How small #mammals shrink their brains to survive the cold https://phys.org/news/2026-01-small-mammals-brains-survive-cold.htmlGenomic comparisons shed light on the adaptive basis of brain size plasticity and chromosomal instability in the Eurasian common shrew https://academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-article/doi/10.1093/molbev/msag006/8419347"This allows species such as the common #shrew to reduce the size of their brain, skull and other organs by up to 30% during the winter to save energy. In the spring, these tissues regenerate—an exceptional example of physiological plasticity."

New Zealand's rare flightless parrot begins breeding again https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260109-new-zealand-s-rare-flightless-parrot-begins-breeding-again"#NewZealand's critically endangered #kakapo, started breeding last week for the first time in four years... Only 236 of the parrots remain in three breeding populations on some of the most remote southern islands... That includes 83 breeding age females, with high hopes this year could bring the most hatched chicks since records began... The first chicks are expected to hatch in mid-February"