📖+10 XP
🎧+10 XP
✅+15 XP
Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
2 min
77 words
- Small shrews shrink their brains during the winter.
- Their other organs and body parts shrink too.
- This seasonal change reduces the animals' energy needs.
- In spring the organs return to normal size.
- Scientists studied how the shrinking and regrowth occur.
- They examined genes and chromosome arrangement in shrews.
- The shrews remain active even when food is scarce.
- A group of researchers published papers about this.
- The change is called Dehnel's phenomenon.
- This helps shrews survive cold months.
Difficult words
- shrew — a small wild mammal like a mouseshrews
- shrink — become much smaller in sizeshrinking
- organ — a body part with a joborgans
- seasonal — happening every year at certain times
- gene — a small part of DNA that controls traitsgenes
- chromosome — a long thread of DNA in cells
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you see animals in winter where you live?
- Are you active in winter or do you rest more?
- Would you like to see a shrew?
