SHOCKING: 68 | Mind Blowing Facts

What the fate of Timmy the whale says about conservation

In this week’s newsletter: The public stranding of a young humpback exposes tensions between animal rights activism and other choices around biodiversity

The Guardian - UK · May 15

Tropical forests still under pressure despite slowdown in losses

Millions of hectares of tropical forest were destroyed in 2025, despite a slowdown in deforestation led by Brazil. Environmental experts say the drop shows governments can curb forest loss, but warn rainforests remain under pressure from agriculture, mining and fires.

Radio France Internationale · May 15

Wood burning is reintroducing lead pollution into the air, US scientists find

Study of samples from seven winters suggests neurotoxic metal coming from wood itself rather than old paint

The Guardian - UK · May 15

River Thames in London gets first official bathing spot on Friday

Thames at Ham designated as one of 13 new swimming areas across England to be monitored for water quality

The Guardian - UK · May 14

Energy-hungry datacentres and the environmental cost of e-clutter

Letters: By deleting photos from our phones, we can ease demand for data storage and the huge amount of electricity it uses, writes Gill Davidson, while Robert Harrison suggests the waste heat from datacentres could be repurposed

The Guardian - UK · May 14

Gnome-coming at Chelsea Flower Show as stars decorate garden favourites

The Royal Horticultural Society has lifted its Chelsea gnome ban for only the second time in the show’s history.

Evening Standard · May 14

Salmon farm faces new cruelty claims as Trump seeks to supersize fish farming

New undercover video appears to show cruel treatment of salmon at Cooke hatchery amid push for ‘chickenification’ of fish

The Guardian - US · May 14

How a kindergarten teacher became the accidental guardian of 200 king penguins

When the birds started nesting on her land at Useless Bay, in Chile, Cecilia Durán Gafo decided she would protect them from people and predators

The Guardian - UK · May 14

Farage’s Clacton-on-Sea constituency worst ‘tree desert’ in England, research shows

Woodland Trust also finds significant north-south divide in tree cover, leaving many people at risk of poor health

The Guardian - UK · May 14

Country diary: This weary traveller has escaped the hunter’s gun

Maxey Cut, Cambridgeshire: There’s so much precious wildlife around this old flood-relief channel, including sea trout and eels. But I’ve come to hear the purr of the turtle dove

The Guardian - UK · May 14