Topic Reading-Vol.4911-10/4/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, scientists claim

Emerged originally in Africa and migrated to other continents over a million years ago, homo erectus was the oldest known homo species. It is widely accepted that it evolved and started to diverge into Homo longi, or “Dragon Man”, Neanderthals, and our ancestor, Homo sapiens, around 600,000 years ago. Also, Homo sapiens is thought to have emerged in Africa over 300,000 years ago and started migrating across Eurasia 100,000 years ago. It is assumed that Homo sapiens and Neandertals not only coexisted but also interacted and even interbred with each other. Recently, researchers digitally reconstructed a badly crushed million-year-old cranium of a Homo erectus that was unearthed from a riverbank in central China. To their surprise, it was not the skull of a Homo erectus but a Homo sapiens. If that is the case, these human species, Homo longi, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens co-existed for hundreds of thousands of years, much longer than previously thought. There must be many more human remains waiting to be unearthed around the world.

Read the article and learn about a revolutionary finding about human evolution.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx01ve5151o

Topic Reading-Vol.4910-10/3/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The Gen Z uprising in Asia shows social media is a double-edged sword

In recent years, there has been a wave of youth-led uprisings in South and Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka in 2022, Bangladesh in 2024, and Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines this year. They are driven by frustration over corruption, nepotism (unfair use of power to grant an advantage, privilege, or position to relatives of power elites), and bleak economic prospects. These movements weren’t led by political ideologies or social movements, but were digitally fueled by social media. Indeed, short video clips or messages go viral at lightning speed around the country and spark anger among frustrated young people to mass demonstrations and even violence. For example, in Nepal, large-scale anti-corruption and anti-nepotism protests by Generation Z students last month caused 70 deaths, destruction of government buildings, and the resignation of the Prime Minister. It seems unwise for those in power to underestimate the power of digitally armed young people.

Read the article and learn what angered young people in Asia so fiercely.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4ljv39em7o

Topic Reading-Vol.4909-10/2/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Afghanistan telecom blackout as Taliban shuts off internet

Since their takeover in August 2021, the Taliban have systematically suppressed human rights, especially those of women and girls, while facing a crippled economy and ongoing security challenges. Women’s public life and gender equality are erased, girls are banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade, women are required to wear a head-to-toe covering, and are prohibited from working for civil service or NGOs. Also, most forms of public entertainment are banned, including non-religious music, movies, video games, and even kite flying, a highly popular pastime in Afghanistan. In addition, since last month, the Taliban has disrupted fiber-optic internet connections to prevent immorality, which resulted in a connectivity blackout across the country. Not only people have lost connections, but also business activities, including airports and banks, have been severely disrupted. Without internet connections, people now feel more isolated and lonely than ever, which might have a greater impact on people than other restrictive measures that have already been in place.

Read the article and learn about the Internet blackout by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxqdy5nrlqo

Topic Reading-Vol.4908-10/1/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

CNS Fujian achieves milestone with electromagnetic launch of advanced Naval aircraft

Formed in 1927, the People’s Liberation Army of China is about to celebrate its first centennial anniversary. Technologically, it has advanced rapidly in the last few decades in space, in the air, and also in the sea. For example, Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier, and its first indigenously designed carrier. It is regarded as the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier outside the US. Though the carrier uses a conventional propulsion system, it is equipped with the most advanced Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which is used only by the US’s Gerard R. Ford. The electromagnetic launch system uses a linear induction motor to accelerate aircraft instead of the conventional steam-powered launch system, providing smoother acceleration and faster recharge while requiring less maintenance and less fresh water. Because of its linear acceleration, the launch system puts less stress on the airframe, which allows a wider range of aircraft weights. Recently, Fujian successfully launched and recovered two types of modern naval fighter jets and a twin-propeller early warning and control aircraft, equivalent to the US Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye. China’s proud super carrier is nearly ready to be commissioned. In the meantime, various navies are modifying or developing vessels that can launch drones, which don’t require a high-tech electromagnetic launch system. 

Read the article and learn about China’s highly advanced aircraft launch system.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/22/WS68d11b43a3108622abca230b_1.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4907-9/30/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Oxford gives students access to AI platform

Established in 1096, the University of Oxford is the oldest higher educational institution in the English-speaking world. It now comprises 39 colleges and six religious-based institutions, where over 26,000 graduate and undergraduate students study. The university recently announced that it now offers access to ChatGPT Edu, the education version of ChatGPT, to all of Oxford's students, faculty members, and staff. ChatGPT Edu offers enhanced privacy and security by allowing only the user institution to retain data. The university hopes the use of this new educational tool will enrich and personalize students’ learning, as well as open up new opportunities to explore and create. With the upgraded functions of the ChatGPT agent, the historic university is trying to enrich AI literacy among its learners, teachers, and researchers.

Read the article and learn about Oxford’s new initiative to use AI tools even more proficiently and responsibly.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvl0lr387xo

Topic Reading-Vol.4906-9/29/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Recognising Palestinian statehood opens another question - who would lead it?
Palestine is a state recognized by over 150 UN member states, including all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, but the USA. Its territories include Israel-occupied the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem, and also Israeli-destroyed Gaza. Since 2007, Gaza has been ruled by Hamas, and the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority or PA. On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, which triggered Israel’s brutal aggression against Gaza. The Israeli military has destroyed the entire area and killed thousands of civilians with bombs and starvation. Why is Palestine still not recognized by all UN member states, even though it has a permanent population and has its own representatives to the UN? So far, Palestine hasn’t agreed on final borders. Also, the lack of a functioning government makes it difficult to be recognized. Even among the G7 members, the UK, France, and Canada have recently recognized Palestine, but the USA, Japan, Germany, and Italy have not. In the meantime, the US administration plans to sell six billion dollars in weapons to Israel.
Read the article and learn about the historical background of recognizing Palestine as a state.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c930dlxnee4o

Topic Reading-Vol.4905-9/28/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,　

The lonely life and death of Delhi's only African elephant

In October 2024, the membership of the National Zoological Park in Delhi was suspended by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums because of concerns about the living conditions of a male African elephant, Shankar. There were talks and plans, but no concrete action had been taken to improve the conditions. Then, on the 17^th of this month, the 24-year-old elephant suddenly refused food, collapsed, and died. The cause of his early death is still being investigated. Usually, African elephants live for 70 years. He came to the Delhi zoo from Zimbabwe in 1998 with a female companion, which died in 2001. Since elephants are highly social animals, the zoo tried to lodge Shanker with Asian elephants in the zoo, but no success. After all, the male African elephant spent 24 years alone. Elephants use various forms of communication, display complex emotions like empathy and grief, and cooperate within their social structures to care for young and ensure the group's survival. They seem too intelligent, social, and delicate to live only by food and water.

Read the article and learn about this lonely African elephant that died too early.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2nlevy2gpo