"Oil prices plunged again on Wednesday by more than 5 percent as investors paid more attention to signs that global stockpiles are growing than to increasing instability in the Middle East and North Africa."

"Cooking with energy from the sun -- a technique featured last month in an episode of "Top Chef" -- could soon put a major dent in what some experts call the world's greatest environmental health issue."

"Cyclical changes in the Pacific Ocean have thrown earth’s surface into what may be an unprecedented warming spurt, following a global warming slowdown that lasted about 15 years."

"The largest ape to roam Earth died out 100,000 years ago because it failed to tuck into savannah grass after climate change hit its preferred diet of forest fruit, scientists suggest."

"A survey of economists with climate expertise finds a consensus that climate change is expensive and carbon pollution cuts are needed".

"Rising global temperatures may be affecting the Greenland ice sheet — and its contribution to sea-level rise — in more serious ways that scientists imagined, a new study finds."

"LYON, France – Illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking are still going on across Africa, but there are 376 fewer criminals in the trade after an international police operation last year."

"Oil prices quickly gave back early gains to close lower on Monday after investor concerns about Middle East tensions gave way to a continued focus on weaknesses in global economies."

"Solutions journalism has gained serious momentum in 2015 – We now see reporters in mainstream media frequently adding a solutions lens to their reporting, chronicling society’s successes as well as its challenges."

Science News' top science stories of 2015 include gene editing, a new hominid, the supposed pause in global warming, plate tectonics, and the effects of artificial lighting on animals.