Can outsider beavers save this dried up river?
It's not easy being a river in the desert under the best of circumstances. The ecosystem exists in a very delicate balance, allowing water sources to thrive in the harsh conditions. These water sources in otherwise extremely dry areas are vital to the survival of unique wildlife, agriculture, and even tourism as they provide fresh drinking water for the people who live nearby.
But man-made problems like climate change, over-farming, and pollution have made a tough job even tougher in some areas. Rivers in Utah and Colorado part of the Colorado River Basin have been barely surviving the extremely harsh drought season. When the riverbeds get too dry, fish and other aquatic creatures die off and the wildfire risk increases dramatically.
About six years ago, one team of researchers had a fascinating idea to restore the health of some of Utah's most vulnerable rivers: Bring in the beavers.
Beaver on riverbank. Canva Photos
In 2019, master's student Emma Doden and a team of researchers from Utah State University began a "translocation" project to bring displaced beavers to areas like Utah's Price River, in the hopes of bringing it back to life.
Why beavers? Well, it just makes dam sense! (Sorry.)
In all seriousness, beaver dams restrict the flow of water in some areas of a river, creating ponds and wetlands. In drought-stricken areas, fish and other wildlife can take refuge in the ponds while the rest of the river runs dry, thus riding out the danger until it rains again.
When beavers are present in a watershed, the benefits are unbelievable: Better water quality, healthier fish populations, better nutrient availability, and fewer or less severe wildfires.
It's why beavers have earned the title of "keystone species," or any animal that has a disproportionate impact on the ecosystem around them.
Pbs Nature Swimming GIF by Nature on PBS Giphy
Doden and her team took beavers who were captured or removed from their original homes due to their being a "nuisance," interfering with infrastructure, or being endangered, and—after a short period of quarantine—were brought to the Price River.
Despite the research team's best efforts, not all the translocated beavers have survived or stayed put over the years. Some have trouble adapting to their new home and die off or are killed by predators, while others leave of their own accord.
But sine 2019, enough have stayed and built dams that the team is starting to see the results of the effort. In fact, beaver projects just like this one have been going on all over the state in recent years.
- YouTube youtu.be
The water levels in the river are now the healthiest they've been in years. The fish are thriving and Utah residents are overjoyed with the experiment's results.
According to an early 2025 column in The Salt Lake Tribune (i.e. six years after the beaver translocation began) the revitalization of the Price River has "helped save [our] Utah town."
"A tributary of the Colorado River, the Price River runs through downtown Helper," wrote column authors Lenise Peterman and Jordan Nielson. "On a warm day, you’re likely to find the river filled with tourists and locals kayaking, tubing and fishing along its shore. A decade ago, it was hard to imagine this scene—and the thriving recreation economy that comes with it—was possible."
Of course, it wasn't JUST the beavers. Other federal water cleanup investments helped remove debris, break down old and malfunctioning dams, and place tighter regulations on agriculture grazing in the area that depleted vital plant life.
But the experts know that the beavers, and their incredible engineering work, are the real MVPs.
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River Public Domain
In other drying, struggling rivers in the area, researchers are bringing in beavers and even creating manmade beaver dams. They're hoping that the critters will take over the job as the rivers get healthier.
Utah's San Rafael River, which is in bleak condition, is a prime candidate. In one area of the river, a natural flood inspired a host of beavers to return to the area and "riparian habitat along that stretch had increased by 230%, and it had the most diverse flow patterns of anywhere on the river," according to KUER.
It's hard to believe that beavers nearly went extinct during the heyday of the fur trapping industry, and continued to struggle as they were considered nuisances and pests. Now, they're getting the respect they deserve as engineer marvels, and their populations have rebounded due to better PR and conservation programs.
It's about dam time!
This article originally appeared in June.
Photo Credit: Canva
A young girl plays tennis.
In perhaps a perfect display of one of the many differences between Gen X/boomers and millennials/Gen Z and younger, an 11-year-old took to email to make a plea to her physical education teacher for a better grade.
Her aunt, posting on Threads, shared, "My 11-year-old niece told me she was getting a B in PE and wrote an email to the teacher to dispute it. I told her I’m so proud and to never stop advocating for herself. It’s also very funny! She better change my niece’s grade too."
11-year-old writes heartfelt letter to PE teacher disputing her grade and sparks heated debate https://www.threads.com/@the99x2000
The more than 500 comments were sharply divided. On one hand, the young girl advocated for herself, which is to be commended. On the other, she seemed to essentially suggest that she should get an "A" just for being a willing participant in the class. Is it enough just to try? It's the old "participation debate," and the comment section lit up with opinions.
Some downright agreed with her: "Honestly I’d love an update if the teacher responds. Leah made some VERY valid points and we, the people, believe she deserves a very detailed explanation on why this teacher feels she deserves a B!"
Another shared, "Honestly I think it’s so important to teach your niece to advocate for herself in school. Throughout high school and even now through university, I've had to get teachers to recheck my work when I feel I have been graded unfairly, and it almost always results in my grade going up. Might be a little inconvenient for the teacher, but who cares, this stuff is important. Tell her we're proud!"
An unfortunate volleyball hit. Giphy Mr. D Gym GIF
Her own mom certainly had her back: "So funny, I saw her on her laptop when she wrote this. Asked what she was doing, she said emailing my teacher about this B. I said oh and walked away, she seemed to have it handled. Never did she show the email lol. This is hilarious. I expect nothing less from this daughter of mine."
A few people pointed out that the young girl needed better writing/communication skills. But many pointed out that her writing was not the point at this juncture.
Participation "trophies" (which wasn't necessarily the case for this young girl) have been a subject of controversy for a while. A college professor of journalism, Justice B. Hill, did not hold back in his opinion column posted to Cleveland.com. He claims that many of his students were coddled to believe they had achieved excellence when they in fact had not. He writes, "Outside the ivory towers is an unforgiving world, so we must steel our daughters and sons for what awaits. They must be unafraid of defeat, but they must learn never to let it defeat them."
You deserve a trophy! Giphy GIF by StickerGiant
That said, our Threads OP had an update, seemingly focused on the people she found egregious in their responses. "BY THE WAY! My niece read some comments and responded lol: ‘My teacher said she will fix my grade and I do deserve an A. She hasn’t been paying attention and she does recognize that. And other people have asked about their grade, and it’s on her to make it clear on how people are graded. SO SHUT UP!’"
To this comment, a Threader focused on the aunt herself: "This is a good time to teach her that self-advocacy does not need to include accusatory language (I’m starting to feel like you’re giving me a bad grade when you don’t even genuinely watch me play). Always reread your messages and remove combative, accusatory language because it’ll land better with the person on the receiving end."
Elderly man gently touches the forehead of another man outdoors.
English may boast one of the lengthiest vocabularies in the world, but there are still entire emotional universes Merriam-Webster can’t quite encapsulate. Thankfully, other cultures can. Our ability to understand these layered, sometimes conflicting feelings proves that beneath our differences, we share the same emotional language.
Here are some of the most beautifully specific emotions that have no English equivalent, grouped by the inner worlds they illuminate. Together, they show one thing: human feelings are far more connected than we might assume,
1. The many faces of love, longing, and heartache
Woman in denim jacket covers face with sleeve, standing outdoors with blurred background.Photo credit: Canva
Chappell Roan said it best: “love is a kaleidoscope.” One of tenderness, ache, inevitability, and memory. These words perfectly capture the emotional fine print of human connection.
- Saudade (Portuguese) – A deep nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and lost. The love that lingers long after the moment is gone.
- Tu’burni (Arabic) – “I hope I die before you,” said not morbidly but because life without the beloved would be unbearable.
- Onsra (Boro, India) – Loving for what you know will be the last time.
- Mágoa (Portuguese) – A heartbreak so profound that its traces remain visible in gestures and expressions.
- Sielvartas (Lithuanian) – A seemingly endless grief or emotional turmoil, often tied to loss.
- Toska (Russian) – Spiritual anguish with no clear cause—sometimes love-sickness, sometimes existential ache.
- Koi No Yokan (Japanese) – The feeling that you’re destined to fall in love with someone. Not love at first sight, but the inevitability of it.
- Forelsket (Norwegian) – The consuming, euphoric high of new love. Technically, we do have an English equivalent (puppy love).
- Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan) – A shared look between two people, both hoping the other will initiate something they both want.
- Gigil (Tagalog) – The irresistible urge to squeeze someone because they’re impossibly cute or beloved.
- Jeong (Korean) – A deep, multifaceted emotional bond encompassing love, affection, empathy, and attachment.
These words prove that love cannot be reduced to a single emotion.
2. Awe, inspiration, and emotional transcendence
Woman with outstretched arms in a sunlit field, enjoying the outdoors.Photo credit: Canva
Some emotions lift us out of our everyday selves—through nature, art, music, or inner stillness. These words celebrate those moments when the world feels bigger, deeper, or more alive.
- Tarab (Arabic) – A musical ecstasy that transports you.
- Duende (Spanish) – The visceral, spine-tingling feeling you get from powerful art.
- Shinrin-yoku (Japanese) – The restorative calm from “forest-bathing.”
- Dadirri (Australian Aboriginal) – Deep, contemplative, respectful listening.
- Querencia (Spanish) – A place where your soul rests and regathers strength.
- Ailyak (Bulgarian) – Doing things calmly and slowly, resisting the rush of life.
- Ataraxia (Ancient Greek) – A serene calm that comes from acceptance and clarity.
- Sukha (Sanskrit) – True, lasting happiness not dependent on circumstances.
- Eudaimonia (Greek) – A form of human flourishing that includes joy, purpose, and even the ability to hold suffering with grace.
These are the emotions that open us up to natural beauty and to the deeper parts of ourselves.
3. Yearning, wanderlust, and the emotional pull of place
Lush forest with vibrant green and orange foliage in soft, misty sunlight.Photo credit: Canva
These words capture the feelings that tie us to geography—whether we’re longing to leave, ecstatic to go, or transformed when we arrive somewhere new.
- Fernweh (German) – A longing for faraway places you haven’t visited yet.
- Dépaysement (French) – The disorientation (good or bad) of being somewhere entirely unfamiliar. Think of it as reverse déjà vu.
- Resfeber (Swedish) – The nervous excitement right before a journey begins.
- Vårkänsla (Swedish) – The giddy, heart-lifting feeling when spring finally returns.
- Iktsuarpok (Inuit) – The restless anticipation of waiting for someone to arrive.
- Waldeinsamkeit (German) – Also belongs here for its nature-rooted serenity.
These words remind us that our surroundings shape our inner world.
4. Connection, community, and shared human vibes
Friends laughing and drinking coffee at a cozy cafe table.Photo credit: Canva
Some feelings only exist between people in crowds, in friendships, in shared silences, or in the subtle emotional temperature of a room.
- Gezelligheid (Dutch) – Cozy, heartwarming togetherness.
- 분위기 / Boon-wee-gi (Korean) – The overall atmosphere or vibe of a situation.
- Fika (Swedish) – A ritualized break to slow down and connect (usually over coffee).
- Mokita (Kivila) – A painful truth everyone knows but agrees not to mention.
- Commuovere (Italian) – Being moved to tears by someone’s story or kindness.
Human life is held together by shared awareness, and these words embody some of those shared experiences.
5. Strength, resilience, and grit
Woman with curly hair in sunlight, eyes closed, wearing a purple top.Photo credit: Canva
These words show that courage and resourcefulness take many forms.
- Sisu (Finnish) – Deep perseverance and courage in adversity.
- Orenda (Huron) – The human will’s power to shape the world despite fate.
- Jijivisha (Hindi) – A zest for life; desire to live fully and vibrantly.
- 加油 / Jiā yóu (Chinese) – “Add oil!” A cheer of encouragement and solidarity.
- Desenrascanço (Portuguese) – Cleverly untangling yourself from trouble using creativity.
- Pihentagyú (Hungarian) – A relaxed-brain quick-wittedness; clever mental play.
Some emotions are fuel to keep us going.
6. Humor, embarrassment, and the awkwardness of existence
Man smiling with hand over face, standing outdoors against a blue sky background.Photo credit: Canva
Humans are messy. These words capture the cringiness that makes us lovable.
- Jayus (Indonesian) – A joke so bad it's good.
- Age-otori (Japanese) – When your haircut makes you look worse.
- Litost (Czech) – The sting of suddenly realizing your own misery—often with a dash of revenge fantasy.
- Lebensmüde (German) – “Life tiredness” that sometimes explains reckless behavior.
They celebrate the ways we laugh our way through being human.
7. Serenity, fulfillment, and slower ways of living
Hand painting a still life on canvas with blue and orange tones.Photo credit: Canva
These words name feelings we desperately need more English words for—the grounded peace that comes from completing something meaningful or living at a human pace.
- Yuan bei (Chinese) – Perfect, satisfying accomplishment.
- Ailyak (Bulgarian) – Calm, unhurried living.
- Meraki (Greek) – Pouring your soul, passion, and creativity into what you do.
- Querencia (Spanish) – A place of inner refuge and strength.
- Ataraxia (Greek) – Acceptance-based tranquility.
These words are all about the intrinsic fullness that comes from finishing something well, doing things with heart, and letting yourself breathe.
8. The hard-to-define emotional in-betweens
Woman sitting on a chair in the water, writing in a notebook at sunset.Photo credit: Canva
Some feelings sit in liminal spaces, hard to define but unmistakably human.
- Torschlusspanik (German) – The fear that the door of opportunity is closing as you age.
- Desbundar (Portuguese) – Letting loose and shedding your inhibitions.
- Dadirri (Aboriginal) – Quiet, contemplative inner listening.
- Dépaysement (French) – Emotional disorientation abroad (also fits here).
"Bittersweet" is an English word that comes to mind, but how nice to have even more words to choose from.
Why these words matter more than ever
Maybe the real beauty of these untranslatable emotions isn’t that other languages have them and English doesn’t. It's that humans everywhere feel them, even if we don’t always know how to say them out loud.
So the next time you experience something too complicated to explain, take heart: there’s probably a word for it somewhere in the world…and someone who’s felt it, too.
Sources: Berlitz, BBC, Thought Catalog, Collective Hub
enfermeraestilosa|Instagram
The joy of reuniting with your love.
Love is a beautiful thing, no matter how old the couple is, but there's something special about a love that's spanned most of a lifetime. Many people dream about growing old with the love of their life, making plans to have babies, and sit in a rocking chair holding their babies' babies, but few get to actually live out that dream.
When you come across a couple who have been married for 50 or 60 years or longer, it's common to ask them their secret to long-lasting love. But there's at least one centenarian who simply embodies what true love looks like in the golden years. He doesn't offer up any secret advice, just a spontaneous act of pure, unadulterated love, and people cannot get enough of it.
A 103-year-old man reunites with his wife
A woman from Colombia posted a video to her Instagram page, enfermeraestilosa, showing the moment her 103-year-old grandfather reunited with his wife after a month-long hospitalization. He was so excited that he forgot he needed his walker when he went running towards the love of his life.
The text that accompanies the video translates from Spanish to English to say, "This is how my 103-year-old grandfather receives the love of his life after a month in the hospital, where we thought she would leave forever. How sad that things have to happen to realize that the lottery touches us every day with health, with family, and with the love of the people we are close to. Yes, today is another day, we have hit the jackpot. Merry Christmas, grandparents, you are together again."
Commenters just couldn't get enough of his enthusiastic joy over seeing his wife.
"I wish nothing else in this life that a love so pure and sincere that lasts forever."
"How beautiful, you made me cry with joy and excitement. What a pity that love of that generation is lost! Cheers to them, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and maybe great-grandchildren."
"True love is forever without doubt."
"I want a love like this.... How beautiful it made me cry."
"I'm crying on the subway and I don't think I'm the only one."
Miraculously, the grandfather in the video reached his 104th birthday in March of 2025, and yes, he is clearly still madly in love with his wife.
"Days before he turned 104, my grandfather became very, very ill, and I was afraid to lose him, but to him, what scares him the most is losing her," reads the translated caption on a video of the couple embracing on his birthday. "To her and to life. It sounds strange, but he never talks about death. He talks about life."
What are the grandfather's keys to happiness?
His granddaughter shared that she'd asked him years ago what he thought the key to happiness was. He answered:
- Do what you want and not what you 'should do for fear of.'
- Do no harm to anyone.
- Have a dream (and not a material one).
"I know you are not eternal, and one day you won't be, and I won't be able to see your wrinkles and your look when you see grandma, but you will always be eternal," the granddaughter wrote. "Grandparents are eternal."
It's extremely rare for people to have a love this strong and live past 100. Studies show that only 0.03% of people worldwide reach 104 years old. That is a blessing in and of itself. Another great question that his granddaughter should ask is what he attributes his old age to. Is it his diet? Excercise? Frame of mind, or is it just pure love for his family?
An elderly couple walking in the park.via Canva/Photos
What a beautiful tribute not only to long-lasting love but to the lessons we can learn from our elders, especially those who have lived such a long life and found so much success in a marriage. It's a good reminder of what truly matters and how love can endure when we treasure it like this 104-year-old treasures his wife. No matter how much time they have left together, it's clear they'll make the most of it.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.