The National Institute of Health has had a tough year. After having initially discovered some long lost samples of Smallpox hiding in a Maryland lab the organisation decided to have a massive Spring clean in the hopes that there wouldn't be any more unpleasant discoveries.
Well unfortunately there were, and they're even more dangerous than the first.
The NIH has confirmed that during the big clean it found centuries old boxes containing deadly ricin as well as a number of other deadly pathogens. AP reports that the boxes were between 80-100 years old.
While Ricin does have some scientific uses the NIH reports that the lab where it was found had no use for the samples raising questions as to how the samples had got there in the first place.
NIH that along with samples of Ricin it also uncovered vials of plague and a rare tropical disease called melioidosis.
While the idea of these samples just sitting around being forgotten can be mildly terrifying it's a definite relief that the NIH is finally doing something about it. You'll also be pleased to hear that all of the samples discovered have been safely destroyed.