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The Salt
10:22 am
Thu December 15, 2011

How The Army Made A Sandwich That Stays Fresh For Two Years

Credit Bob Reinert / U.S. Army
The shelf-stable pocket sandwich gives soldiers a portable ration that they can eat on the go.

For the U.S. military around the world, the enemy can be hard to pinpoint and even harder to defeat. Back at home, the Army has a tiny and vexing foe in its sights: the bacteria that cause food to rot.

In this bacterial battle, though, it's clearer who's winning, and the evidence is a humble pocket sandwich, which looks from the outside no different than your average hot pocket in the frozen foods aisle.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:05 am
Thu December 15, 2011

Biomedical Research Using Chimps Should Be Curtailed

Updated 1:30 p.m.: The National Institutes of Health accepts the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine report on chimpanzee research, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said in a statement. "We will not issue any new awards for research involving chimpanzees until processes for implementing the recommendations are in place," he said.

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The Two-Way
10:00 am
Thu December 15, 2011

Politicians Take Note: 'Pragmatic' Was 2011's Word Of The Year

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and President Obama in July, during the negotiations over raising the federal debt ceiling and reducing future federal deficits. Americans say they want pragmatic leaders who will worth together.

Americans put members of Congress at the very bottom of those they consider to be honest and ethical. They tell pollsters that they want politicians in Washington to "compromise in order to get things done."

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Around the Nation
9:32 am
Thu December 15, 2011

Probe Finds Arizona Sheriff Violated Civil Rights

Credit Joshua Lott / Getty Images
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has forced inmates to wear pink and live in tent cities, gaining him a reputation as America's toughest sheriff.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a national reputation for being tough on crime but now the Arizona law man is in the spotlight for a different reason.

On Thursday, the Department of Justice released the results of a three-year investigation in which authorities conclude that Arpaio and his deputies are the ones who've been breaking law.

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Shots - Health Blog
8:41 am
Thu December 15, 2011

Experimental Magnetic Pulses May Help Heal A Brain After Stroke

Credit Wikimedia Commons
A stroke affecting the right side of the brain can lead a person to be visually unaware of what's happening on the left.

A little brain stimulation seems to speed up recovery from a stroke.

This isn't the sort of brain stimulation you get from conversation. It's done using an electromagnetic coil placed against the scalp.

Researchers think the treatment encourages brain cells to form new connections, allowing the brain to rewire itself to compensate for damage caused by a stroke.

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