Topic Reading-Vol.4754-4/30/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Are breakfast cereals really good for us?

Breakfast cereals are popular in some countries, especially the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK. They were originally simply made from wheat, oat flour, or corn, and eaten like porridge or grits. Nowadays, there is a vast variety of breakfast cereals, like Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Cheerios, as well as more complex choices like muesli, granola, and bran flakes. Some cereals are designed to be low in sugar or high in fiber, while others feature sweet or chocolate flavors and added ingredients like nuts, fruit, or marshmallows. As many of them are enriched by minerals and vitamins and also eaten with milk or yogurt, they can be a healthy diet to break fast. The product label highlights how much it is enriched by favorable ingredients like fiber and vitamins, but only prints unhealthy additives like sugar, preservatives, and artificial colors, in small letters on the back, which most of the buyers don’t pay so much attention to. Also, it is usually not mentioned what industrial processes the product underwent. So, which breakfast cereals are healthier than others to start a new day? By the way, the countries where breakfast cereals are popular tend to have higher overweight and obesity ratios. 

Read the article and learn about what breakfast cereals are and their impact on your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250422-are-breakfast-cereals-really-good-for-us

Topic Reading-Vol.4753-4/29/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

84% of the world’s coral reefs hit by worst bleaching event on record

Great Barrier Reef, Belize Barrier Reef, and the Red Sea reefs are a few of the most popular examples of beautiful coral reefs. Coral reefs are known for their vibrant colors and diverse ecosystems, making them one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth. Approximately 25% of all marine species can be found in, on, and around coral reefs. They are underwater ecosystems built by tiny marine animals called coral polyps. These polyps live in colonies and form hard, stony structures that provide shelter and food for a wide variety of marine life, including fish, sea turtles, crustaceans, and invertebrates. However, coral reefs are facing threats from climate change, pollution, and overfishing. When corals are under stress, they expel the microscopic algae that live in their tissues. Without these algae, corals’ tissues become transparent, exposing their white skeleton. Recently, the International Coral Reef Initiative announced that harmful bleaching of the world’s coral has grown to 84% of the ocean’s reefs, the worst ever recorded. As the planet becomes warmer, much of the heat is going into the oceans, giving more stress to coral reefs. It may not be too long before all the coral reefs become a white skeleton unless immediate actions are taken.

Read the article and learn about endangered coral reefs around the world. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/23/climate/coral-bleaching-record/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4752-4/28/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

A death every three minutes: Why India's roads are among the world's deadliest

There are around 290 million registered vehicles on the roads, and a little over 40,000 people die from motor vehicle crashes in the USA. In India, over 350 million registered vehicles are on the roads, and over 172,000 people died from traffic accidents in 2023, approximately 474 deaths each day. Among the dead, 54,000 weren’t wearing helmets, and 16,000 were not wearing seatbelts. Also, many people died from overloading, driving without a valid license, or driving on the wrong side. While a lack of basic safety precautions is the predominant cause of road accidents, the dangerous road environment is also to blame. In India, there are cars, buses, and motorcycles speeding on the road, while slower vehicles like bicycles, rickshaws, hand or animal-drawn carts, and pedestrians are crawling on the same congested roads. Also, improper design and installation of safety features like metal barriers and tall medians contribute to more traffic accidents on India’s roads. As more vehicles, whether electric or two-wheelers, are rapidly being added to the roads each day, India is in need of a safety upgrade in order not to increase traffic accidents accordingly. 

Read the article and think about how safe it is to drive, ride, or walk in India.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g49pgx6d0o

Topic Reading-Vol.4751-4/27/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Stress doesn’t just affect your bladder. It can hijack your overall health

When you encounter a life-threatening danger like a fire or attack, adrenaline is released, heart rate and blood pressure are increased, and senses are heightened to react to the immediate threat. These reactions to short-term stress are essential for your survival. When the stress continues, Cortisol, the stress hormone, is released to cope with sustained stress by increasing blood sugar and enhancing the brain’s focus and memory, while setting aside digestion, fertility, and immunity. So, if stress becomes chronic, your mind and body continue to stay in high alert and in this irregular mode, which could disrupt your immune system, impair metabolism, affect your mood and sleep, and cause chronic inflammation. A zebra may face a survival challenge when it is chased by a predator, but such stress won’t last long. But humans often bother themselves with mental stress, which cannot be solved in a short time, and causes long-term stress. Indeed, chronic stress, such as financial hardship, chronic illness, strained relationships, grades and appraisals, and a dissatisfying job, could cause health problems. Physical and mental health seem to be interconnected.

Read the article and learn what chronic stress does to your health.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/16/health/stress-urological-health-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4750-4/26/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

'Words carry power:' Mexican coffee shops rename the Americano

The traditional Americano is a shot of espresso with added hot water at a 1:3 to 1:4 ratio, retaining the complex flavors of espresso but in a lighter way. In Australia and New Zealand, a similar drink is called a long black, which is made by pouring a single shot of espresso into hot water, a different way to make the same drink. Because of the rising tensions about trade and immigration with the US, some Mexican coffee shops have renamed Americano to Mexicano without changing the taste, flavor, or price of the coffee. The rebranding seems to have been gaining support from other coffee shops and consumers. (But probably not by over 800 Starbucks stores in Mexico) 

In January this year, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to adopt the name "Gulf of America" for the gulf waters bounded by the U.S, even though the gulf had been known as the Gulf of Mexico since the 1550s. Will there be more renaming moves in these two neighboring countries that are geographically and economically so connected? 

Read the article and learn about 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/17/world/video/mexican-coffee-shop-renames-americano-mexicano-digvid

Topic Reading-Vol.4749-4/25/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Robots race in Chinese half marathon
More than 20 two-legged robots competed in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon with 12 thousands human runners in Beijing on April 19. Teams from several companies and universities took part in the race with robots in a variety of shapes and sizes, the tallest standing at 180 centimeters and the smallest at 75 centimeters. Technical issues hampered some teams at the start. Just as human runners needed to replenish themselves with water, robot contestants were allowed to get new batteries during the race. In case a robot could no longer keep running, it could be substituted by another with a 10-minute penalty. The first robot that ran across the finish line was Tiangong Ultra, which ran 21 kilometers in two hours and 40 minutes, an hour and 38 minutes short of the human winner of the race. How soon will we see a running robot equipped with AI and solar power run a full marathon in less than an hour without human support?
Watch the video and see how well two-legged robots perform in a running race with humans.
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/ce8gz5vl2z1o

Topic Reading-Vol.4748-4/24/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

A simple illustrated guide to 15 economic terms to know

In 2018, the first Trump administration began setting tariffs and other trade barriers on China to reduce the trade deficit. In 2022, the Biden administration introduced a number of new export limits and expanded sanctions to protect US economic and military interests from China. On February 1, the second Trump administration increased reciprocal tariffs on China by 10%, and China responded with 10% to 15% retaliatory tariffs just three days later. On March 3, the US raised levies on Chinese goods by another 10%, and China retaliated by imposing a 15% tariff on certain US goods the next day. This tit-for-tat trade war has escalated and expanded to other countries this month, slashing trillions of dollars from stock markets around the world and sending world leaders scrambling to respond. Are you familiar with these economic terms, such as trade deficit, reciprocal and retaliatory tariffs, and trade agreements? 

Read the article and learn 15 economic terms that have been in the news media recently.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/4/11/trumps-tariffs-a-simple-illustrated-guide-to-15-economic-terms-to-know