Beavers build dams, which gives them a unique niche in the ecosystem. The are sometimes seen as a nuisance, but only because the confound human plans for the land. The effects of the dams and ponds that beavers build help keep the earth from warming as fast as it would without them. New studies show that they can even assuage the damage of wildfires, drought, and even heat waves! Now if we could just agree on letting them have their way with the wilder parts of the world, beavers could prove to be more useful than we ever knew. -via Vox