The Know Daily - Monday 24 February 2025

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Detecting dementia via a blood test is being rolled out in a trial across the UK, as a simpler and more cost effective alternative to brain scans. Researchers at the University of Cambridge identified changes in blood that can indicate early signs of the disease decades before physical symptoms appear. If successful, these tests could have more widespread use by the NHS within five years, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

🌳 Green cities

Micro-forests are popping up in cities across the globe, helping to boost wildlife populations and the public’s interactions with nature.

Tell me more.
Small areas of densely-planted native woodland trees, called micro-forests, are gaining ground in big cities worldwide. Hundreds of these sites have been planted since the 1970s when Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki initiated the idea. In fact, conservation organisation SUGi has planted over 230 of these sites in 52 cities alone. Plus, the charity Earthwatch Europe has planted more than 210 ‘pocket forests’ since 2022, attracting over 500 animal and plant species. 

What’s the bigger story?
Over 420m hectares of forest has been lost to other land uses since 1990, according to a United Nations report. Now, over half of the world’s population live in urban areas, making micro-forests “an essential opportunity to combat deforestation and urbanisation”. Requiring just a few square metres, it’s possible for these tiny forests to become self-sustaining and thrive after only a few years, helping to transform unused pockets of land. Plus, they’re an important way to restore soil, water and air quality, according to the Woodland Trust.

What’s the reaction been?
Whilst there can be some challenges with funding planting projects, getting site approval and maintaining the sites, overall the response to more micro-forests is overwhelmingly positive. Beyond benefitting the natural environment, micro-forests are “magnets for human connection”, according to SUGi’s founder. They offer a chance to connect to the restorative benefits of being in nature in everyday life. What’s more, over half of the pocket forests planted by SUGi were done alongside children, encouraging younger generations to become stewards of nature and it allows them to “see that their actions can have tangible positive environmental outcomes”.

💰 Money Monday: The average annual advertised salary in the UK is nearly £41,000, according to a new report. 

• The rise is due to wage growth in areas like manufacturing, customer service and maintenance. Overall, salaries have outpaced inflation for the past 9 months. However, the study also found that the number of job vacancies dipped and salary transparency in adverts has declined.

📸 Subaquatic snaps: Check out the winning images from the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards.

🚆 Train travel: London’s St Pancras railway station has agreed to work with the Channel tunnel operator to create more services from the UK to France, plus other European countries.

🇺🇦 Ukraine latest: Foreign leaders have gathered in Kyiv today to mark the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

🎭 Acting awards: These are the films that had big wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

🌻 Furry flora: A new ‘devil-like’ flower with horns was discovered in the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas.

🔗 Last week’s most clicked: A new fantasy TV series spin-off, the best new restaurants in the world and the UK’s most heroic dogs.

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Trivia answer: C) Season 3 of the show takes place in Thailand – here are the reviews so far.

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