Topic Reading-Vol.5304-11/1/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

China's families are now supporting more old people than kids

The population of China has been declining since 2022, and it decreased by 3.4 million to 1.4 billion last year, with 7.9 million births versus 11.3 million deaths. Since the total fertility rate has been around 1.0 per woman, the population of children aged 14 and under now stands at about 15%. In the meantime, the population of elderly people aged 65 and older has been rapidly increasing, and now it consists of nearly 16% of the population. China’s retirement ages are relatively early, about 60 to 63 for men and around 55 for women, compared with Japan’s 65 and older, another fast-aging country. As a result, China’s dependent elderly population compared to the working-age group reached 23%, while the figure for children stood at 22%, supporting more elderly people than children. As life expectancies increase, China’s working population will support even more elderly people for longer in the future. It’s not just pensions and healthcare spending, but also day-to-day care that increases the burden on working populations. Will humanoids help sustain economic growth and help care for aging people when the younger population declines? If robots can dance and play sports, why can’t they?

Read the article and learn about the challenges of an aging population in China.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr20wzwyzl1qo

Topic Reading-Vol.5303-10/31/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Cat food investigation finds heavy metals, pesticides and plastic chemicals

Most dog or cat owners feed their pets the same foods almost every day, which are produced and packed by pet food manufacturers. If the packed food is contaminated by harmful substances, they may accumulate in pets’ bodies over time. A US nonprofit tested 100 top-selling cat foods and found that all of them, dry, wet, and air- or freeze-dried, contain more harmful substances, including toxic plastic contaminants, herbicide glyphosate, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, than human food. Cat food labels show you the main proteins, such as beef, chicken, or fish, and other ingredients like fish oil, vitamins, and minerals. However, they aren’t as regulated as food for humans, and it’s hard to find which food is safer than others for your cat. To avoid accumulating certain harmful substances in a cat’s body, feeding various foods might help reduce the cat’s health risks, provided that the picky animal eats them all.

Read the article and learn how contaminated cat foods are.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/02/health/cat-food-toxins-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5302-10/30/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages?

Language is a structured system of communication that people use to share thoughts, feelings, and ideas using words, sounds, writing, or hand signs. In English, you may say “please” to be polite or ask something, and “thank you” to show appreciation. In Japanese, they say “Suimasen” for excuse me, please, I’m sorry, or thank you. In Scandinavian languages, such as Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish, there are no words that directly translate “please”. Then, how do they show or add politeness when they ask someone to do something? Culturally, they prize directness and egalitarianism. People prefer to get straight to the point. If you still want to be extra-polite, you could say “may I ask for” in Danish, add “thank you” to the request in Swedish, or uplift the end of the request in Norwegian, of course, in their languages. When you are in a different culture, you’d better read the air, learn from how others say or do things in particular situations, instead of searching for a direct translation from your own language.

Read the article and learn how politeness is presented in Scandinavian cultures.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20261008-why-is-there-no-word-for-please-in-the-nordic-languages

Topic Reading-Vol.5301-10/29/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

'Powerful and beautiful': Here's why we all need body fat

It is well known that too much body fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. But it doesn’t mean that less body fat is better for your health. In fact, body fat regulates the body’s functions, takes up extra nutrients and releases them when needed, and acts as a layer of insulation. Also, body fat cells produce hormones that indicate the body’s energy level. When the body fat level is too low, the body tries to save energy and, in a serious case, body systems, including immune function, shut down. When the body depletes body fat, muscles are broken down, and bones are no longer built or repaired. Though it varies by person, age, and lifestyle, 10-20% body fat for men and 20-30% for women are considered healthy, while over 30% is excess.

Read the article and learn how body fat works in your body and affects your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260925-its-bad-for-our-health-to-have-too-little-fat

Topic Reading-Vol.5300-10/28/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack

Supermarket freezers are usually set at or below -18°C for general frozen foods and below -20°C for Ice Cream to keep the food safe and fresh for longer. At night, the temperature of these freezers rises slightly for a short period for defrosting. Supermarket chains usually manage such temperature controls by software. Earlier this month, a cyber attack hacked the temperature control system of several major food retail chains across France and commanded the freezers to heat up and stay hot. Hundreds of supermarkets were affected, and some freezers warmed to 50°C. Some supermarket chains disconnected their control systems from the Internet to prevent further attacks and investigated their security systems. Those affected stores had to dispose of the warmed frozen foods and restock their shelves. Food security is now threatened by evil hackers and malware. Weaponizing energy, food, and medicine is a serious threat to ordinary citizens. Once AI is used by a malicious hand or goes rogue by itself, how can we stop it?

Read the article and learn about a recent cyber attack on freezers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crq5nzxv9q4yo

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