So you think Britney, Paris and the late Anna Nicole were hot in 2007? That iPhones, Facebook and Wiis were cutting edge? That folks were concerned about Iraq, Iran, global warming, gas prices, Santa Ana winds and recalls of all sorts?

Well, you couldn't be more right. These and others — Harry Potter, A-Rod, George Bush and Al Gore among them — dominated the headlines as well as search engine results. But while all this was happening, other things were on the mind of a select group: the readers of Answers.com's "In the News" section. While this feature entered retirement at the end of November, during its run readers were exposed to news items that were quirky, idiosyncratic, and a few steps off the beaten path.

Here are some of the stories that found the greatest favor in the eyes of this highly discriminating group.

Health
Health as a topic was near and dear to the hearts of Answers.com readers. After all, what's closer to home? As Seneca put it, "To wish to be well is a part of becoming well."

• diet soda: beware — may cause weight gain. In surprise findings, the more diet sodas people drank, the more weight they were likely to gain. It's not clear why, but it may be because people eat more when they think they can. (January)
• sponges: zap them in the microwave to sterilize, instead of running them through the dishwasher. And two days later there was an update: if you're trying to sterilize sponges by zapping them in the microwave, be sure they're wet. (January)
• blood clots: if you spend a long time at your computer, beware. It seems that chronic computer users suffer something akin to "economy class syndrome" and are prone to deep vein thrombosis unless they get up and stretch. New Zealand researchers are calling the affliction "eThrombosis." (March)
• anger: helps you make better choices. In a study, angry subjects were better at discriminating between strong and weak arguments and were more convinced by the stronger arguments. Other subjects were equally convinced by both arguments, indicating that they were not as analytical in their assessments. (June)
• high blood pressure: the brain, not the heart, is to blame. Scientists have suggested that hypertension is an inflammatory vascular disease of the brain. (April)
• baby videos: study finds no benefit, possible harm. The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew; the effect was especially strong in ages 8 to 16 months. (August)
• early to bed, early to rise: is not the best course for cardiac health. That's right — linger in bed in the mornings; your heart will thank you. A Japanese study says early risers are at a higher risk of developing heart problems. (September)
• appendix: scientists discover a purpose for it. This vestigial organ apparently produces and protects good germs for your gut. (October)

Follies and Foibles
The unusual behavior of the human race:

• eBay: Australian man offers his life for sale on auction site; top bid is A$7,500. Talk about discovering your own self-worth! (January)
• Sealand: world's smallest country is for sale; 16 rooms, sea view and no near neighbors. For those who have given up on humanity, here's the ideal place to relocate to, for a billion dollars or so. (January)
• Great Pyramid: French architect says he figured out the mystery of its construction. The massive monument at Giza was built from the inside out, he says, using an interior spiral ramp. It took him eight years to develop and test this hypothesis. (April)
• Wendy's: drive-thru clerk punched for not saying "please" and "thank you." A Pennsylvania man attacked a Wendy's worker over a perceived lack of manners. Were his any better than hers? (July)
• Miss Teen USA: South Carolina's contestant has another try at answering question about locating US on a map. In her original attempt, she referred to South Africa, Iraq and "Asian countries." She was a little flustered, to say the least. (August)
• McDonald's: employee arrested for oversalting a burger. In another instance of fast food patrons standing up for their rights, a police officer in Georgia arrested a food preparer who had accidentally spilled salt on the hamburger meat that wound up in his meal. (September)
• Erie, Pennsylvania: tears and a mystery follow $100 million donation. On a heartwarming but mind-boggling note, an "Anonymous Friend" gave a staggering $100 million to be divided among 46 local nonprofits. (November)

Science
The wacky, the weird and the wonderful:

• O'Hare Airport: was there a UFO at Chicago's hub last fall? United Airlines employees reported a flying saucer-like object that hovered low for several minutes before bolting through thick clouds with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in overcast skies. (January)
• China: researchers cross pig with jellyfish, produce partially green fluorescent swine. The pigs are transgenic, created by adding genetic material from jellyfish into a pig embryo. Similar ones have been created before, but these are the first that are green on the inside as well, including the heart and internal organs. (January)
• twins: rare variety discovered — semi-identical. This cross between identical and fraternal twins occurs when two sperm cells fertilize one egg — an event assumed to be very rare — then split into two embryos. (March)
• blue moon: North Americans, look up at the sky tonight; Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia will have to wait till after midnight for a June blue moon. Blue moons have always appealed to humans, perhaps because they're so rare. (May/June)
• Rome: cocaine, marijuana, caffeine and tobacco found in air. Apparently, traces of parties past linger on. (June)

Celebrities
It wasn't necessarily scandalous behavior that determined who was worth a click:

• Mona Lisa: died and was buried in a convent. An expert said that this symbol of feminine mystique, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant, spent her final days at a convent in central Florence and was buried there after she died on July 15, 1542. But did she smile while she was there? (January)
• Cleopatra: ancient coin explodes myth that Egyptian queen was great beauty; Mark Antony not the handsomest, either. She was sharp-nosed and thin-lipped; he, hook-nosed and thick-necked. (February)
• Loch Ness monster: elusive creature said to be captured on tape. A Yorkshire man shot a video of a black creature about 45 feet long moving at about 6 mph. (June)
• Karlstad: 75-year-old Swedish woman has fastest home Internet connection in the world. Her 40-gigabit-per-second fiber-optic connection allows her to download a full-length movie in less than two seconds, but she generally uses it only to read online newspapers. (July)
• Last Supper: check out the details in this super high-res image. No need to wait in line for this up-close viewing of Jesus and his disciples. (October)

Sex & Indecent Exposure
Perennial favorites:

• Mexico City: photographer captures Zocalo plaza filled with 18,000 nude people. Spencer Tunick, a US photographer, staged the shots, composed of volunteers of all ages. (May)
• Brattleboro: nude-friendly town finds it can't bare it anymore. Too many people were taking advantage of the option to wear their birthday suit in public; the town may have to reconsider its policy. (July)
• Atlanta: proposed law takes aim at underwear straps. An amendment to the public decency laws would outlaw baggy pants that show boxers or thongs, and women would be prohibited from exposing their bra straps. (August)
• University of Texas: researchers manage to figure out why people have sex. The No. 1 reason for both sexes was "I was attracted to the person," though expressing love and showing affection were in the top 10. (August)
• Airbus 380: operator Singapore Airlines requests that the beds in first-class suites be used strictly for sleeping. This giant superjumbo contains 12 private suites with double beds. Understandable though the temptation to join the mile-high club may be, the suites were not sound-proofed and the airline said it did not want anyone to offend other travelers or crew. (November)

Last updated: December 23, 2007.