Fossil Hazard: Scorpions

Desert-going geologists know about dangerous local creatures. But they don't expect them in the lab. So paleontologist Don DeBlieux of the Utah Geological Survey was surprised when a 5-centimeter scorpion crawled from the plaster casing of a dinosaur fossil, some 15 months after he had sealed it at a locality in Grand Staircase Escalanate National Monument. Unlike your ordinary geologist, DeBlieux gave the critter a second chance, releasing it in the desert near Salt Lake City. Details from Associated Press.