The World Wildlife Fund (now called World Wide Fund for Nature) has introduced a new species into its great cat family. A new kind of the tree-hopping clouded leopard has been discovered in South-East Asia, in the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Right now, it's creatively dubbed as *drumroll* the Bornean clouded leopard. If you wanna be scientific about it, Neofelis diardi.

Although scientists have been observing this furry for a couple of years now, they never realized how unique it actually was. As early as 1821 (almost two centuries ago!), the clouded leopard was filed under Neofilis nebulusa. It's always been believed that the "stripe-spotted" great cats inhabiting both the mainlands and outlying islands have been of the same species. Until now, of course.

DNA tests from the National Cancer Institute have revealed that there are 40-odd genetic differences between the mainland cats and those in the Borneo islands. They've even dated this evolutionary branching to about 1.4 million years ago. Now just so you know, between lions and common leopards, there are around 56 genetic differences. Clearly, if two different leopards have 40-ish genetic differences, then that makes them unique enough to have their own scientific name descriptor.

Now as for the Bornean clouded leopard, they have the trademark clouded spots, but they sport 1) gray fur that's darker than their mainland cousins, 2) a double stripe down its back, and 3) the longest canine teeth relative to size of any other feline. They are the main predators in the islands, feeding on birds, lizards, monkeys, and small deer.

It's still to be confirmed if Steve Jobs has any form of influence in the identification of this leopard. (teehee!)

Finding a new specie is actually much easier than proving that it is indeed new. This is what LSU's Museum of Natural Science">Chris Austin, assistant curator of herpetology at LSU's Museum of Natural Science, proved upon discovering a new species of lizard from Borneo.

Conducting a field research with colleague Indraneil Das of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, they actually found four specimens at once. Looking under logs, which according to him is the most efficient way to find lizards in the rainforest, they immediately found two individuals of the one specie, and two more under another.

In order to determine that what they found were new to science, they had to examine the collections of natural history museums around the world in order to compare known biodiversity from the discovered ones. Austin also used molecular genetics over at the LSUMNS lab for him to decipher the genetic code of the lizards.

As it turns out, the new species is a close cousin of a type of skink, found in the southern Philippines. It is, however, distinguished from it in more than one way: different color patterns, structure, differences in scale count, and significant genetic variations.

The findings of Austin and Das will be published in the prestigious Journal of Herpetology in March 2007. The name of the species will be revealed there.

The banana as we know it is in danger. Scientists are worried about the world's fave fruit.

The banana is the most popular fresh fruit in the U.S., consumed at about 26.2 pounds per year per person. The best known kind of banana is the Cavendish. Every Cavendish is a genetic duplicate of any Cavendish around the world. It was first discovered in Southeast Asia then brought to a botanical garden in the Carribean.

The quality that makes the banana perfect for worldwide consumption, perfect banana clones, may also be it's downfall. Species rely on genetic diversity for survival, so what makes one person sick may not affect another person. Since bananas are all genetic twins, a fungus or a bacterial disease can wipe out an entire plantation then spread around the globe and infect all the plantations.

A banana catastrophe? Rabbids would run out of ammo. But seriously speaking though, it's happened before. The Gros Michel type, nicknamed "Big Mike" used to be the most popular kind imported and exported. It was wiped out by a fungus named the Panama disease. The Cavendish was then accepted as the replacement, since it was immune to the Panama disease.

Now, a new strain of the fungus was discovered in Southeast Asia and wreaked havoc in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and Taiwan. It is still making its way to the rest of the Southeast. Experts are racing against time to find a way to prevent another global wipeout and the subsequent shortage. Some scientists estimate that the Cavendish only has five to ten years left. They are trying genetic splicing but if the fungus spreads faster than expected, finding an alternative banana species would be the best choice.

Or switch to apples.

Malaysia’s rainforest is considered as the oldest rainforest in the world. Unlike the more famous Amazon basin, Malaysia's Eden was never affected by the Ice Age. It is estimated that one in eight herbs that grow on the planet is found in Malaysia - making it Mother Natures' major pharmaceutical company. The list of natural medical wonders native to Malaysia include:

Pegaga (Centella asiatica). A pure paste of the fresh herb applied to the skin and scalp for its powerful rejuvenating effects. Pegaga-based creams are said to be the next big thing in the cosmetic industry.

Misai Kuching (Arthosiphon species). All parts, but mostly leaves and flowers, are used to make tea that helps control blood sugar of diabetics.

Hempedu Bumi (Andrographis panicaulata). A bitter herb taken as tea, but Malays and Indians take it with goat or coconut milk for hepatitis.

Neem (Azadirachta indica). The neem leaf can be chewed or taken in tea form or as a juice to promote healthy liver. Leaves can also be boiled and the water can be used for measles, chicken pox, eczema and skin rashes. Washing the face with neem tea also helps with acne.

Selasih (Oscimum scantum) The fresh leaves are chewed with some pepper and rock sugar and helps stop the onset of flu or
calm down flu already in progress. Also helps strengthen the lungs and boost the immune system.

The medicinal property of some plants have been known since ancient times by people in all continents. There is evidence that Neanderthals living 60,000 years ago in present-day Iraq used plants for medicinal purposes.