Axios

Federal officials on Tuesday proposed adding the tricolored bat, a microbat native to eastern North America, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Why it matters: The tricolored bat is one of the bat species affected by a deadly fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. The disease, caused by an invasive fungus, has killed over 90% of its population in under 10 years, according to a study released last year.

Modern communication and navigation depend on sophisticated satellites in space — and world leaders are trying to come up with rules that would prevent each other from blowing up those tools.

Why it matters: Simply testing an anti-satellite weapon can create dangerous debris, even leaving aside the consequences if a potential future conflict played out in space.

Wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat waves are raging through Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia as we head into the heat of fall.

The big picture: A heat wave and coinciding drought in China have no precedent in modern weather records, given the heat's severity and duration.

Dozens of large wildfires covered the U.S. West in smoke over the weekend, triggering air quality alerts across the region.

Why it matters: Wildfire smoke, especially when it coincides with high temperatures, can be hazardous to the health of humans even hundreds of miles away from the actual fire because it carries harmful microscopic particles that can trigger inflammation in the lungs.