Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Arabian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade. This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Differences are due to regional and local effects. Increased temperatures are having profound effects on key habitats and on power generation the Arabian Gulf.

A team of scientists has used state-of-the-art technology to elucidate the molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium which causes syphilis. The previously unknown detailed structure of the bacteria can now be shown in three dimensions. This provides the first real image of the pathogen and reveals previously unknown features, which may help fight the spread of syphilis.

Researchers have uncovered what they believe could be the major factor contributing to the SARS virus' virulence: the pathogen's use of a single viral protein to weaken host cell defenses by launching a "two-pronged" attack on cellular protein-synthesis machinery.

Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a new meta-analysis.

Getting medical staff to adopt some simple measures on three hospital wards reduced noise levels by just under 20 percent -- from 96.48 decibels to 77.52 decibels. Hospitals can be very noisy places. Dropping a stainless steel bowl creates 108 decibels, more than the 100 decibels from a nearby car horn or chainsaw. Even opening a packet of rubber gloves creates 86 decibels, louder than heavy traffic at 80 decibels.

Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. ESA's GlobAerosol project has been making the most of European satellite capabilities to monitor them.

An estimated quarter of a million 11- to 17-year-olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers.

Asthma is inhibited by regulatory macrophages, a cell population never previously described.

A novel technology involving use of stem cells has been applied to provide better and rapid healing for patients suffering from complicated bone fractures.

Which come first, the supermassive black holes that frantically devour matter or the enormous galaxies where they reside? A brand new scenario has emerged from a recent set of outstanding observations of a black hole without a home: black holes may be "building" their own host galaxy. This could be the long-sought missing link to understanding why the masses of black holes are larger in galaxies that contain more stars.