Topic Reading-Vol.5207-7/27/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Stranded houseboats and grounded cruise ships: Europe’s rivers are shrinking amid heat and drought

Climate change is hitting harder and faster in Europe. Early heatwaves have already killed thousands across the continent and the UK, and mid-summer is yet to come. Another problem is drought. You may think flooding seawater is the primary water problem in the Netherlands, but the lowland nation recently raised its drought response because of persistent drought and increasing demand for water. Also, as less water flows in rivers and water levels recede, more boats and ships are stranded, affecting transportation and tourism industries. Warmer water temperatures in the Rhine and Meuse rivers increase algae and kill fish, too. In summer, the water shortage problem cannot be solved by a few showers when the heat dries the soil and empties the rivers, while demand for water increases. Such a situation was predicted to occur in the middle of the century. Extreme heat and drought. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent due to climate change.

Read the article and learn what’s going on in Europe.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/21/climate/netherlands-drought-water-crisis-europe-heat

Topic Reading-Vol.5206-7/26/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Nature’s cleanup crew: Stunning photos show vultures in a different light

A vulture is a predatory bird that scavenges on carrion, the decaying flesh of dead animals. 23 extant species, including condors, live on every continent but Australia and Antarctica. Their unique features include featherless heads, powerful hooked beaks, and wide wingspans, which could reach over three meters. Ecologically, vultures play an important role as they help stop the spread of disease from rotting meat. They are rarely seen except in the wild, where dead animals can be spotted from the sky. Unfortunately, their populations have declined significantly due to energy infrastructure, such as power lines and wind turbines, habitat fragmentation, and poaching. To raise awareness and highlight the ecological importance of vultures, International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) hosts the annual World of Vultures Photography Contest. It is open to photographers globally, and anyone can submit original photographs of any vulture species.

Read the article and see the photos to learn what vultures are like.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/vulture-photography-contest-c2e-spc

Topic Reading-Vol.5205-7/25/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Smart AI agents need smarter guardrails

Generative AI, like ChatGPT or Gemini, responds to queries, drafts documents, or synthesizes information, such as writing essays, making summaries, drafting emails, programming, and creating artwork. Upcoming agentic AI acts as a digital agent and autonomously reasons, makes decisions, and takes actions on behalf of humans. When users tell the AI agent the objectives or desires, it breaks them down into steps, studies websites and other sources of information, makes decisions, and even takes actions if directed. While agentic AI sounds like a convenient and helpful tool for our busy lives, it could pose risks if used without care or safeguards. That’s because AI is vulnerable to inaccurate information and adversarial attacks. Also, it could cause conflicts with other online systems or agentic AI, or take unintended actions without users’ knowledge. Indeed, agentic AI can turn bad judgment into unwanted consequences at the speed of a machine. The more we depend on AI, the less we know what is going on. Guidelines are needed for the use of agentic AI before it is too late.

Read the article and learn what agentic AI could do on your behalf.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/20/WS6a5d836da310986e2b466230.html

Topic Reading-Vol.5204-7/24/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

It’s not clear why more young children are drowning — but here’s what you can do about it

In the US, swimming pools are a very popular feature of homes, apartments, motels, and hotels. While they provide relaxation and fun, they could pose a risk of drowning, especially to young children. In fact, drowning is the most common cause of death among toddlers and young children, most often in residential swimming pools. Also, among children between the ages of five and 14, drowning, most likely in rivers, lakes, and the ocean, is the second most common cause of death, only to motor vehicle accidents. Did you know that drowning kids cannot wave their arms or call out for help because they are struggling just to breathe? So, what should parents and caregivers do to prevent children from drowning? One thing they can do most preventively is to have children learn to swim, ideally before they turn four. Since there isn’t a single solution for drowning prevention, multiple layers of protection, including barriers around pools, life jackets, and close attention, are needed to improve water safety.

Read the article and learn how to prevent children from drowning.  

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/18/health/child-drowning-prevention-summer-safety-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5203-7/23/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The ancient reason there are 60 minutes in an hour　

In 1793, the revolution-minded French Republic introduced a 100-sec/100-minute/10-hour/10-day week decimal time system, which lasted only a year or so. Why do we use the sexagesimal system for time and day while using the decimal system for most other measurements? In fact, 60 is convenient for divisions as it can be divided by one, two, three, four, five, six, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60 without fractions or decimals, while 10 can be divided only by one, two, five, and 10. Long ago, the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia from around 5300 BCE, started using a writing system, including a number system based on the concept of 60. The Babylonians, who came after the Sumerians in the region, used timekeeping, presumably based on 60. Also, ancient Egyptians divided the night into 12 hours around the time they built pyramids, and later, they used sundials and water clocks. Then, by the Roman period, hours and half-hours became standard time units there. In the meantime, the Babylonians figured it took around 360 days for the sun to return to the same position in the sky, the concept of a year, which is easily divided by 12 months of 30 days each. They also came up with 12 zodiac signs, which were later organized by the ancient Greeks. Around the same time, the Chinese zodiac with a 12-year sexagenary cycle was established during the Han Dynasty. Indeed, the sexagenary system and the cycle of 12 seem to have been convenient for many civilizations.

Read the article and learn why an hour is divided into 60 minutes.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260320-the-ancient-reason-there-are-60-minutes-in-an-hour-and-60-seconds-in-a-minute

Topic Reading-Vol.5202-7/22/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

People are making wildfire bets on prediction markets. Experts say it could lead to disaster

Recently, a US president’s teleprompter operator was put on unpaid leave for suspicion of making more than $100,000 by placing bets on the president’s speeches on a prediction market platform. At a prediction platform like Polymarket or Kaishi, participants buy and sell contracts tied to the outcomes of future events. Think of a question like if it will rain tomorrow in New York. If the market price for the “yes” contract is trading at $0.35, representing a 35% chance of rain, you can bet $35 for 100 “yes” contracts, for example. If it rains, the contract settles as $1 per share, and your 100 shares are now worth $100, giving you a $65 profit. If it doesn’t rain, you’ll lose the $35 you bet. This is an innocent and harmless case, but imagine a contract about an ongoing wildfire, like “Will it be contained by next week?”, or “Will it reach the neighboring town?”. Is it ethical to bet on other people’s lives or properties? Also, experts worry that it could provide a financial incentive for wrongdoing, such as arson or sabotage. Do you want to predict how much prediction markets will grow this year?

Read the article and learn about the online prediction market.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/17/climate/betting-wildfires-polymarket-prediction-market-platforms

Topic Reading-Vol.5201-7/21/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Don't panic - five ways to stop your kids' endless scrolling

Excluding schoolwork, US teenagers spend as long as eight hours a day on entertainment and social screentime, and about half of them spend four hours or more on social media, such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. That’s way too long for growing kids who should be engaged in real, face-to-face social activities, such as playing sports and hanging out with friends. But they want to keep up with rapidly changing fads and trends on social media. Also, auto-play and infinite scrolling glue their eyes to the display. Last December, Australia banned under-16s from using major social media services. Also, the EU is advancing region-wide legislation to restrict social media use for minors. Instead of just banning or restricting the use of social media help kids reduce gazing at and scrolling on smartphones, experts suggest some tips for parents to help their children reduce their screentime. The question is whether parents guide their children on how to use the smartphones they have grown up with?

Read the article and think about how long is too long for children to use smartphones.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86e3q5j992o