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Trees' Leaves Grow At a Cool 70° All Over the World

biogeochick writes "Ever turn on the air conditioner on a hot day? How about a heater when it gets cold? OK, so we all know that humans act to keep themselves cool, but what about trees? A recent article on tree core isotopic evidence has shown that trees from tropical to boreal forests all grow at 70 degrees. The study, published in Nature by some fantastic researchers (so one of them is my adviser, so sue me) and covered by NPR on All Things Considered, has shed some light on the convergent temperature at which trees perform photosynthesis." Update: 06/19 21:31 GMT by T : I give, I give -- that's 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

4 of 537 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Only an overly pendacit by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1, Troll

    Are you saying you don't get an F for what they think?

    I ... C.

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    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  2. Just another... by pchoppin · · Score: 0, Troll

    ...tree hugging environmentalist freak. How the hell this dribble ever made it to Slashdot is beyond me.

    As if a tree is aware of the temperature it maintains anyway... A tree is an organism, albeit a very efficient organism. The thousands of years of growth and development have dictated the system by which it generates and stores energy, not some longing for comfort. Give me a break. Next thing you know, environmentalists will be trying to develop a method of using photosynthesis to generate electricity.

    When will it end?

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    Take your mod and shove it!
  3. Re:Shameless karma whore by Rockenreno · · Score: 1, Troll

    Stick. Bum. Remove. Lather and repeat as necessary.

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    Forecast for tomorrow: A few sprinklings of genius with a chance of DOOM!
  4. Re:Or in Celsius by mikeb · · Score: 1, Troll

    The British got a lot of crap from the European Union over its pints (interestingly a different measure from the US pint, being 4 fl oz larger).

    Plenty of detail can be found on the metric martyrs site.

    The animosity this caused amongst enough of the UK population brought about a very rare capitulation from the European mandarins who finally threw in the towel and gave up trying to convert the dissenters. This may in part be due to their recognition that imperial units are no longer taught in British schools and that if they wait a generation, nobody will know what an inch/foot/yard ounce/pound/stone are any more.

    As far as I know, it's still a criminal offence in the UK to sell food by the pound or soft drinks in a pub by the pint. The exceptions are few and strictly controlled. The 'concession' from the EU is only not to try to convert retail beer measurements to litres rather than a wholesale recognition that affection for alternative units of measure might be a cultural expression of freedom.