the buzz log

From the Democratic National Convention to Sarah Palin's debut on the national stage, politics dominated the news—and the Buzz—this week. Yet, other stories still managed to rise up the Buzz ranks, drawing votes and readers over the past seven days. As a relief from the Obama-Biden-McCain-and-(now)-Palin drumbeat, we present some of the buzziest of those non-presidential tales. Enjoy.

The "True" Origins of Superman
On an early June day in 1932, armed robbers entered the used clothing store of Mitchell Siegel, a Lithuanian immigrant. In the resulting tussle, Siegel died. His son, Jerry, went on to co-create Superman, the muscle-bound hero who would plunge to the rescue of shopkeepers in distress. The revelation of this part of Jerry Siegel's family history has "exploded some of the longest-held beliefs about the origins of Superman"—and sent this USA Today article on the story soaring in Buzz.

The Emergence of "iPhone Girl"
Imagine the surprise of a proud owner of a new iPhone when he found images on his high-tech device of a young Asian factory worker, grinning and flashing a peace sign. Since that smart-phone user posted the photos on an Apple website, the mystery of the "iPhone girl" has pinged across the Web, sparking blog posts, searches, and news reports about her identity. Her name? We still don't know. But her job status? Reportedly secure.

Usain Bolt, Fast—But Not Fastest?
Usain Bolt's astonishing performance at the Beijing Olympics may have "reset how fast researchers believe humans ultimately can run," but it's unlikely he's established the last, unbeatable record. According to this popular blog post from Wired, "Bolt is freaky fast, but nowhere near human limits." Nowhere near? We'll soon need slow-mo instant replay to watch these guys on the track.

Finally, Two Mysterious Creatures Flapping or Swimming up Buzz...
• BoingBoing scored a hot blog post this week with a brief piece on the discovery of a "winged cat" in western China. Spoil-sport scientists have called it a genetic defect or, ouch, "the result of poor grooming," but Web readers were entranced by the feline freak. (We mean that in the nicest sense.)

• Welcome to the U.S., Nandi! The Georgia Aquarium added a nine foot manta ray to its marine family this week. Not only is this colossal beauty extremely rare, but she's the first manta ray to join an American aquarium. CNN footage of the creature promptly waded upwards in Buzz.