Are your Science Major friends defying death?

I was reading my latest issue of Wired magazine, when an article titled The Best Dangerous Science Jobs caught my attention. We all loved science in some way when we were kids, whether it was building a makeshift volcano out of dough and making it erupt with baking soda and vinegar, or dissecting a frog. But, for some, they become addicted to learning and find their passion in the field of science leading to the following jobs below that can uh, kill ya. Those of you still in school may want to reconsider your future line of work because while the money will rain if you work in these fields, it really can be a killer lifestyle.

Astronaut
*Since manned spaceflight began in 1961, 24 US astronauts have died in astro-action — 10 during launch, six during training flights, and seven on reentry. In 1971, three Soviet cosmonauts suffocated when a malfunction caused the oxygen to leak out of their ship. Then there's that whole riding-an- explosion-into-space thing. And we haven't even found aliens yet.

Biosafety Level 4 Lab Researcher
*BSL-4 labs handle the deadliest diseases on Earth. In 2004, a Russian scientist died after accidentally sticking herself with an Ebola-laced needle. The death occurred only months after a US scientist at the Army's BSL-4 lab at Fort Detrick in Maryland made the same mistake... and survived.

Hurricane Hunter
*The Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew members are the daredevils of meteorology. They fly WC-130s into a hurricane's eyewall, 10,000 feet up, to locate the storm's pressure center and measure its wind speed. Not surprisingly, some get a little turned around. Even on the ground, they're not safe — Hurricane Katrina destroyed the squad's home base.

Propulsion Engineer
*Turns out, the people who ground-test rocket engines don't actually worry about explosions. When you work with cryogenic oxygen and gases pressurized up to 300 psi, you're far too busy worrying about "cold burns" and other trauma to really give proper consideration to what might happen should one of the buggers completely ignite.

Volcanologist
*Active volcanoes blow enough ash to bury a city the size of, oh, Pompeii. No wonder many volcanologists don't come back from their helicopter visits to hell. In 1991, three were killed by Japan's Mount Unzen. In 2001, one died after falling off a 985-foot-high caldera rim, and in 2005, four Filipino researchers died in a chopper crash while inspecting landslide areas.

Biologist
*Animal research can lead to more than an allergic reaction. Being bitten, scratched, or exposed to "secretions" can be deadly. For example, at least 70 percent of captive adult macaque monkeys are infected with herpes B. In 1997, a 22-year-old researcher died after contracting the virus from some "biologic" monkey material that got in her eye.

* - Written by Erin Biba of WIRED Magazine.