*The SUN*

This image made from an April 12-13, 2010 video provided Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by NASA shows an eruptive prominence blasting away from the sun. The prominence appears to stretch almost halfway across the sun, about 500,000 miles. NASA on Wednesday unveiled the first images from a new satellite designed to predict disruptive solar storms, and scientists say they're already learning new things.

This image provided Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by NASA shows an eruptive prominence blasting away from the sun March 30, 2010 observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite. NASA on Wednesday unveiled the first images from the new satellite designed to predict disruptive solar storms, and scientists say they're already learning new things.

Amorous slug, orange snake among finds on BorneoAmorous slug, orange snake among finds on Borneo

A lungless frog, a frog that flies and a slug that shoots love darts are among 123 new species found in Borneo since 2007 in a project to conserve one of the oldest rain forests in the world.

A report by the global conservation group WWF on the discoveries also calls for protecting the threatened species and equatorial rain forest on Borneo, the South China Sea island that is the world's third-largest and is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

"The challenge is to ensure that these precious landscapes are still intact for future generations," said the report released Thursday.

The search for the new species was part of the Heart of Borneo project that started in February 2007 and is backed by the WWF and the three countries that share the island.

The aim is to conserve 85,000 square miles (220,000 square kilometers) of rain forest that was described by Charles Darwin as "one great luxuriant hothouse made by nature for herself."

Explorers have been visiting Borneo for centuries, but vast tracts of its interior are yet to be biologically explored, said Adam Tomasek, leader of WWF's Heart of Borneo project.

"If this stretch of irreplaceable rain forest can be conserved for our children, the promise of more discoveries must be a tantalizing one for the next generation of researchers to contemplate," he said.

The scientists' discoveries include the world's longest known stick insect at 56.7 centimeters, a flame-colored snake and a frog that flies and changes its skin and eye color. In total, 67 plants, 29 invertebrates, 17 fish, five frogs, three snakes and two lizards and a brand new species of bird were discovered, said the report.

Borneo has long been known as a hub for monster insects, including giant cockroaches about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.

Notable among the species discovered are:

_ a snake that has a bright orange, almost flame-like, neck coloration that gradually fuses into an extraordinary iridescent and vivid blue, green and brown pattern. When threatened it flares its nape, revealing bright orange colors.

_ A frog that breathes through its skin because it has no lungs, which makes it appear flat. This aerodynamic shape allows the frogs to move swiftly in fast flowing streams. Although the species was discovered in 1978, it was only now that scientists found the frog has no lungs.

_ A high-altitude slug found on Mount Kinabalu that has a tail three times the length of its head. They shoot calcium carbonate "love darts" during courtship to inject a hormone into a mate. While resting, the slug wraps its long tail around its body.

The Heart of Borneo, the core island area the conservation effort targets, is home to ten species of primate, more than 350 birds, 150 reptiles and amphibians and a staggering 10,000 plants that are found nowhere else in the world, the report says.

Tip Sihat: Jangan Makan Jika Bosan

Sungguhpun begitu, snek sebeginilah yang selalu menjadi pilihan kerana mudah didapati, dan sering pula disimpan untuk menghadapi saat-saat lapar.

Cuba fikir, mengapa anda ambil snek, atau makan makanan ringan di luar waktu makan? Adakah disebabkan benar-benar lapar, atau kerana bosan dan tidak mempunyai aktiviti lain?

Alasan yang sering didengar ialah: “Tak ada masa nak masaklah,” “Tadi tak sempat nak keluar makan tengahari,” atau, “Bosan, tak ada benda nak buat, jadi makanlah!”

Ok, kita terima alasan-alasan itu. Anda boleh ambil snek, tetapi perlulah bijak memilih makanan yang berkhasiat, tidak menyumbang kepada masalah obesiti, dan seterusnya memudaratkan kesihatan.



Ada beberapa langkah yang anda boleh ambil untuk mengelak daripada makan snek yang tidak sihat:

1. Makan (makanan sihat) berulang kali, tetapi sikit-sikit. Dengan cara ini, anda tidak perlulah mengalas perut dengan gula-gula, coklat, atau makanan-makanan ringan lain.

2. Elakkan sebarang godaan. Jangan simpan snek dalam beg, peti sejuk, almari atau laci di rumah mahupun di tempat kerja. Jika ke pasaraya, elak bahagian snek atau makanan ringan. Sekiranya anda singgah ke sana, bimbang anda ‘tergoda’ untuk membelinya.



3. Apabila membeli-belah, tukar cara berfikir; ingat yang sihat dan baik untuk kesihatan saja. Contohnya, salad, sayur-sayuran, yogurt, produk bijirin penuh dan elakkan makanan yang diproses.

4. Minum banyak air kosong atau minuman semula jadi seperti jus buah-buahan segar, teh hijau, susu rendah lemak atau minuman yogurt.

5. Jika kebosanan membuat anda makan snek, atasinya dengan melakukan aktiviti lain yang lebih sihat; bersenam, mengemas rumah, menghabiskan kerja-kerja tertangguh dan sebagainya. Itu adalah lebih baik daripada makan makanan ringan yang boleh mendatangkan masalah kesihatan di kemudian hari.