"Tropical Storm Erika formed  Monday night, the fifth named storm of the 2015 hurricane season. While Hurricane Danny struggled to maintain its intensity as it battled the hostile Atlantic environment, Tropical Storm Erika could prove to have more stamina, and is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reaches the Bahamas this weekend."

"Here’s a sobering update on efforts in Mexico, Hong Kong and mainland China to stave off the extinction of the vaquita, a critically endangered porpoise inhabiting Mexican waters at the north end of the Gulf of California that is the world’s smallest, and rarest, cetacean."

"A court in the Netherlands has ordered Russia to pay compensation for seizing the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise during a protest against an offshore oil platform two years ago, a ruling which Moscow dismissed as lacking legal authority."

"Oil, the lifeblood of many countries that produce and sell it, appears to be rapidly turning into an ever-cheaper economic curse. A year ago, the international price per barrel of oil was about $103. By Monday, the price was about $42, roughly 6 percent lower than on Friday."

"As of this week, the average of the group of forecast models used to predict the intensity of El Niño are  calling for an event that would surpass the record-strong El Niño of 1997-1998."

Seasonal tropical cyclones were active across the globe. Danny peaked as a category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a tropical storm as it approached the Leeward Islands. Goni threatened major rains to the Hawaiian Islands. Goni left a trail of death and destructions in the Philippines.

"The natural world is abuzz with the sound of animals communicating — crickets, birds, even grunting fish. But scientists learning to decode these sounds say the secret signals of African elephants — their deepest rumblings — are among the most intriguing calls any animal makes."

"HOUSTON — With oil prices collapsing and companies in retrenchment, a federal auction in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday attracted the lowest interest from producers since 1986."

"According to preliminary data from NASA along with information from the Japan Meteorological Administration, July 2015 was the warmest month on record since instrument temperature records began in the late 1800s."

"Tropical storm Danny continues to spin about halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This is the first named storm in the Atlantic since the final advisory was written for Claudette on July 14, a time span of more than a month."