NYU Loses Years of Cancer Research in Storm

New York University researchers lost thousands of lab mice and years of scientific research when Hurricane Sandy hit New York University Hospital. The mice—which had been genetically modified for cancer research and took years to produce—drowned when the hospital flooded, the New York Daily News reports. Many special reagents, like enzymes, antibodies, and DNA strands were likely lost as well when the building lost power; they had been stored at between -80 and -20 degrees.

"This does not equate to a loss of life, but it is extremely disheartening to see years of research go down the drain," one source said. That wasn't the storm's only collateral damage either. Some Chelsea art galleries tell Art Info that work was destroyed—Zach Feuer, for instance, says almost his entire current exhibition was ruined. On the bright side, Washington, DC, saw the Smithsonian and National Zoo reopen today, the AP reports; no exhibits or animals were harmed in the storm. (More New York University stories.)