Oceans turn acidic

increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are turning the oceans acidic, warns the Royal Society, Britain's leading scientific organisation. The growing acidity is very likely to harm coral reefs and other marine life by the end of the century, the society said in a report prepared by a panel of scientists.

Worse than expected

satellite images of sea levels have provided evidence of a bizarre effect -- the oceans rising faster near the coast than in their middle segments. Simon Holgate and Philip Woodworth of the uk-based Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory used the images of the Topex satellite to nail down the discrepancy. As per their analysis, on an average, global sea level rose by 2.8 millimetres per year between 1993 and 2002.

Talks lack depth

Sixty per cent of the world's ocean area is categorised as international waters and prone to exploitation.

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easy rabies cure: Tobacco plants have been genetically modified to produce proteins used to combat the rabies virus. Till now, the only way to fight the virus was to use antibodies derived from either horses or humans; but they are difficult to get. Researchers from the Thomas Jefferson University, USA, have now inserted DNA coding of the human antibodies into the tobacco plants. The new antibodies are as efficient as the ones used at present.

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new mummies: Ancient Britons started mummifying their dead at the same time as the Egyptians. British archaeologist Mike Parker-Pearson has found four Bronze Age bodies showing signs of mummification in the remote Scottish isle of South Uist. The 3,000-year-old bodies are believed to be the first ever discovery of mummification in Britain. "The bodies were found underneath layers of old jewellery, whalebone lamps and tools," says Parker-Pearson.

Worth its salt

the refreshing breath of sea air may do more than raise the spirits. The salty sea spray encourages rain that washes out dust and other pollutants, thereby cleaning the atmosphere. These are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers from Jerusalem-based Hebrew University. "We have discovered a process by which nature cleans pollution quite effectively when it spills from land over to oceans," said Daniel Rosenfeld, one of the researchers.

Choked up

Global warming could be decreasing the availability of oxygen to marine organisms living in the intermediate depths of oceans. According to a study by Ralph F Keeling and Hernan E Garcia from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, USA, a dip in oxygen concentrations has been observed in the intermediate layers of water in North Pacific, North Atlantic, South Pacific and South Indian Oceans.

Eating into the seas

Under siege • 38 per cent of Africa's coastal ecosystems are threatened by development-related activities. Population densities reach 500-1,000 inhabitants per square km along the Nile delta

The coast is not clear

human activities in coastal areas are endangering marshes, estuaries, coral reefs and mangrove forests, warns a new report.

Simple salmon

a coalition of Scottish environmental groups under the banner of the Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link (swcl) has called for a review of the environmental impacts of marine salmon fishing in Scotland. The main cause for concern is the wide and indiscriminate use of chemicals to control sea lice, parasites which attack farmed salmon.