The link between changes in the temperature of the sea's surface and increases in North Atlantic hurricane activity has been quantified for the first time. The research shows that a 0.5 C increase in sea surface temperature can be associated with a ~40 per cent increase in hurricane activity.

  Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a naturally occurring peptide known for its antibacterial action can also inhibit viral infection.

  In what will be music to the ears of marketers, the old adage that you get what you pay for really is true when it comes to that most ephemeral of products: bottled wine. If a person is told he or she is tasting two different wines -- and that one costs $5 and the other $45 when they are, in fact, the same wine -- the part of the brain that experiences pleasure will become more active when the drinker thinks he or she is enjoying the more expensive vintage.

  Men with prostate cancer who have their prostate removed cite sexual dysfunction as the most common side effect after surgery, but urinary dysfunction troubles these patients most. What's more, many aren't emotionally prepared to face these complications. A new study underscores the need for health care practitioners to educate their patients about the physical and psychological effects of prostate removal.

  A breakthrough microchip specification language will allow ambiguous English to be replaced by a mathematicallyprecise description of processor functions and design. Better yet, it applies to every stage of microprocessor design. The upshot could mean major savings for microchip producers. Microchip design is a tricky business. First, there is a question of functionality. Engineers describe, in minute detail, what a particular microchip must do, in plain English. It is an essential task detailing the chip specifications for each stage of the microchip creation process: design, fabrication and verification.

  Arctic marine conditions contribute to an oil spill "response gap" that effectively limits the ability to clean up after an oil spill. A new report concludes that the only way to avoid the potentially devastating environmental risks is to ensure that no more of the Arctic is opened up to oil development until the response gap is closed.

  A strange and violent fate awaits a white dwarf star that wanders too close to a moderately massive black hole. According to a new study, the black hole's gravitational pull on the white dwarf would cause tidal forces sufficient to disrupt the stellar remnant and reignite nuclear burning in it, giving rise to a supernova explosion with an unusual appearance.

  A delicate surgery that involves placement of tiny electrodes onto the brainstem is helping some people avoid total hearing loss. The electrodes, connected to a device known as an auditory brain implant, are being placed in patients who require surgery to remove noncancerous tumors associated with a disorder called neurofibromastosis type II. The tumors are often entwined around the nerves that facilitate hearing. Over time the tumors -- or the surgical intervention to remove them, can result in fractional or total hearing loss.

  New research led by a marine microbial ecologist is showing for the first time that the roles played by bacteria in coastal waters aren't nearly as specific as some scientists suspected. In fact, these bacteria are generalists in how they get their nourishment and may have the option of doing many different things, depending on what works best at the time.

  For critically ill patients, intensive insulin therapy to keep blood sugar at normal levels reduces the risk of acute kidney injury, reports a new study. For many years, the medical community has considered high blood sugar levels in critically ill patients -- called "stress diabetes" -- as a beneficial reaction of the body to ensure adequate energy supply to the organs during severe illness. Reductions in kidney injury and mortality risk question thinking on 'stress diabetes'.

  A new medical imager for detecting and guiding the biopsy of suspicious breast cancer lesions is capable of spotting tumors that are half the size of the smallest ones detected by standard imaging systems, according to a new study. The results of initial testing of the PEM/PET system will be published in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology.

  An examination of the connections between elephants and lizards appears this month in the journal Ecology, where a researcher reports that the elephants' eating habits have a strong influence on the lizards' habitat choices. The results demonstrate an important and little understood aspect of ecosystem engineering, and may help land managers working on wildlife refuges in Africa.

  Sculpting a surface composed of tightly packed nanostructures that resemble tiny nails, engineers have created a material that can repel almost any liquid. Add a jolt of electricity, and the liquid on the surface slips past the heads of the nanonails and spreads out between their shanks, wetting the surface completely.

  A new test simultaneously detects the most prevalent respiratory viruses, including flu and the common cold, helping doctors more accurately diagnose patients. The speed and reliability of the test will help physicians provide appropriate treatment, and prevent inappropriate antibiotic use that has contributed to the creation of "superbugs."