The top 10 most popular stories published in 2012:

1. Men and Women Can't Be "Just Friends"

2. The World’s Last Worm: A Dreaded Disease Nears Eradication

3. NASA Crushes 2012 Mayan Apocalypse Claims 

4. How Hollywood Is Encouraging Online Piracy

5. Scientists Discover Children’s Cells Livingin Mothers’ Brains

6. Psychiatry's "Bible" Gets an Overhaul

7. “Once in a Civilization” Comet to Zip Past Earth Next Year

8. The Power of Introverts: A Manifesto for Quiet Brilliance

9. Obama and Romney Tackle 14 Top Science Questions

10. North Carolina Considers Making Sea Level Rise Illegal

Honorable mentions: old stories that surfaced with a vengeance this year.

Why Do Cats Purr? April 3, 2006

Why does lactic acid buildup in muscles? And why does I tcause soreness? January 23, 2006

How Long Can a Person Survive without Food? November 8, 2004