| Though they don't have lungs, trees can "breathe" using the process of photosynthesis, in which they convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into oxygen. In a sense, this is the opposite of what humans do, as we ingest oxygen and produce carbon dioxide. But according to researchers at Colorado State University, one similarity trees do share with humans is that they can also hold their breath. Trees (and other plants) absorb carbon dioxide through stomata — tiny "breathing pores" located on the leaf's surface. They also absorb water through their roots as well as sunlight via organelles called chloroplasts. During photosynthesis, that light is converted to energy that helps transform water and CO2 into oxygen, which is released through the stomata. But the process may be temporarily halted if there are toxins in the air, as trees can hold their breath until the pollutants dissipate. In an article for Discover Magazine, scientists Delphine Farmer and Mj Riches discuss how they stumbled on this theory on a particularly smoky morning in 2020 during a series of wildfires in Colorado. While performing a routine photosynthetic test on some ponderosa pines, the two "were surprised to discover that the tree's pores were completely closed." They hypothesized that this was both an active physical response by the plant and also due in part to smoke particles entering and clogging the stomatal pores. Further testing found the pores opened up in less smoky, more favorable conditions — and the tree began to "breathe" again. | 
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