A team in Utah's Dugway Proving Ground sent what they thought were inactive samples to various other bases around the world for study before finding out they hadn't been properly irradiated before being sent off.

As NPR reports, the incident isn't as unlikely as you might think. The deadly substance is notoriously hardy and difficult to kill. With billions of potential spores to render inert via radiation, a 99.99% success rate isn't enough to keep samples from being potentially dangerous.

Luckily the threat has been contained and there's no risk to the general public, though surely someone's ass will be grass somewhere down the line...