Topic Reading-Vol.4846-7/31/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Humanoids are leading China’s AI and tech revolution

Tesla introduced its first mass-produced EV sedan, Model S, in 2012. It delivered nearly 1.8 million EVs globally in 2024, a slight decrease from the previous year. In the same year, around 1.5 million EVs were sold in the USA, while over 11 million EVs and PHEVs were sold in China. The world’s largest EV manufacturer was BYD, which sold over four million EVs and PHEVs in 2024 alone. ChatGPT was launched by OpenAI, a US AI organization, in November 2022. It immediately became popular around the world. DeepSeek, a Chinese company founded in July 2023, released its chatbot and AI model in January 2025. As for robots, Boston Dynamics, an American engineering and robotics company now owned by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, has introduced a number of four-legged robots since 2005. China, already home to over half of the global industrial robot installations, is aggressively developing AI-embodied humanoid robots, not only for practical uses like delivery or security but also for entertainment and human assistance. Space ships, high-speed railways, smartphones, drones, EVs, AI, and robots. Indeed, China is one of the leading runners in the innovation race, and Chinese people seem to be comfortable with and adaptive to new technologies. How fast will China’s tech industry grow?

Watch the video from Beyond Expo 2025, Asia’s largest tech showcase held in Macao, to learn what kinds of technologies are emerging recently.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/16/business/video/china-artificial-intelligence-humanoids-mpa-hnk-spc

Topic Reading-Vol.4845-7/30/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

'Autofocus' specs promise sharp vision, near or far

Nearsightedness is a common vision condition in which close objects look clear but faraway objects look blurry, which is becoming more common worldwide, particularly among children, who stare at tiny screens of their smartphones or video machines for hours every day. In the meantime, as people age, their eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects tends to deteriorate, a condition called presbyopia. Bifocal lenses are eyeglasses that combine both prescriptions in a single lens by splitting the glass into two vertical regions, the upper for near-sightedness and the lower for far-sightedness. Now, a Finnish eyewear firm is developing high-tech auto-focus lenses that respond to whatever correction the wearer needs spontaneously by using liquid crystals. The lenses seem to function quite well, but they need to be framed. However, even though the frame is packed with technologies, it is still expected to be wearable, durable, and fashionable. VR goggles are still clumsy and pricy. When will we have affordable and fashionable autofocus eyeglasses?

Read the article and learn about these innovative autofocus eyeglasses.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6r06d7xdjo

Topic Reading-Vol.4844-7/29/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

China takes a ‘stand’ on escalator etiquette

Escalators are designed to transport a large number of people between floors in buildings or levels in structures. Escalator users are advised to stand still and hold the handrail because walking on escalators increases the risk of accidents and can disrupt the flow of traffic for other users. Also, walking on one side and standing on the other can cause the escalator to operate unevenly, potentially leading to mechanical issues. In fact, the steps of escalators are higher than ordinary staircase. However, in many regions, including Western countries, China, and Japan, people often stand on the right side of escalators and walk on the left (except for Tokyo where people stand on the left side to leave the right side open for those who want to walk or pass by). Now, Chinese authorities say walking on escalators is unsafe, uneconomical, and inefficient, and it is safer and more efficient if people stand on both sides. This way, escalators can carry more people and cause fewer accidents and mechanical troubles. To remind people of this new etiquette, some escalators are painted with yellow footprints side by side in every other step. Those who are in a hurry to catch a train or attend a meeting are advised to walk up or down the stairs.

Watch the video about a new escalator guideline for 1.4 billion people.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/17/travel/video/china-escalator-etiquette-stand-digvid

Topic Reading-Vol.4843-7/28/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Kids are asking AI companions to solve their problems, according to a new study. Here’s why that’s a problem

AI companions are artificially intelligent systems designed to engage users in human-like interactions, including emotional support, companionship, and entertainment. Using natural language processing, generative AI, and emotional recognition, they can ask and answer questions, offer advice, and provide an emotional connection while adapting to the user’s personality, preferences, and emotional state over time. Imagine a kid is spending hours on their smartphone chatting with an artificial chatbot that tends to provide enticing and comforting responses and suggestions for each individual. They will hear or see what they naturally like while losing time interacting with their friends or family members. Human interactions are dynamic, emotional, situational, and unpredictable. Also, children learn more and better as they interact with others, not only through conversations but also by tone and manner, facial expressions, and body language. Children should learn to use AI, but they also need to learn how to interact with humans.

Read the article and learn how kids are using AI companions nowadays.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/16/health/teens-ai-companion-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4842-7/27/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Could axing two national holidays save France from its mountain of debt?

When you have mounting debts that you cannot pay off with your current income, one option is to work more days to earn more. That is what the French government is proposing. As part of an emergency plan to plug a budget hole, the prime minister has proposed scrapping two of the nation’s 11 public holidays to increase economic output. Will it work? Denmark abolished one national holiday in 2023, and economic output increased by much less than one percent or even one-365ths. In fact, France has the same number of national holidays as Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. Since workers and students won’t be happy with such a reduction in the holidays, it is uncertain if such an unpopular proposal will get the parliament’s approval, especially when populism is on the rise. In the meantime, the governments of NATO countries are all required to increase their defence budgets. It’s going to be a tough sell.

Read the article and learn about the French government’s idea to increase its economic output.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrq8epk7vjo

Topic Reading-Vol.4841-7/26/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

They made America's clothing. Now they are getting punished for it. 

In 2024, Cambodia purchased goods worth $12.7 billion from the US, while generating $12.3 billion trade surplus, a trade deficit for the US. In the same year, Sri Lanka exported goods worth $3.0 billion to the US but imported only $368 million, creating 2.6 billion trade surplus with the US, or a trade deficit for the US. Cambodia and Sri Lanka, along with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam, are the apparel industry’s alternative sources for China, where labor costs have increased to an uncompetitive level. The Trump administration wants all the countries around the world to reduce their trade surpluses with the US, or deficits to the US, and has threatened any country that has a trade surplus with the US with unbearably high tariffs, like over 20%. One question is whether these deficit-laden developing countries can afford to buy much more US goods like Boeing jets or Tesla EVs, which are unbearably expensive for them. Also, will US consumers be willing to bear the price increase due to the higher tariffs on the once-affordable garments? Manufacturers, exporters, and retailers all need to make money to pay salaries to their employees and taxes to their governments. No one wins by high tariffs, not to mention the workers in the garment factories in Cambodia and Sri Lanka, who work for the minimum wage or even less.

Read the article and learn about how the US administration’s “reciprocal tariffs” could affect the workers in developing countries.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9xw5vrvevo

 

Topic Reading-Vol.4840-7/25/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

New Caledonia to become a state in 'historic' agreement, but will remain French

New Caledonia is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, about 1,200km east of Australia. It was colonized by France in 1853 and became an overseas territory after World War II. Of the 270,000 population, about 40% are the Kanaks, the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants. Despite the full French citizenship and economic support from France, New Caledonians were calling for full independence. A referendum on independence was held in 2018 and again in 2020, both of which resulted in favor of the status quo. The 2021 referendum was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Kanak population, and the political situation of New Caledonia has since been deadlocked. On July 12, France announced a deal with New Caledonia to grant more autonomy. It proposes the creation of a “State of Caledonia”, with its own nationality, but not full independence. It allows New Caledonia to control its foreign policy immediately and create a Caledonian nationality along with French nationality. Also, it paves the way to become a member state of the United Nations. Since the agreement still needs to be approved in New Caledonia, more negotiations and concessions might be made for ratification.

Read the article and learn about a French archipelago territory 17,000km from Paris.

https://www.euronews.com/2025/07/13/new-caledonia-to-become-a-state-in-historic-agreement-but-will-remain-french

Topic Reading-Vol.4839-7/24/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Cell phone use affects parent-child interactions, even when adults aren’t online

Social networking services, SNS, allow users and organizations to connect, communicate, share information, and form relationships. At a social networking site, users can create their profiles and build a personal network that connects them to other users. Social networks also show tailored content that is interesting to the user, including children, students, adults, and parents. Some users spend less than half an hour on SNS, while others use hours each day. And those heavy users often say their minds are still occupied with social media even after they log off. This is problematic for young children when they learn language from their parents or caregivers, whose attention stays elsewhere. Also, interactions with adults or elders play an important role in children’s socioemotional development. If a child isn’t given good attention, they will know it. Also, they will know what their parents are busy with. So, it’s not just the length of time that you spend with your children, but how you spend the time with children is also essential.

Read the article and learn about how essential parents’ attention is to their children.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/13/health/parents-social-media-use-affects-kids-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4838-7/23/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Thailand was the first country in Asia to legalize marijuana. Things didn’t go as planned

In Thailand, cannabis has been widely consumed for both medical and recreational purposes, even though it was criminalized in 1935 and again in 1979. In 2018, Thailand legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes, becoming the first nation in Asia. Then in 2022, the cannabis flower was removed from the narcotics list, which effectively decriminalized planting, growing, trading, selling, and consuming of cannabis. Numerous cannabis dispensaries emerged for locals and tourists, creating child users, addiction, narco-tourism, and smuggling. Last month, the government reclassified the cannabis flower as a controlled herb and prohibited its sale for recreational purposes. Now, buyers of cannabis are required to present a prescription from a doctor, which might be purchased unofficially. What will happen to the already-established cannabis production, distribution, and sales network? Will re-criminalizing marijuana stop leisure consumption, or just add some cost and enhance the value of cannabis?

Read the article and learn about Thailand’s struggle with the use of marijuana.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/28/travel/thailand-cannabis-laws-tourism-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.4837-7/22/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

In the country with the world's lowest birth rate, fertility clinics are booming

South Korea is known for its low birth rate. In the last several years, its birth rate has been below 1.0, the world’s lowest, and went down to 0.72 in 2023 and 0.75 in 2024. Higher education, job competition, patriarchal culture, high living and education costs, and late or no marriage are some of the social and financial factors for the extremely low birth rate. For example, the average age at which South Korean women have their first child is 33.6, much older than in other countries. In the meantime, the number of fertility treatments carried out increased by 50% between 2018 and 2022. In fact, one in six babies born in Seoul, the capital city where about half of the nation’s population lives, were helped by fertility treatment. Why so? Do women of reproductive age in South Korea have difficulty conceiving or want to control when and how to become pregnant?

Read the article and learn why fertility treatments are on the rise in South Korea.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20wg50l563o

Topic Reading-Vol.4836-7/21/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

ChatGPT can now ‘think’ and ‘act’ for you after a new update

Gone are the days when we searched the Internet to find information for our studies, work, or interests. But nowadays, if you ask an AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or DeepSeek, it’ll look up the Internet or database and find information specific to your needs, compile it, and present it to you. No need to search or study, just ask a question or give instructions to AI. Recently, the frontrunner of the AI race, ChatGPT, added a new feature that performs tasks like a user’s personal agent. The new agent mode thinks and acts like the user and handles complex action-oriented requests. For example, if you tell the agent to plan a barbecue dinner for four, it’ll show you the menu, recipes, and ingredients. However, such functionality poses new risks, such as personal information leakage, inappropriate emails or announcements, or financial mistransactions. But AI is becoming smarter and more helpful as we use it. When will we have a humanoid household robot that prepares the next meal based on our health conditions, activities, food stock, and the meals that we’ve had in the last week or two?

Read the article and think of what you might want your personal agent to do for you.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/17/tech/chatgpt-agent-think-and-act-for-you-new-update

Topic Reading-Vol.4835-7/20/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

It’s not just humans – chimpanzees also like to follow trends, study shows

In a group of humans, when someone has demonstrated a new behavior that looks cool or uttered a unique expression that sounds interesting, they tend to try mimicking it. Especially in the era of social media, things become viral in the blink of an eye. Similar behaviors were observed among groups of chimpanzees in a sanctuary in Zambia. When a female chimp used a grass or stick to dangle objects from her ear, other members of the group started doing the same, but not the ones in other groups that did not see the behavior. That act in particular didn’t provide any immediate solution or physical comfort, but they did it anyway. Also, when a female chimp in a zoo in the Netherlands started walking as if she were carrying a baby, others in the group adopted the walking style. Interestingly, a new female chimpanzee that adopted the walking style was easily accepted by the group while the other that didn’t took a longer time. Chimpanzees are social animals and live in groups like humans. They also seem to have developed social behaviors and skills to get along with others.

Read the article and learn about how social chimpanzees are like humans.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/10/science/chimpanzees-grass-behavior-scli-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.4834-7/19/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The hidden physical powers that help women outlive men

Women outlive men by a considerable margin. For example, the average life expectancy is around 87 years for women and 81 years for men in Japan, and 79 years for women and 73.5 years for men in the USA. It is often said that men tend to smoke and drink alcohol more, engage more in risky and physically dangerous activities than women. However, not all men smoke, drink, or fight. There seems to be more fundamental discrepancies between men and women. In humans, two X chromosomes (XX) are typically found in females, while males typically have one X and one Y chromosome (XY). Fundamentally, XX is more advantageous than XY because X chromosome contains more genes, which allows female bodies to have access to a wider range of immune genes. Also, female bodies mount stronger immune defenses and vaccine responses. And there are more physical advantages female bodies have than male bodies do. Men and women aren’t equal, physically and immunologically. So, why not develop gender-based medicine and medical treatments that suit more effectively on each gender? 

Read the article and learn about why women outlive men so much.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/07/health/female-body-longevity-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4833-7/18/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

First malaria treatment for babies approved for use

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by a parasite. It is mostly found in tropical regions such as Africa and South Asia. Symptoms include fever, chills, and headaches, and in more severe cases, fatigue, seizures, and difficulty breathing. It is preventable and curable, but it is also life-threatening. Nearly 600,000 people died of malaria in 2023 alone, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and three out of four of them were children under five years old. Properly and timely provided medical treatments can stop mild symptoms from getting severe. Until now, babies and young children have been treated with medicine formulated for older children, which presents an overdose and other risks. Recently, a new medicine designed for babies and young children was approved by the Swiss authorities. The developer, a pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, is ready to roll out on a non-profit basis. How many young lives will be saved?

Read the article and learn about the new medicine to treat malaria-infected young children.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e872jdjxo

Topic Reading-Vol.4832-7/17/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

‘End is near’: Will Kabul become first big city without water by 2030?

Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan with a population of around seven million, which has increased by sevenfold since 2001. The city's water resources mainly rely on snow and glacier melt from the Hindu Kush mountains, feeding three rivers and aquifers. While the water consumption has increased drastically because of the population increase and warmer air temperature, the water supply hasn’t. In addition, global warming events, such as more frequent droughts, less snow and rain, and earlier snowmelts, are reducing the water supply to the region. As a result, almost half of Kabul’s underground bore wells, which have provided much-needed drinking water for the city’s residents, have dried up. Also, the water in many of the surviving wells is unregulated and contaminated, which could cause serious health problems to those who rely on them. Because of the years of wars and domestic conflicts, the infrastructure for water supply, treatment, and distribution has long been neglected. Unless actions are taken immediately and broadly, Kabul’s aquifers will have dried up before the end of this decade. Which is more essential for the government, supplying water or banning music?

Read the article and learn about the water supply problem in the capital city of Afghanistan.

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/7/5/end-is-near-will-kabul-become-first-big-city-without-water-by-2030

Topic Reading-Vol.4831-7/16/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Astronomers spot an interstellar object zipping through our solar system

Planetary astronomers are so excited to learn about an incoming interstellar object. It was first found earlier this month and was named 3I/ATLAS. The comet is thought to have come from the Milky Way’s galactic center and is traveling at 60 kilometers per second, or over 214,000 kilometers per hour, about twice as fast as the Earth’s orbital speed around the Sun. Unlike the planets of our solar system, the comet’s path through the solar system is almost a straight line. It is thought that it originated from another solar system and has been traveling through interstellar space for millions of years. This is the third of such interstellar objects identified; the first was in 2017, and the second was in 2019. It will come as close as 270 million kilometers from our planet on December 19, but that is still much farther than the 150-million-kilometer distance from the Earth to the Sun. Astronomers around the world are getting more excited about observing the comet as it comes closer to the center of our solar system in the next several months. What will we learn from an interstellar comet?

Read the article and learn about an object that has been traveling from another solar system.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/03/science/interstellar-object-comet-3i-atlas

Topic Reading-Vol.4830-7/15/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Earth is as far away from the sun as it ever gets. So why is it so hot?

The Earth's distance from the Sun varies due to its elliptical orbit. The closest point, perihelion, occurs between January 3rd and 4th, and the farthest point, aphelion, occurs around July 3^rd to 6^th, which are winter and summer in the northern hemisphere, respectively. So, why does the northern hemisphere experience summer when the Earth is the farthest from the sun? As for the distance, the Earth is 3.3% closer to the sun than at the average at perihelion and farther at aphelion. You may think the difference in distance is substantial enough for the sun to warm or cool the Earth. However, there is a more influential factor than the distance for Earth’s temperatures. Since the Earth spins at a 23.5-degree angle, different parts of the globe get more direct sunlight or less depending on the time of year. That’s why places around 23.5 degrees north latitude, such as India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, are heated the most in summer. Unfortunately, human-caused global warming seems to affect the planet even more than the Earth’s tilt for orbit or the distance from the sun.

Read the article and learn about how the distance and angle of our planet affect the temperatures around the world.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/05/weather/aphelion-sun-summer-heat-climate

Topic Reading-Vol.4829-7/14/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The chemical secrets that help keep honey fresh for so long

Microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and moulds exist in many foods and spoil them. They increase in moist conditions and warm temperatures, at a mellow pH, and with oxygen. You may dry meat or fruit, store it in the fridge, or store it in a jar to keep the food edible. But after some time, most food expires. One sweet food that lasts long in a jar at room temperature is honey. It is made by honeybees from flower nectar without artificial preservatives. But why does such a sweet, nutritious substance, which is also loved by microorganisms, survive for years? The secret lies in the process of how honey is made from nectar. 

Read the article and learn why natural honey doesn’t expire like other foods.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250701-the-chemical-secrets-that-help-keep-honey-fresh-for-so-long

Topic Reading-Vol.4828-7/13/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Ancient Egyptian history may be rewritten by DNA bone test

Emerged around 3150 BCE, Ancient Egypt was a civilization that flourished along the Nile River in northeastern Africa. It’s known for its monuments like pyramids and temples, complex writing system, agriculture, architecture, and astronomy. Around the same time, approximately 1,500 km northeast of Egyptian civilization, another ancient civilization flourished in the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (today’s Turkey, Syria, and Iraq), called Mesopotamia. It created city-states, writing systems, and laws, as well as advanced mathematics and astronomy. Did these two ancient civilizations interact with each other? A DNA bone test on a man who lived in the Nile Valley 4,500 years ago shows that one-fifth of his DNA matches that of Mesopotamians. This is the first proof of the interactions between the two civilizations. The ancient Egyptian’s remains were discovered in a ceramic pottery coffin in 1902. Future discoveries and analysis will reveal more about ancient civilizations.

Read the article and learn about what could have happened over 4 millennia ago along the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dnnyz0z6do

Topic Reading-Vol.4827-7/12/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

‘Cool’ people tend to have these six things in common, study finds

Who do you consider a cool person? Do you think he or she is a good person? Why do you think someone is cool and others are not? To answer these questions, researchers conducted large-scale experiments with 6,000 people in 12 countries, including Australia, Chile, Mexico, the USA, China, South Korea, India, Turkey, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, and Germany. They asked the participants about a person whom they perceived to be cool, uncool, good, or not good. The researchers found that the respondents perceived cool people were more extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open, and autonomous than those whom they considered to be good or favorable, regardless of the person’s age or gender. Also, the participants considered a good person to be calm, conscientious, universalistic, agreeable, warm, secure, traditional, and conforming, mostly opposite traits of a cool person. You can think of political leaders, billionaires, or movie stars who appear to be cool and exciting but are not so good or conscientious. Are cool people also narcissists?

Read the article and think about who or what kind of person you think is cool.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/04/health/cool-traits-study-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4826-7/11/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The self-drive tuk-tuks transforming travel in Sri Lanka

A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled taxi popular in Southeast and South Asia, especially in Thailand and India. Tuk-tuks are widely used as taxis in urban areas as a conventional and economical transport for residents and tourists. In those places, thanks to the smartphone map, motorcycle rental is becoming popular among foreign tourists. Then what about renting a tuk-tuk? It allows you to travel and stop wherever and whenever you want for yourself, and maybe your travel companion. Such a service became available in Sri Lanka. Just like renting your spare room or apartment, some tuk-tuk owners are renting their three-wheel vehicles when they aren’t in use. You’ll need an international driving permit for booking, so that the renter can organize a local driving permit. Once you book a tuk-tuk online like a car rental, your tuk-tuk will come to your hotel. After getting a brief driving lesson, off you go!  

You may be hailed by other tourists for a ride, too. What an extraordinary experience!

Read the article about how this new service emerged in Sri Lanka.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250618-drive-your-own-tuk-tuk-in-sri-lanka

Topic Reading-Vol.4825-7/10/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

She left her home in California to live on a cruise ship for 15 years

Villa Vie Odyssey is a 24,000-ton, 200-meter-long residential cruise ship where people can live aboard and travel around the world. Unlike ordinary cruise ships that sail passengers for days, weeks, or months, she accommodates just hundreds of “residents” who purchased their cabins and take them to various destinations around the world for as long as 15 years. The residents purchase their cabin like a condominium and then pay monthly fees for food and drinks, Wi-Fi, medical visits, weekly housekeeping, and bi-weekly laundry service. They can enjoy a continuous 3.5-year journey around the world while engaging with the other 500 or so residents on board. Some residents stay on the ship just for months, while others intend to live on board until the end of the voyage. Once onboard, you can enjoy watching the ocean and sky, feeling the ocean breeze, and bathing in the sunlight on the deck while checking what the next stop will be like. It may be more vibrant and entertaining than living alone in a house or a quiet care home on the ground. Also, if you are a remote worker, living on a residential cruise ship is just like renting a private, full-service office at sea. Since housing prices have soared in major markets, buying a cabin on a residential cruise ship might be a good option.

Read the article and learn about what life is like on a residential cruise ship for years.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/villa-vie-odyssey-cruise-ship-15-years

Topic Reading-Vol.4824-7/9/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

BMI is B-A-D, a new study suggests. Here’s a better way to measure weight

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a value from the mass and height of a person, which is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height, and is expressed in units of kg/m². A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese. However, since BMI doesn’t account for body composition, like muscle, fat, or bone. So, someone with a high percentage of body fat could have the same BMI as a person whose height and weight are the same but very muscular. Also, BMI neither distinguishes between fat around organs and under the skin nor age, sex, or ethnicity. In order to provide person-specific health advice, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) measures the individual’s body fat, lean muscle, and water weight by using undetectable electric currents. With such information, medical or health experts can give more specific, tailor-made suggestions to improve your health.

Read the article and learn how BIA works to measure your body composition.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/24/health/bmi-versus-body-fat-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.4823-7/8/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Will a dice-playing robot eventually make you tea and do your dishes?

For many years, robots have been working in factories to do tasks programmed, such as attaching parts, drilling holes, and moving things. Recently, robots have been used in warehouses and distribution centers to load and unload trucks, move pallets, and pick and pack items. Some of them use sensors, AI, and machine learning to adapt to changing environments and requirements. Robots with embodied AI can see, sense, recognize things around them, and act accordingly to changing situations. Then, how soon will we see robots at home to do or help with household chores, look after babies, or assist seniors? Since home environments vary widely and change quickly, it is difficult to collect enough data to pretrain robots to perform tasks in such dynamic environments that people live in. However, even though today’s AI robots are still years away from being able to perform household tasks as flexibly and safely as required, they can learn quickly and better in the coming years. Imagine that AI robots were newborns. It would be faster for them to become capable of performing household tasks than human newborns.

Read the article and think when AI robots will be sold at home appliance stores.

https://edition.cnn.com/business/alpha-bot-humanoid-robots-china-embodied-ai-hnk-spc

Topic Reading-Vol.4822-7/7/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How China made electric vehicles mainstream

China is the world’s largest automobile and EV country. Over 30 million new cars were sold in 2024 alone, more than the combined sales of the US and Europe. Among the new cars sold that year, over six million were battery-only vehicles (BEVs) and around 4.5 million were plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs). Combined, about 10 million electric vehicles, more than the EV sales in all the other countries combined. While other developed countries are seeing slower EV sales in recent years, China’s EV sales are growing fast. In fact, German, US, and Japanese automakers have somehow slowed down their EV sales projections. How has China become the leading EV country in the world? The price is one thing. The price tags of entry-level EVs are as low as those of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. Also, government subsidies and incentives for EV and battery manufacturers and charging stations are quite substantial. In addition, registration and running costs are both much cheaper for EVs than those of conventional vehicles. Government’s strategies, commitment, incentives, and subsidies are all there in China to develop the industry in just a decade or so. The fast-growing industry is facing an overcapacity problem.

Read the article and learn about how China has become the leader in EV sales.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d5ld8y8pwo

Topic Reading-Vol.4821-7/6/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

North Korea just opened a beach resort for 20,000 people. But who will visit?

Started in 1998, North Korea allowed South Korean tourists to visit Mount Kumgang, a 1,638- high mountain on the east coast of the country. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visited there each year until it was closed in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot in a restricted military zone. Last month, the secretive authoritarian country opened a new beach resort, the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, that is designed to welcome foreign visitors. The supreme leader Kim Jong-Un himself appeared at the inauguration event with his family and cut the ribbon. The Russian ambassador and staff also attended the ceremony to show their friendship with one of their remaining few allies. Though the resort is intended to earn foreign currencies, only a limited number of Russian tour groups are granted permission to visit the beach resort at the moment. Even though this newly opened resort looks no different from other beach resorts in the world, curious travellers might be interested in spending time and enjoying the services in one of the most secretive countries in the world.

Read the article and think if you’re interested in visiting North Korea’s beach resort.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/north-korea-kalma-beach-resort-tourism-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.4820-7/5/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

More than a third of this country’s population has applied to relocate

Located about midway between Australia and Hawaii, Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of the Pacific Ocean. Around 10,000 people live in the land areas of only 26 km² on three reef islands and six atolls. Tuvalu’s average elevation is just two meters above sea level, and the highest elevation is only 4.6 meters. As sea level rises, the island nation is predicted to become uninhabitable by the end of the century. When Australia opened a window for Tuvalians to apply for 280 permanent residency visas in June, over 4,000 Tuvalians applied for the visa scheme. The winners will be chosen by a random ballot in the next six months. Tuvalu is now trying to recreate everything they have, land, history, culture, and governmental functions, into a digital space. Also, Australia has committed to recognizing Tuvalu as an independent sovereign country even after its land disappears into the sea. But will all the residents be relocated to other places in time? There are other low-lying places in the world whose residents will also need to be relocated.

Read the article and learn how desperate Tuvaluans are to move to higher lands.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/27/australia/tuvalu-relocation-visa-australia-climate-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.4819-7/4/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

South Korea banned dog meat. So what happens to the dogs?

Dog meat is consumed in several countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, and South Korea. However, it has become less common in South Korea. According to a 2020 survey, over 80% of South Koreans had never eaten dog meat, and a government poll in 2024 found only 8% of respondents had eaten dog meat in the prior 12 months. So, in January 2024, the South Korean government passed a law banning the sale and production of dog meat, which will become effective in 2027 after a three-year grace period. If dog breeders stopped producing dogs for meat immediately, the number of dogs for meat would have gradually decreased, and would be zero when the trade is prohibited. However, most dog farmers have to make their living with dogs and cling to the business until the very end. According to government estimates, there are still nearly half a million dogs in dog farms. Since most of them are medium to large breeds, it is difficult to find their foster families in South Korea, where housing prices have soared in recent years. Also, rescue shelters are already overcrowded. Some are exported to other countries like Canada or the US, where larger dogs are popular as pets. But unless their homes are found, many of those dogs might be euthanized, instead of being eaten. Only 18 months left before the grace period ends.

Read the article and learn about the challenges to phase out an established business and practice.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20r7lkel68o

Topic Reading-Vol.4818-7/3/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The Eiffel Tower is closed to tourists due to searing heat. Here’s why it’s happening

Heat waves have become more frequent, intense, and longer because of climate change caused by humans, and Europe is warming faster than any other continent. In Spain, the average temperature in June surpassed the normal average for July and August. The UK, where fewer than 5% of homes are equipped with air conditioning, recorded its second warmest June since records began in 1884. At the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the players had to not only cope with their opponents but also struggle with the heat on the court. In Portugal, 46.6 degrees Celsius was recorded, the record-high temperature for June. In France, the Eiffel Tower summit was closed to tourists on June 30 and July 1 due to due to the searing heat. Also, the heat wave caused wildfires in Turkey, forcing 50,000 people to evacuate. The high water temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea and hot air flowing north from Africa are causing humidity and high temperatures across Europe. Sounds like a mid-summer phenomenon, but it occurred in June. How hot will this summer be?

Read the article and learn about Europe’s pre-summer heat.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/01/weather/europe-heat-wave-global-warming

Topic Reading-Vol.4817-7/2/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

What does hot weather do to the body?

It’s summer in the northern hemisphere. Summer is becoming longer and more severe with higher temperatures and heat waves of over 40 °C. Can our bodies withstand such heat? Our bodies function best at a core temperature of about 37 °C. When the outside temperature rises, our bodies try to regulate body temperature by opening up blood vessels, which leads to lower blood pressure and makes the heart work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Also, as we sweat, our bodies lose fluids and salt disproportionally, so that their balance changes. As a result, we may feel dizziness, nausea, fainting, muscle cramps, and or headaches, typical symptoms of heat exhaustion. If you feel any of such symptoms in the heat, you should cool your body and skin, lie down, drink a lot of water or rehydration drinks. But if someone doesn’t recover from heat exhaustion within half an hour, feels confused or nauseous, vomits, stops sweating, experiences a high temperature over 40°C, or loses consciousness, the person is likely suffering from heatstroke and needs medical emergency. Since the climate is changing faster than how much our bodies can adapt, we need to adapt our lifestyles and activities to the heat.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7n6m7y6yvo

Topic Reading-Vol.4816-7/1/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Is an apple a day really good for your health?

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a well-known English proverb, but is it true? Like any other fruit, apples are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Also, apples are rich in polyphenols, which are beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant properties. However, the apple is not the only fruit that has such health and nutritional benefits. What makes apples so beneficial to our health is that they are so widely available, mostly affordable, and have a long shelf life. Unlike bananas or papayas, apples are grown in many regions worldwide. Because of their availability, apples are economically and environmentally friendly. Also, apples can be stored longer than other seasonal fruits like strawberries or oranges. Indeed, apples are nearly everyone’s fruit almost throughout the year. But do apples really keep the doctor or pharmacists away?

Read the article and learn what apples may do to your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250620-is-an-apple-a-day-really-good-for-your-health