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January 2, 2013 Chinese officials say two people intentionally spiked a restaurant's eggplant stir-fries with a toxic dose of a blood pressure drug. The poisoning sent 80 diners to the hospital, where doctors figured out the cause. They all eventually recovered.

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January 2, 2013 A scientist in Thailand raises mosquito colonies so she can study a new malaria drug. The insects are quite spoiled — they'll eat only live human blood. So she feeds them "breakfast" each day from her right arm.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 24, 2012 The inability to send coherent text messages, or 'dystextia,' is helping doctors diagnose neurological problems. In one recent case, a series of garbled text messages was an early signal that a woman was having a stroke.

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December 23, 2012 All over India, an unusual name has been popping up on signs in restaurants and businesses. Indians have a growing affinity for the murderous dictator, and the connections between him and the subcontinent may explain why.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 23, 2012 For nearly 30 years, Tony Lepore has worked as a traffic cop in Providence, R.I. But he doesn't just beckon, wave and blow a whistle; he dances — and he's got some serious moves.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

December 20, 2012 Friday marks the end of the Mayan calendar — and the end of the world if you believe doomsayers. But a rumor circulating online says the village of Bugarach, population 200, will be spared. That has the village bracing for an influx of believers.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 20, 2012 "The Maya never, ever, said anything about the world ending at any time — much less this year," says an archaeologist who helped translate the ancient culture's hieroglyphs. Still, David Stuart says, he often gets emails from people who want more details about the end of days.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 19, 2012 With publicity campaigns, radio jingles and pinups, the government helped eliminate the parasitic disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still fighting malaria at home and abroad.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 15, 2012 WHYYAt the request of a lifelong Lord of the Rings fan, architect Peter Archer has built a cottage modeled after those of the Shire. Like any good hobbit-hole, this dwelling was built for sitting comfortably and imagining great adventures — but it took a lot of skill to put together.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

December 12, 2012 In many parts of the world, there aren't enough doctors around to do post-mortems. Answers to a few questions can help a computer deduce what killed someone when an autopsy can't be done. The results can help guide decisions about public health.

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December 9, 2012 Even if you knew that, you may not know how the fictional dinosaur came to star in the prehistoric landscape of popular imagination for so long. The story starts 130 years ago, in a time known as the "Bone Wars."

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 5, 2012 What becomes of the stuff we donate? Photographer Wesley Law got access to a Goodwill Outlet store in St. Louis to make photos of giant piles of your castoffs.

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