DARK SECRETS: 9 | Vintage Vibes

Bendy elm still standing against all odds crowned UK tree of the year

Hundred-and-fifty-year-old Wych elm in Newcastle, Co Down, has grown sideways owing to strong winds

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

‘Bendy’ wych elm in Northern Ireland wins Tree of the Year contest

The Co Down tree is the first from Northern Ireland to top the Woodland Trust’s annual poll.

Evening Standard · Oct 7

Bank of England reveals animals to feature on next banknotes

The first denomination from the new series will be launched over the next few years, the Bank of England said.

Evening Standard · Oct 7

Radioactive traces found in teeth of stranded whales used to explore their lives

Researchers analysed traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing trapped in the teeth of five mammals.

Evening Standard · Oct 7

Heatstroke ruined his health. Years before, it took the life of another farm worker at the same company

A farm labor contractor exposed laborers on H-2A agricultural visas to heat-related health hazards, but the contractor is still bringing hundreds of migrant farm workers to North Carolina

The Guardian - US · Oct 7

Tents, night-vision goggles and bear tracking kits: America’s first nature library opens

As well as books, the new facility in Colorado offers equipment to help connect people with the natural world. We asked five of the first visitors what they thought of it

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

Embattled South West Water owner taps investors for £550m amid overhaul plan

The rights issue would help support plans for around an extra £1 billion of investment, chief executive Keith Haslett said.

Evening Standard · Oct 7

Scientists who put faith in technology less likely to take climate action

‘Techno-optimism’ may lead to reliance on unproven solutions at expense of societal changes needed

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

Beautiful butterflies get more attention from the public – and from scientists

Research has shown that species considered colourful and patterned are the subject of more studies, and receive more conservation funding

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

Wanted: children to rear harvest mice at home for wild release in Devon

Teenagers Eva Wishart and Emily Smith launch project to breed and release 250 of the tiny animals by September

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7