The remains, recovered during recent searches for shuttle debris, had been taken to the National Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base to be identified.

CNN: Remains from all shuttle crew identified

Many searches are not driven by recent events.

FORBES: Google Search Now More Timely Than Ever

April's disappearance has prompted one of the biggest searches for a missing person in recent times, and involved hundreds of volunteers from the Machynlleth area, across Wales and parts of England.

BBC: April Jones: Machynlleth town clock lit in pink

As a result, the average number of searches per Internet user per month has risen sharply in recent years, from around 17.9 per month in 2005 to 33.4 per month in 2009.

FORBES: Google Gains From Search Market Growth, But Yahoo! Could Hit $20

During a recent monthlong Infiniti promotion Nissan recorded 19 million online ad impressions, including 4.1 million Infiniti searches through Internet portal sites, 1.9 million e-mail come-ons, 1.1 million unique visitors to its Web site, 5, 500 Internet leads to dealers and 681 requests for preapproved financing.

FORBES: Ad Vantage