Some mammal brains can shrink in winter - does yours? More...

We're all suffering from lack of sunshine and the tendency to not bother going out in the murk at present. But research show that the brains of Moles, Talpa europaea, can shrink in winter. It's not due to lack of food, it's down to winter conditions. But fear not! Brains regrow in spring when the weather improves. This is named after the scientist who discovered it - Dehnel's phenomenon. But why wait until spring? Wrap up warm, get your boots on and get outside to stop your brain from shrinking! 

Winter conditions, not resource availability alone, may drive reversible seasonal skull size changes in moles. (2022) Royal Society Open Science, 9(9), 220652. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220652

Photo: Pete Leonard