STATE COLLEGE, Pa., May 12 (UPI) -- A U.S. meteorological service is predicting a near average number of hurricanes this year but with an increased risk of storms along the U.S. East Coast.

"Although we are forecasting a total of 12 named storms in 2008, … a relatively high percentage of tropical storms are expected to make landfall and the major threat area is farther north than normal," said AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range and Hurricane Forecaster Joe Bastardi. "We believe at least 40 percent of named storms will cause tropical storm or hurricane conditions on the U.S. (eastern) coastline, which is about 1.6 times the norm."

The forecast suggests a weakening La Nina and near-normal or below-normal water temperature in the Caribbean and south Atlantic will reduce the overall number of storms. However, with warm waters near the north Atlantic coastline, storms may form closer to the coast, the meteorologists said, resulting in a higher than average storm threat from the Carolinas to New England.

The best chance for early storm development is in the western or central Gulf area, Bastardi said, adding the primary period of hurricane threat will run from mid-August to mid-October and will encompass the entire Gulf and Atlantic areas.

New finding may explain some hearing loss

MEMPHIS, May 12 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said their findings about how sounds are amplified in the inner ear might explain how genetic mutation or drug-overdose hearing loss occurs.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators found an electrically powered amplification mechanism in the cochlea of the ear is critical to the acute hearing of humans and other mammals.

Sound entering the cochlea is detected by the vibration of tiny, hair-like cilia that extend from cochlear hair cells, the scientists said. While the cochlea's "inner hair cells" are only passive detectors, the so-called outer hair cells amplify the sound signal as it transforms into an electrical signal that travels to the brain's auditory center, they said. Without such amplification, hearing would be far less sensitive since sound waves entering the cochlea are severely diminished as they pass through the inner ear fluid.

The research, which included Jian Zuo, Xudong Wu, Jiangang Gao and Wendy Cheng at St. Jude; Peter Dallos, Mary Ann Cheatham, Jing Zheng, Charles Anderson and Soma Sengupta at Northwestern University; and Shuping Jia, Xiang Wang and David He at Creighton University, appears in the May 8 issue of the journal Neuron.

FDA approves generic Requip tablets

WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic versions of a drug designed for the treatment of restless legs syndrome.

The FDA said it approved Requip (ropinirole hydrochloride) in dosages of 0.25 milligrams, 0.5 milligrams, 1 milligram, 2 milligrams, 3 milligrams and 4 milligrams.

The marketing approval went to Roxane Laboratories Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Par Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.

While Requip is also FDA-approved to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the generic products aren't approved for that purpose because that is protected by patent. However, the FDA said the patent expires this month, at which time manufacturers of the generic drugs may seek approval for that use.

Phoenix spacecraft: On course for Mars

PASADENA, Calif., May 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says its Phoenix Mars Lander is on course for a May 25 landing on Mars.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists targeted the spacecraft's certified landing site with a trajectory correction maneuver April 10. But, since then, officials say the spacecraft's performance has been stable enough to allow Jet Propulsion Laboratory controllers to skip a scheduled opportunity for an additional trajectory correction maneuver May 10 and focus on the next such opportunity Saturday.

Phoenix has performed three flight path corrections since its Aug. 4, 2007, launch. The final opportunity for adjusting course will be during the final 24 hours before landing.

NASA said the first possible confirmation time for the spacecraft's May 25 landing will be at 4:53 p.m. PDT. The event would have occurred 15 minutes and 20 seconds earlier on Mars -- the time it takes radio signals traveling at the speed of light to travel from Mars to Earth.