Congratulations, you've made it through the week!

Have a Happy Thought:  Beavers exist. That’s all you need to know, to be happy this week. If you don’t know why that is, here are some reasons: 1. Beavers are what scientists call “ecosystem engineers”. Basically, they are really active in shaping the world around them, to the point that they can literally change the course of rivers . They also cut down trees – some to eat (yes, beavers actually eat wood) and a lot more to build their dams and lodges.     Image: Encyclopaedia Britannica 2. Paratrooper beavers. In the mid-Twentieth century (yes, it still feels weird to write that like it was so long ago ), ecologists in Idaho packed beavers into crates, attached parachutes, flew them over remote regions of the state, and shoved them out the door of airplanes (that link is to a video, by the way. Skip to about 8 minutes in if you’re impatient) . The idea was the crates wou ld open on landing and the beaver, having just had the rush of its life, would wander ou...