This week's听stories include听research on mending heartbreak, a study on the long-term fate of tropical forests and a look at wind and rain's effect on migratory birds' breeding patterns.
Long-term fate of tropical forests may not be so dire
Tropical rainforests are often described as the 鈥渓ungs of the earth,鈥� able to essentially inhale carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and exhale oxygen in return. The faster they grow, the more they mitigate climate change by absorbing CO2.听Conventional wisdom has held that forest growth will dramatically slow with high levels of rainfall. But CU 麻豆官网 researchers this month turned that assumption on its head with an unprecedented review of data from 150 forests that concluded just the opposite.
When love hurts, a placebo can help
Feeling heartbroken from a recent breakup? Just believing you鈥檙e doing something to help yourself get over your ex can influence brain regions associated with emotional regulation and lessen the perception of pain.听That鈥檚 the takeaway from a new CU 麻豆官网 study that measured the neurological and behavioral impacts the placebo effect had on a group of recently broken-hearted volunteers.
Wind, rain ruffle migratory birds' breeding patterns
Wind and precipitation play a crucial role in advancing or delaying the breeding cycles of North American tree swallows, according to the results of a new CU 麻豆官网-led study.听Over the past decade and a half, the average egg hatching date for tree swallows鈥攁 common migratory bird species that winters in temperate southern climates before nesting in the spring at sites across North America, including the sub-Arctic regions covered in the study鈥攈as shifted earlier in the year by an average of six days. This change is similar to, but considerably greater than, changes seen in more southerly sites and until now has been believed to correlate with rising temperatures.