Scientists Discovered A Ticking Time Bomb Throughout Alaska’s Underground

Every year, Alaska receives well over two million tourists. One of the most popular destinations is the city of Fairbanks, but few know that a laboratory sits just outside the city. There, scientists have discovered a time bomb– both biological and environmental– resting beneath the earth. See what they discovered, and how dangerous it might be.

A Hidden Time Bomb Outside Fairbanks, Alaska

Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics via Getty Images

Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics via Getty Images

If you drive north of Fairbanks, Alaska–the nation’s second-largest city–you’ll find a red shack embedded in a hillside. Its metal door has a heavy latch, like a walk-in freezer.

When NPR reporter Michaeleen Doucleff entered the shack for a tour, scientists warned her that it contained a “ticking time bomb.” But what does that mean?