Liz Langley, 01/03/13

Columnist, journalist, radio personality, playwright and author

When Hugh Hefner married former "runaway bride" Crystal Harris on New Year's Eve, family, friends and fans everywhere thought "Congratulations!" "Finally!" and "He's how much older than she is?"

Dana Oliver, 01/03/13

Beauty Editor, HuffPost Style

Please chill out with the face tattoos.

Ed Coffin, 01/03/13

Co-founder and Campaign Director, Peace Advocacy Network

Timothy Braun, 01/03/13

Writer

Evolving from wild animals to working partners to actual members of families, our canine companions are now the focus of studies centered on pet ownership, evolutionary theory and cognitive science.

Tony Phillips, 01/02/13

Grant writer

The thing about annoying speech is that it comes in more than the adolescent variety. It's easy enough to pick on the youth, because for one thing, they're idiots. But idiocy knows no age.

Betsy Isaacson, 01/02/13

Technology writer, The Huffington Post

Exploring the world's largest online black market, and the contraband wares therein.

Maria Konnikova, 12/27/12

Writer

Sherlock Holmes may be the world's greatest fictional detection, but the principles behind his approach to solving crime are very real, indeed. Listen to him explain his method of thought to Watson, and chances are, you'll come away with much the same impression as the good doctor: of course!

Megan Smolenyak, 12/28/12

Genealogy Expert, Author of "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" & "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Under ideal circumstances, living relatives of both Williams and Bryan could provide DNA reference samples to compare against the remains to make the final assessment, but the obstacle is Williams' name.

Ayala Laufer-Cahana, M.D., 12/27/12

Physician, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder: Herbal Water Inc.

There were many contenders for this year's prize for stupidest diet. The desire to shed weight seems to breed an endless stream of particularly magical claims, supernatural devices and silly, dangerous plans.

Dan Mack, 12/27/12

Filmmaker

Who cares if life as we know it can continue on the planet Earth? This is not a rhetorical question. Who, specifically, cares? As importantly, why should those of us who read this today give Near Earth Object detection and deflection any of our precious time, money, or attention?

Koda Wang, 12/26/12

Chief of Staff, The Huffington Post Media Group

It's been a long time since battles were won on horses and bayonets. The new face of the enemy may come in the form of an insidious strain of smallpox or a sly computer virus that infects our power grids. But how do you repel a pesky bacterium or a few taunting lines of code -- shoot it with an Uzi?

Jim Hill, 12/24/12

Entertainment journalist and Walt Disney Company expert

Remember the film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Well, in real life, the 9-inch tall Claus and 5-inch tall reindeer puppets used in the making of this 1964 production wound up spending the next 40 years under less than ideal conditions.

Shaman Durek, 12/21/12

shaman

Connecting through the use of drugs and medicines is like sneaking into Source's backdoor and seeking the answers to questions without having the knowledge and understanding of how the spirit world works.

Peter Bjerregaard, 12/23/12

Climate analyst

The underlying theme of this fascinating speech is of course much more fundamental. The real issue at hand here is governance. How do we, as a species, handle impending catastrophes? How do we allocate resources to initiatives that will benefit us in the long-term?

John Geoghegan, 12/23/12

Author

Unfortunately for us, earth has experienced at least five mass extinctions during the past 540 million years. Some scientists believe it may be as many as twenty. In other words, mass extinction events are not uncommon.

Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D., 12/22/12

Host, 'Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion'

Is it conceivable that a pair of movie sirens named Barbara were under a deadly curse? Both Barbara Nichols and Barbara Payton appeared in horror and sci-fi films, and died tragic,premature deaths, as did a handful of other such actresses.

Douglas Anthony Cooper, 12/21/12

Novelist, Amnesia (See: Blogger Mortis)

The Maya never predicted that 2012 would be the Year of the Cigar Box Guitar. They missed the most important story. The end of the world, which ought to be in a couple of hours, is not this year's crucial event.