News of the weird

Maternal instincts: Diana Sparks, 40, from Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with selling her two-year-old daughter for $10 after she phoned the police to ask for a check on the criminal record of the couple buying the child. She hung up when she was told that the police could not give a criminal background check over the phone, but her address was traced from the phone call. The couple who allegedly bought the child deny paying anything and say it was a "trial run" for an adoption.

Kidney failure: A British man living in St Petersburg, Florida, has had to withdraw an advert he placed in the local newspaper after being told it was illegal. John Curtis's ad read: "British-made kidney-shaped item: Will swap for 45-foot motor/sail boat." It ran for three days before the newspaper discovered that the item was in fact one of Mr Curtis's kidneys.

Mouse organ diminuendo: Researchers in Missouri have discovered that bisphenol A, a compound used in protective coatings on teeth and other products, stunts the sexual development of male mice.