# Can you learn to love the scorpion?

An episode of [Science Friday](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/73329284), 23 Jun 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/14/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/waaa.wnyc.org/ac8e2039-dfef-4938-b66a-c2f58f4b7599/episodes/a21c207c-f73e-40e9-9215-6c9933285efb/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=ac8e2039-dfef-4938-b66a-c2f58f4b7599&awEpisodeId=a21c207c-f73e-40e9-9215-6c9933285efb&feed=h18ZIZD_

If you have arachnophobia, consider this your opportunity to try exposure therapy: A new study suggests that 415 million years ago, in modern-day England and Wales, a scorpion the length of a golden retriever was scurrying around, complete with 6-inch pincers. Flora talks with lead study author Richie Howard about the finding. If you’re grossed out by a 3-foot scorpion, you’re not alone. But, scorpion researcher Lauren Esposito says we’ve got it all wrong—scorpions are wonderful and caring creatures. Guests: Dr. Richie Howard is an invertebrate paleontologist and curator of fossil arthropods at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Dr. Lauren Esposito is a scorpion researcher and director of the non-profit Islands and Seas and founder of 500 Queer Scientists. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow us on socials @ scifri on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Bluesky and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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