Topic Reading-Vol.4622-12/19/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Humans may not have survived without Neanderthals

Neanderthals are one of the extinct humans who lived in Eurasia from hundreds of thousands of years ago until about 40,000 years ago. They had more robust and stockier builds than typical modern humans, wider and barrel-shaped rib cages, wider pelvises, and proportionally shorter forearms and forelegs. They are thought to have used tools, controlled fire, had burial practices, and communicated with each other orally. Neanderthals are genetically distinct from modern humans but are more closely related to us than chimpanzees are. They coexisted and interbred with homo sapiens for some time in overlapping territories in Europe and Western Asia but went extinct about 40,000 years ago. It had been thought that our ancestors, homo sapiens, overwhelmed Neanderthals after leaving Africa. However, new DNA research suggests that humans went extinct multiple times before they started populating the world, and Neanderthal’s genes played a crucial role in humans’ survival. Then how?

Read the article and learn about a new theory of how humans evolved and survived. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwydgyy8120o

Topic Reading-Vol.4621-12/18/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Could the airship be the answer to sustainable air travel – or is it all a load of hot air?

An airship is a self-propelled aircraft that uses lighter-than-air gas like helium to stay and fly in the sky. Since an airship can lift and land vertically, it could be used without infrastructure like a runway or railways. Also, airships are much more environmentally friendly than aircraft, which burn substantial fossil fuels. Airships had been popular in the early 20th century until the Hindenburg, a German commercial passenger-carrying airship with nearly 100 people onboard, caught fire and was destroyed during its landing. The German passenger airship was filled with lighter, more economical, and widely available hydrogen, which is more flammable than helium. Now, with lighter, tougher, and safer materials, new types of airships are being developed. Cargo can be transported from point to point as an airship doesn’t require special infrastructure, so it could transport cargo to disaster areas or remote islands. Also, airships can provide passengers with a sustainable and enjoyable flying experience. Since they fly at a much lower altitude than commercial jets, passengers can enjoy a slower travel experience over the landscape without increased air pressure. As air travel becomes more expensive and crowded, slow but environmentally sustainable airships might offer a good flying experience.

Read the article and learn what modern airships are like.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241204-could-the-airship-be-the-answer-to-sustainable-air-travel

Topic Reading-Vol.4620-12/17/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

These animal photos won funniest of the year

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is one of the world’s most popular annual photography competitions. Since its modest birth in 2015, the photo competition has grown into a world-renowned entertainment and conservation brand experienced by millions of people annually, always with the protection of wildlife at its heart. The free competition is open to all wildlife photography novices, amateurs, and professionals, and celebrates the hilarity of our natural world. There are eight photo categories and one video clip category in the competition, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. From the 44 finalists, the overall winner and each category winner of this year’s competition were announced. 

Enjoy seeing the winning photos of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kb73d9/these-animal-photos-won-funniest-of-the-year

Topic Reading-Vol.4619-12/16/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Whale makes epic migration, astonishing scientists

Adult humpback whales are about 15 meters long and weigh 40 tons. They are found in every ocean. The humpback whale is known for its spectacular “surface active behavior, including breaching and flipper and tail slapping, and its occasional curiosity around tour boats. Also, they are known for their complex ‘song’, which is heard on the breeding grounds in the tropics. 

They perform long seasonal migrations, spending summers feeding in cold productive waters at high latitudes and winters on tropical breeding grounds where they mate, calve, and nurse their young. Some individuals travel as far as 8,000km between tropical breeding grounds and icy feeding grounds. Recently, a humpback whale was found in the Pacific Ocean off Columbia, 13,000 kilometers away from the site where it was last spotted in the Indian Ocean several years before. It is still unknown whether it made the long journey looking for a mate or breeding grounds, or chasing tiny shrimplike krill, their main food. One assumption is the influence of extreme environmental events, which are seen more frequently. Whichever the reason might be, humpback whales travel longer distances than any other mammal species.

Read the article and learn about the longest swimmer in oceans. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3zywxlqlxo

Topic Reading-Vol.4618-12/15/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Starbucks opens a cafe with a view of North Korea

Viewing one of the most secretive and protective countries from a Starbucks coffee shop? Last month, a Starbucks outpost opened on an observation tower at the Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, 36 kilometers north of Seoul. Across the Jo River, customers can see North Korea while sipping coffee from the seat inside or on the observation deck. With a pair of binoculars or a high-zoom phone camera, visitors may have the chance to see North Korean people. The Korean Peninsula has been divided at the 38th parallel since 1945, known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a two-kilometer-wide buffer zone on either side of the parallel. While people on the south side of the parallel enjoy democracy, free speech, the Internet, and the latest gadgets, those on the north side have to live with dictatorship, militarism, censorship, and rations. How many North Koreans have ever tasted or known coffee?

Read the article and see the photos of the newly opened American coffee shop near the Korean DMZ.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/starbucks-gimpo-north-korea-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4617-12/14/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

UK lawmakers vote in support of assisted dying

Assisted dying means prescribing life-ending drugs for terminally ill but mentally competent adults to administer themselves after meeting legal safeguards. It is legal and regulated in ten US jurisdictions, including California, Oregon, and Washington DC. Similarly, assisted suicide is legalized in Switzerland, and voluntary euthanasia is allowed authorized in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In Canada, Medical Assisted in Dying became legal in 2016 along with assisted suicide. Last month, British members of parliament voted freely by their will (not bound by party lines) to legalize assisted dying by 330 to 275 votes. Supporters of the bill insisted that assisted dying would bring dignity to terminal patients, avert pain and suffering, and ease pressure on palliative services. Opponents were concerned that the patients might feel like becoming a burden on their families and pressured to choose the option. Though assisted dying, suicide, or euthanasia are all highly controversial issues, some people travel to countries or states where they can legally terminate their lives.

Read the article and learn the legal aspects of assisted dying.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/29/uk/uk-assisted-dying-vote-gbr-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4616-12/13/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

World's captive panda population hits 757

The giant panda is a large bear species native to China, known for its distinctive black-and-white fur. It primarily resides in mountainous regions, especially in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. Pandas mostly eat bamboo and grow to around 100 kilograms. The giant panda is a vulnerable species because of its habitat loss, low reproductive rate, isolated habitation, and climate change that affects bamboo growth. Giant pandas are among the world's most adored and protected rare animals. Thanks to China's continuing conservation efforts for decades, there are as many as 757 giant pandas in captivity in the world and around 1,900 in the wild in China, according to the announcement made at the Global Panda Partners 2024 conference, where representatives from Russia, Japan, and other countries met. Indeed, pandas are used as a form of diplomatic gift or gesture to strengthen political, cultural, and economic ties with other countries. Pandas are ambassadors for friendship.

Read the article and learn how adorable pandas are loved and cared for.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202411/27/WS6745ab08a310f1265a1cfb5c.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4615-12/12/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Tech companies put on notice as Australia passes world-first social media ban for under-16s

Social media is a way for people to communicate, share information, and create online communities using the internet or mobile phones. It has expanded over the years, evolving from a digital forum for connecting people to a news source for younger generations. Its near-ubiquitous presence has transformed the way we interact with each other, how we learn things, and how we perceive the world. Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and X are all powerful and influential social media. However, social media could be used for bullies, peer pressure, or scamming, which are harmful, especially to school children who are still vulnerable to explicit social interactions. Last month, Australia’s parliament passed a law that bans social media for children under 16 to protect them from bullies, pressure, scammers, and online predators. Before the law takes place, major social media platforms must deactivate the accounts of those whose ages are below 16. According to a poll, nearly 80% of Australians support the ban. Will you?

Read the article and think about how old is good enough to use social media. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/28/australia/australia-passes-social-media-law-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4614-12/11/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

More single women and female couples having IVF

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment that involves fertilizing a woman's egg with a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish, and then placing the fertilized egg, or embryo, in the woman's uterus. It is used to treat many causes of infertility, including the advanced age of the mother and damaged or blocked fallopian tubes. In the UK, about one in four IVF treatments resulted in a birth. Among 18-39 year-olds who had their first IVF treatment in the UK, female couples account for 16% and single women 18%. Combined, around one-third of IVF treatments were for non-heterosexual couples or females, representing the diversity of families and patients. Now, there are countries in eastern Asia like South Korea and China whose birth rates are falling below 1.0 and the number of unmarried couples is increasing. IVF might be one of the ways to form a family for those who choose not to have a heterosexual partner. 

Read the article and learn how IVF helps develop diverse families. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yxel9j6xeo

Topic Reading-Vol.4613-12/10/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Airlines make billions charging ‘junk fees,’ congressional report says

Junk fees are additional service charges for event tickets, such as service charges for event tickets, late payment fees for credit cards, and out-of-network ATM fees. Airlines also charge multiple service fees, such as advanced seat selection, family seating, checked baggage, or even paper boarding passes. They make money by charging once-included options to passengers who want more than their base fares. In some cases, airlines charge a hundred dollars or more just for an extra legroom seat. Since seat fees have become more expensive, some family members have no choice but to sit in the middle seats in different rows. Airlines say they try to keep airfares more affordable and treat the passengers fairly and equally. As air travel has become more crowded and expensive, passengers feel more stressed in many ways. Should such optional fees be regulated? Gone are the days when a passenger was asked for a window or aisle seat without a fee.

Read the article and learn what is not included in airfares nowadays.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/26/business/airlines-junk-fees/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4612-12/9/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Popular weight-loss drug Wegovy goes on sale in China

Instead of riding bicycles like their parents or grandparents used to do, today’s Chinese people ride cars. Indeed, China is the world’s largest automotive market, and over 20 million new cars are sold each year. Also, there are many convenient and affordable ready-to-eat options, such as food delivery, fast food restaurants, takeouts, and prepared foods like TV dinners or instant noodles. As a result, over 50% of China’s population is either obese or overweight. 

Wegovy is a prescribed medicine used to help lose excess weight. It helps control blood sugar, lowers appetite, and makes the patient feel fuller. It comes as a pre-filled injector pen. The user injects the medicine weekly under the skin in the upper arms, stomach, thighs, or buttocks. Recently, the weight-loss drug was launched in China. Although the price is much cheaper than the one in the US, Chinese patients have to pay the full price because the drug hasn’t been included in the national health insurance. While there still are millions of people who have difficulty getting enough food in other Asian and African countries, some rich people are seeking a way not to eat so much food. 

Read the article and think about the newly introduced weight-loss drug in China. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7487y7x0vwo

Topic Reading-Vol.4611-12/8/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

They’re up to 70% of the American diet. But the US has no policy on ultraprocessed foods

Many foods we consume are somehow processed, such as unpackaged bread, canned fruits and vegetables, pickles, and cheese, which contain ingredients like salt, sugar, and oils. Ultra-processed foods typically have more than one ingredient that you never or rarely find in a kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colors and flavors. Ice cream, ham, sausages, chips, packaged bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavored yogurts, and instant soups are typical examples of ultra-processed foods. They are appealing to your tastebuds and also convenient because of their longer shelf life and ready-to-eat packages. Studies found people tend to overeat ultra-processed foods by 500 or more calories than those who eat unprocessed or less processed foods. Also, since these foods are high in added sugar, salt, fats, and additives like artificial colors and flavors but low in dietary fiber and vitamins, those who eat more ultra-processed foods have a higher risk of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression. It is estimated that such ultra-processed foods make up between 50% and 70% of the calories in the US’s food supply.

Read the article about the studies to find the health effects of highly processed foods.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/22/health/ultraprocessed-food-us-dietary-guidelines-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4610-12/7/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Burning old TVs to survive: The toxic trade in electrical waste

Electronic waste, or e-waste is discarded electric products like computers, mobile phones, home appliances, and medical equipment. Over 60 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2022, only 15% of which is estimated to have been recycled because of its complex composition, including toxic chemicals, metals, and plastics. The rest of the waste was stored in homes and warehouses, dumped, and illegally exported to developing countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. When trafficked e-waste is burnt or dumped, the plastic and metals that are contained in the e-waste become hazardous to human health and the environment. However, since e-waste streams contain valuable and finite resources that can be reused, poor people, especially women and children, try to extract valuable metals like copper and gold from e-waste in highly toxic and polluted dump sites. Customs authorities are trying to stop illegal e-waste shipments but traffickers make false customs declarations, conceal e-waste by blending it with other waste, or even dump it into the sea. 

Read the article and learn what e-waste does to humans, animals, and the environment.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gvq1rd0geo

Topic Reading-Vol.4609-12/6/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body

The tarantula is a large, hairy spider species whose size is about the same as a teacup. There are hundreds of tarantula species found in most of the world’s tropical, subtropical, and arid regions. They are accomplished, nocturnal predators. They usually eat insects but they also target frogs, toads, and even mice. Though tarantulas have few natural enemies, they are being captured by humans as they become popular in the exotic pet trade. Now, tarantulas are threatened species. Last month, a man who tried to smuggle over 300 tarantulas was arrested at an international airport in Lima, Peru. He strapped hundreds of illegally extracted insects packaged inside ziplock bags to his abdomen. Though arachnids like spiders won’t even recognize humans because of their poor eyesight, more humans are interested in keeping them as pets. And as they become more valuable, illegal trafficking increases. 

Read the article and learn about the guy who strapped over 300 tarantulas around his body for trafficking.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/americas/smuggler-tarantulas-peru-intl-scli/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4608-12/5/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

They’ve sailed across Southeast Asia for centuries. Now, these sea nomads are being forced to live on land

Semporna is a coastal town located near the top of the Coral Triangle in Malaysia, a 5.7 million square kilometer area of extraordinary marine biodiversity. There, Bajau Laut, indigenous seafaring people have lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle on the ocean for centuries. Their lifestyles have been so accustomed to the sea that they’re biologically adapted to it, allowing them to hold their breath longer in the water. However, the over-exploitation of fish stocks in the region,  rising sea surface temperatures, and ocean acidity have led to a loss of fish habitats and made the sea people’s lives unsustainable. Now more Bajau Laut are abandoning their traditional lifestyles and habitats and started living on the land. The problem is that many of those indigenous people are not registered properly with Malaysian administrations, so they have no access to public education, healthcare, utilities, or waste management. How will these people in coastal communities, who are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and plastic pollution, survive in the region?

Read the article and learn about the challenges and difficulties that these sea people are facing.

https://edition.cnn.com/climate/malaysia-bajau-indigenous-sea-nomads-land-c2e-spc/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4607-12/4/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Tuvalu: The disappearing island nation recreating itself in the metaverse

Sitting about 5,000 km northeast of Australia, Tuvalu is a small island country in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the country’s population of 11,900, the second-fewest in the world, live on its three reef islands. Unfortunately, the total land area of 26 square kilometers has gradually been decreasing due to the rising sea level, and most of the land area, including the dwellings and critical infrastructures, is expected to sit below the level of the current high tide by the middle of the century. Australia agreed to accept 280 Tuvaluans each year as part of the relocation program. Also, the Tuvalu government is creating a virtual copy of the islands, people, and cultural heritage in the metaverse so that they will still be able to remain even after the islands disappear into the ocean. To prepare for the nation’s status and sovereignty without geological territory, Tuvalu is seeking to create passports, hold elections, and keep the administration running all digitally in the webspace. Tuvalu may exhibit what can be done for a disappearing state before the exodus. 

Read the article and learn what a disappearing Pacific island is doing to keep its legacy going.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241121-tuvalu-the-pacific-islands-creating-a-digital-nation-in-the-metaverse-due-to-climate-change

Topic Reading-Vol.4606-12/3/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

These vascular risks are strongly associated with severe stroke, researchers say

Stroke is the third leading cause of death around the world and kills millions of people each year. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel, which carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain, is locked by a clot, bursts, or ruptures. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs and brain cells die, which don’t usually regenerate. Then the person might become physically and cognitively impaired depending on the damage of the brain cells. According to a new study of over 13,000 patients who suffered a stroke, high blood pressure, smoking, and irregular heart rhythm are linked with a higher risk of severe compared to mild-moderate stroke. A healthy diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, and an active lifestyle all lower the risk of getting a stroke. Smoking, salty food, and high blood pressure are high-risk factors for a stroke. Stroke treatment is very time-sensitive. If you ever experience or notice difficulty smiling, speaking, or raising both arms, you’d better make an emergency call to get treatment. Hesitation won’t solve the problem but makes the brain more damaged.

Read the article and learn about stroke.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/health/stroke-prevention-hypertension-smoking-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4605-12/2/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year 2024 is all about thinking positive

The word of the year refers to the most important word or expression in the public sphere during the year. Various organizations announce their Word of the Year, including Collins English Dictionary, Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge has been published one every year since 2015, including “austerity” in 2015, “populism” in 2017, and “quarantine” in 2020. This year, the university press chose “manifest” as the world of the year. According to the dictionary, the verb “manifest” means to show something clearly through signs or actions. For example, workers manifest their complaints in a strike, or, the illness manifested itself in severe pain. Its synonyms are demonstrate, reveal, or show. Manifest also refers to the practice of clarifying the goal in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen. Some people who succeeded in realizing their dreams attest to the effect of manifesting. The new president-elect might have had one since he lost his election in 2020.

Read the article and learn what “manifest” means to some people.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/uk/cambridge-word-of-year-2024-scli-intl-gbr/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4604-12/1/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI cameras catch drivers on phone or without belts

In most countries, drivers and passengers are required to fasten seatbelts while on the road, and most people do at least in developed countries to protect themselves. Also, the use of hand-held phones while driving is banned in many countries, including Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and many states in the USA. Unlike talking with a fellow passenger who can regulate conversation based on the perceived level of danger, talking on the phone draws much more driver’s attention from the road. Furthermore, reading and texting messages is far more dangerous as it requires most of the driver’s visual and cognitive attention. Still, some drivers often use handheld phones to talk or text messages while driving on busy streets or highways. However, they could now be caught by AI cameras like speeding. Recently in Greater Manchester, England, a new AI camera system has captured over 812 drivers who were using their phones and nearly 2,400 drivers who weren’t wearing seat belts properly. AI may soon help motorists drive more safely for themselves and others on the road.

Read the article and learn another use of artificial intelligence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8dpvxexz8o