As ecosystem engineers, beavers build resilience into the landscape.

Above ground, we can see changes wrought by beaver ponds such as increases in biodiversity and water retention. But UConn Department of Earth Sciences researcher Lijing Wang says we have a limited understanding of how they impact what happens beneath the ground. In research published in Water Resource Research, Wang and co-authors study how water moves through the soils and subsurface environment and detail new insights into how beaver ponds impact groundwater.

New global findings in the 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that the continued overreliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt to climate change continues to be paid in people’s lives, health, and livelihoods, with 13 of 20 indictors tracking health threats now reaching unprecedented levels.