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Australian trees 'sweat' to survive extreme heatwaves, researchers reveal

Climate experiment shows trees release water but stop absorbing carbon in extreme heat

Australian researchers growing trees in climate change conditions have found the leaves “sweat” to survive extreme heatwaves.

The year-long experiment showed that trees continue to release water through their leaves as an evaporative cooling system during periods of extreme heat, despite the carbon-fixing process of photosynthesis grinding to a halt.

Related: Australia had third-hottest year ever in 2017, weather bureau says

Related: A third of the world now faces deadly heatwaves as result of climate change

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