→Subscribe for new videos every day! http://bit.ly/todayifoundoutsubscribe →Why Do Superheroes Wear Their Underwear on the Outside?: http://bit.ly/1Ow7J0K Never run out of things to say at the water cooler with TodayIFoundOut! Brand new videos 7 days a week! More from Today I Found Out: Who was the Real Mother Goose? http://bit.ly/1KmiHHE Why Nuclear Bombs Create Mushroom Clouds http://bit.ly/1g887r3 Why Superheroes Wear Their Underwear On The Outside http://bit.ly/1Ow7J0K In this video: Salt has a preservative effect thanks to the osmotic pressure it creates via absorption. For example, if you take a red blood cell and place it in water, thanks to osmotic pressure and the fact that the cell membrane is thin and semipermeable, the cell with its relatively salty interior next to the pure water will gradually absorb more and more water until it explodes. Want the text version? http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/01/why-salt-preserves-meat/ Resources/Further Reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1363750/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1363750/ http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/food-preservation5.htm http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2009/10/original-junk-food.htmlhttp://www.theoldfoodie.com/2009/10/original-junk-food.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt-cured_meat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28food_preservation%29 http://www.livestrong.com/article/432144-how-salts-sugars-work-to-preserve-foods/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_preservation Image Credit (Thank you) http://laquercia.us/images/miscellaneous/lg/Salting2_LaQuericia.jpg http://letsmakesomethingawesome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSC6341.jpg http://www.tastearkansas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/step2.jpg http://www.rawfish.com.au/images/corned-beef-pickled-in-brine1.JPG