Record-Breaking Chameleons Live Only a Few Months

Members of a rare chameleon species all hatch in the same month, then die only four to five months later—making them the shortest-lived four-limbed vertebrates, a new study says.

Labord's chameleon had been identified in 1872 in the arid southwest of the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. But it wasn't until 2003 that a zoologist noticed there was something strange about this particular species.

"It was just bizarre, because I could find only adults and no juveniles whatsoever," said study co-author Kristopher Karsten of Oklahoma State University.

"So I thought, Well, either my eye isn't trained very well to find these juveniles, or they're not there. And if they're not there, maybe that means that every one is the same age and they're an annual species."

After studying the chameleons for three more seasons, Karsten and his colleagues were certain that the entire population of Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) turns over every year.

(Related: "405-Year-Old Clam Called Longest-Lived Animal" [October 29, 2007].)

Coming Out of Its Shell

Labord's chameleons spend eight to nine months inside the egg. After hatching, the reptiles spend four to five months eating, mating, and reproducing.

Adding to their oddity, the lizards all hatch in the same month, November.

"Whether or not they die in the same month, that gets a little gray," said Karsten, whose team's study will be published in tomorrow's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Some individuals die earlier than others, because predators get to them first," he said. And others just naturally live a bit shorter or longer than their peers.

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VIDEO: Robo-Toilets Take Japan

How can inventors improve the toilet?

Check out the video here

VIDEO: Cheaper Solar? Just Add Steam

This is a really cool new idea for creating electricity using solar power.

In the Israeli desert, a U.S.-Israeli team is testing a new technology that uses mirrors to harness the sun's rays and create electricity-producing steam.

Click on this link to see a video

"Methuselah" Tree Grew From 2,000-Year-Old Seed

One of a handful of 2,000-year-old seeds (top) from the fortress of Masada in present-day Israel grew into a date palm plant (bottom) called Methuselah in 2005.

A study released in June 2008 confirms the plant is the oldest sprouted seed in the world.

Photos by Guy Eisner/Courtesy of Science Magazine

"Unicorn" Deer Seen in Italy

June 12, 2008—A young deer nicknamed "Unicorn" is drawing hundreds of curious visitors to a nature preserve in Tuscany, park officials say.
The year-old roe deer was born in captivity with an apparent genetic flaw that gave it a single horn in the center of its head, said Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, northwest of Florence (see map).
The deer's twin, by contrast, has two horns.
People are now flocking to the nature preserve hoping to see the rare deer and take its picture. In the past few days about 200 visitors have made the pilgrimage to the 2.5-acre (1-hectare) preserve, Tozzi said.
"We have received so many calls from people, and many are coming to see it," he said. "Sometimes he comes close to the fence, even if he is very shy."
Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of, although experts say the central positioning of Unicorn's antler is unusual. Tozzi speculated that similar anomalies in the past might have inspired the myth of the unicorn.
The horse-like creature with magical healing powers has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.
—Marta Falconi in Rome, Associated Press
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photograph from AP Photo/Center of Natural Sciences/HO

Check out this video of the "Unicorn" deer in Italy

Sherpa beats Everest record again

[From BBC News South Asia]

A Nepalese sherpa has climbed Mount Everest for the 18th time, beating his own record for most ascents of the world's highest peak, officials say.

Appa Sherpa, 47, reached the 8,850m-high (29,035ft) summit along with several members of his team, the Nepal Mountaineering Association said.
Appa grew up in the Everest foothills and first climbed the mountain in 1989.
His nearest challenger is fellow Sherpa guide Chhewang Nima, 42, who has made 15 successful trips to the summit.
'Proud moment'
"Appa Sherpa summitted Everest at 05:45 local time (0000 GMT) this morning. He has set the new world record as it is the 18th time he has got to the top," Ang Tsering Sherpa, the chairman of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told the news agency AFP.
"This is another proud moment for the whole mountaineering fraternity," he said.
Appa Sherpa is among dozens of climbers to reach the Everest summit this week because of good weather.
Many more are expected to follow in the days to come.
Ascents were delayed this spring season by a temporary ban imposed on the summit by Nepal to prevent anti-Chinese protests during the Olympic torch relay.
Sherpas, local Himalayan tribesmen, have been used as guides and porters by mountaineering teams climbing Everest.
Appa has used the money from each ascent to feed his family and put his four children through school.
He came out of retirement in 2003 to climb the peak again for the 50th anniversary of the first climb.
Nearly 2,500 people have reached the summit of Everest since it was first climbed by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
There have been more than 200 deaths on the mountain.