As more and more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere and the oceans warm, their chemistry also changes — seawater becomes more acidic as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves.

According to a paper to be published this week by marine chemists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, these changes in ocean temperature and chemistry will have an unexpected side effect— sounds will travel farther underwater.

LEUVEN, Belgium, September 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Results Presented at World Stroke Congress in Vienna

ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR), a biotechnology company focused on novel therapies for eye disease, vascular disease and cancer, announces positive results from its MITI IV Phase II trial to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of microplasmin when administered intravenously to acute stroke patients. The trial showed that microplasmin was generally well tolerated and also provided some interesting preliminary efficacy data. The overall results of the study were presented by Dr. Vincent Thijs on September 27 at a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial session at the World Stroke Congress.

Researchers in Italy report that an ancient Chinese herbal remedy known as "horny goat weed" shows potential in lab studies as source for new future drugs to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), an issue commonly treated with drugs like Viagra. The study says they provide scientific evidence supporting the herb's use as a natural aphrodisiac.

In the new study, Mario Dell'Agli and colleagues point out that Viagra (sildenafil) and several other prescription drugs are now available for ED, or male impotence. ED affects an estimated 18 million men in the United States alone. Studies show, however, that these drugs may cause side effects such as headache, facial flushing, stomach upset, and visual disturbances.

In research conducted at the University of Calgary, climate change scientist David Keith and a team of researchers showed it is possible to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, using a relatively simple machine that can capture the trace amount of CO2 present in the air at any place on the planet.

The research is significant because air capture technology is the only way to capture CO2 emissions from transportation sources such as vehicles and airplanes. These so-called diffuse sources represent more than half of the greenhouse gases emitted on Earth.

Researchers in Pennsylvania report results of laboratory tests and road tests verifying that a simple, inexpensive device attached to a car engine's fuel injector can boost gas mileage by up to 20 percent. That translates into several more miles per gallon, they say, and publish their study in the November 19 issue of Energy & Fuels.

In the study, Rongjia Tao and colleagues describe development and testing of a new fuel economy booster. The small device consists of an electrically charged tube that can be attached to the fuel line of a car's engine near the fuel injector. The device creates an electric field that thins fuel, or reduces its viscosity, so that smaller droplets are injected into the engine. That leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion than a standard fuel injector, the researchers say.

Researchers are reporting that new insights into the composition of human breast milk may lead to new ways to prevent and treat stomach illnesses and other diseases in babies and adults, according to an article in the Sept. 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News.

In the story, Jyllian Kemsley notes that human breast milk is a complex fluid composed of several key components, including lactose, a sugar that provides energy for the infant, and lipids, which are thought to provide healthy fats to infants. But scientists are just now beginning to understand the composition and function of many of the components of human breast milk.

Although the industrial compounds known as polychlorinated biphenols or PCBs have been found in previous air samples collected in the city of Chicago, a University of Iowa researcher says that a new study of Chicago air sampled between November 2006 and November 2007 found PCB11, a byproduct of the manufacture of paint pigments and a potentially toxic substance, present throughout the city.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report of PCB11 in ambient air," said Keri Hornbuckle, UI professor of civil and environmental engineering, in the Sept. 24 online issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Shape is the most important factor affecting Christmas tree selection, followed by needle retention, species, and price, according to M. Elizabeth Rutledge, a graduate student in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University.

How many of you out there remember your father negotiating over tree shape? None of us either. But Rutledge says that is the case so we'll let it go and assume everyone picks the best tree and then looks at the price tag, rather than the other way around.

Traditionally, Americans have also preferred dense trees, she writes, whereas Europeans have preferred more natural, or "open" trees. Open trees have more space to hang ornaments, holding up to two-thirds more decorations than heavily sheared trees, and tend to weigh less than dense trees, providing advantages for growers and consumers alike.

MILTON KEYNES, England, September 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

A reminder has gone out to rabbit owners who took part in the first ever National Vaccination Month (March 2008) that they will need to vaccinate their pets this month in order to maintain immunity to myxomatosis.

Under the National Vaccination Month campaign owners of unvaccinated or overdue pet rabbits were offered a free dose of vaccine to protect their pets against myxomatosis - the first was given in March and the second is due now.

Currently less than one in ten owners ensure their rabbit is vaccinated against myxomatosis, a devastating killer disease spread by biting insects, which appears to be on the increase.

LONDON, September 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Businessman Launches Campaign to Ban Bullet Points and Give Work More Wit

- With Photo

Businessman Jon Moon today launched a nationwide campaign to ban bullet points from work. "We all use bullet points because we always have, yet they don't work. They don't break up dull text. They are dull text," he says. Jon, who advises companies on clarity in written and visual communications, wants us to end our love affair with black dots and instead use WiT (Words in Tables), his new way of showing information in reports and slides. "WiT has three times more impact than bullets, and it does a fantastic CV too," Jon continues.