The Know Daily - Wednesday 9 July 2025

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Birmingham artist Imbue has reimagined the Mona Lisa with a creative twist – using 100 iPhone replicas to form the iconic portrait. Sparked by a visit to the Louvre, where phones crowded his view, the piece encourages us to look up and enjoy art in real life.

👩‍🌾 Nature-friendly farming

The UK government has boosted support for nature-friendly farming in England, committing over £2 billion a year to help farmers adopt practices that help wildlife, reduce pollution and protect landscapes. 

What is nature-friendly farming?
Nature-friendly farming – sometimes called regenerative or agroecological farming – involves methods that work with nature. That might mean planting wildflower strips to help pollinators, restoring hedgerows for birds and insects, reducing pesticide use, or allowing parts of farmland to rewild. The aim is to produce food whilst also improving soil health, biodiversity and water quality. These approaches can help with the climate too, by storing more carbon in healthy soils and reducing emissions from fertilizers and intensive livestock rearing.

Where is it happening?
Under the government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive and other schemes in England, farmers are being paid to manage land for nature’s benefit, such as by creating wetlands or letting fields recover. In some cases, farmers are even being funded to stop producing food altogether – replacing crops or livestock with habitats like woodlands and flower-rich meadows.

A similar initiative is due to start in Wales next year, with other projects to support farmers available in Scotland and Ireland. Although, in Northern Ireland, cuts to nature-friendly farming have raised concerns. The RSPB has said that without investment, wildlife could decline further, and farmers may lose out on long-term resilience.

What are the benefits?
Backing nature-friendly farming isn’t just good for birds and bees – it can be good for people and the economy too. According to the RSPB, investing in healthier landscapes could save the UK billions in flood damage, pollution clean-up, and healthcare costs related to poor air and water quality. Farmers have also reported benefits. The Wildlife Trusts recently celebrated 10 years of “nature-friendly breakfasts” growing crops in partnership with cereal companies – showing that farms supporting wildlife can still produce quality food, while seeing rare species of birds and butterflies return.

What’s the other side?
Shifting to nature-friendly farming can be challenging. Not all practices have immediate financial payoffs, and some farmers worry about losing income or productivity. In areas with less support, farmers face tough decisions without clear guidance or funding. There are also broader concerns: if too much land is taken out of food production, could it impact food security? Some experts argue the answer lies in smarter land use and reducing food waste, not just increasing output.

Where does this leave us?
Nature-friendly farming is a growing part of how the UK plans to meet climate and biodiversity targets – and England is leading the charge with new funding and bold schemes. But without a similar level of action across the rest of the UK, the benefits may be uneven. As with all land-use decisions, it’s a balancing act between food production, nature recovery, rural livelihoods and climate goals. But one thing is clear – farming and nature don’t have to be in conflict.

📩 Modern messaging: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has launched a new peer-to-peer messaging app that works entirely over Bluetooth.

• The bigger story: Chats don’t require the internet or a phone number and are stored only on the device, being passed between nearby devices. You can also form Blutooth clusters so that messages can be sent over longer distances. With encryption and chats disappearing after being read, it’s aimed to be a positive step in mobile privacy and decentralising messaging away from mainstream platforms.

👩‍🚀 Living in space: Scientists have grown algae in Mars-like conditions, helping to pave the way for future habitability on the planet.

✈️ Limitless liquids: Two leading UK airports have scrapped the 100ml liquid limit but travellers are urged to check the rules at their return airport.

🍾 Academic aperitivo: A new law in Sweden allows microbreweries, vineyards and distilleries to sell alcohol directly to visitors instead of government-owned retailers, as long as they provide an educational lecture about alcohol.

🗿 Stunning sculptures: The largest-ever outdoor presentation of Henry Moore’s pioneering modern art will be unveiled at Kew Gardens in 2026.

🎤 Barack’s hot takes: Former US president Barack Obama is set to be interviewed live on stage for two rare events to hear his take on current global affairs.

🏙️ Value vacations: The best value cities to visit in Europe in 2025 have been revealed. Can you guess which tops the list?

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Trivia answer: A) The Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is set to be displayed in the British Museum.

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