffic incidents. Technical glitches, blackouts, Internet shutdowns, and cyber attacks. Autonomous vehicle operators seem to have to deal with many unexpected incidents quickly and responsibly.

Read the article and learn about California’s move to manage driverless vehicles.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clypjx3rg2go

Topic Reading-Vol.5129-5/10/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Wild parrots copy their friends when deciding whether to try new foods, study finds

We often learn new behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions by observing and imitating others in a social context. For example, kids want to try a new toy when they see other kids playing with it. Also, if there is a long line before a food stand selling a novel food, more people tend to join the line to try it. Such social learning, where animals acquire information, behaviors, or skills by observing or interacting with others, is also common among primates, marine mammals, rats and mice, dogs, and birds. Recently, researchers left artificially dyed almonds to study the reactions of five distinct communities of sulphur-crested cockatoos in central Sydney, Australia. It took a few days for the parrots to try eating artificially dyed almonds they had never seen before. However, it took only a few minutes or less for other groups of parrots to start eating the novel food after they saw their peer parrots, which had eaten the colored almonds before, eating them. Social learning seems to be a practical skill for learning new things quickly while reducing potential risks.

Read the article and learn about how wild parrots learn what to eat from others.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/01/science/parrots-copy-friends-new-foods-study-intl-scli

Topic Reading-Vol.5128-5/9/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Five charts that show the rise of global militarisation

Who spends more on the military and how much? The total of the top five spenders, the USA, China, Russia, Germany, and India, represents nearly 60% of the world's military spending, and the US alone spent about one-third of the world's total. Because of the US dominance, global military spending spiked when the US was involved in military activities, such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Cold War, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, European NATO members have increased their military spending by over 40% in the last decade following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. While most countries spent less than $100 or a few hundred dollars per capita on the military, Qatar, Israel, Norway, and Singapore spent over $3,000 per person in 2025. The big military budget spenders are also big arms exporters. Between 2016 and 2025, combined exports of the US, Russia, and France exceeded 60% of the world’s total. Then, how much of the nation’s economic output is allocated to military spending compared with health care or education?

Read the article and learn about the military spending, exports, and shares by country.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/five-charts-that-show-the-rise-of-global-militarisation

Topic Reading-Vol.5127-5/8/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

In five charts - How UAE's exit could affect Opec's influence over the oil price

Formed in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an oil-exporting cartel to coordinate oil policies. Until last month, there were 12 member states and 11 other oil-producing countries, including Russia, that made up OPEC+ to exercise influence on the global oil market. For example, when the oil price crashed during the coronavirus pandemic, OPEC+ cut production to raise prices. OPEC was more influential 50 years ago when it produced over half of the global crude oil, but last year its share dropped to 36.7% as the USA and Russia increased their production. Suddenly, the UAE decided to depart from OPEC at the end of last month. The emirates were the world's third biggest oil exporter, only behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq, before the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply travels through, was blocked by Iran. After departing from OPEC, the UAE is expected to boost production substantially without OPEC’s commitment. The block of the Hormuz Strait, declining OPEC’s market share, and continuing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Oil supply and price have become more fragile recently. Isn’t it time to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies?

Read the article and learn about the declining influence of the international oil cartel.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70vjpny0dno