How palm trees stand tall in the face of a hurricane

As Hurricane Irma battered the Caribbean, trees aerodynamically adapted to strong winds stood firm

When Storm Aileen ripped across the UK last week the worst of the winds brought down trees, snapped off branches and shredded leaves, made worse because the trees were in full leaf and caught the wind like a sail. Compare that with the palm trees that stood up to Hurricane Irma's immensely stronger winds, which would have torn British trees to shreds. The palm trees simply bent over at crazy angles and then bounced back again.

Related: Scaling up our response to super-hurricanes