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micrograph showing red aggregating protein in mouse neurons
Citing Safety, French Institutions Temporarily Halt Prion Research
The three-month moratorium comes after a former prion researcher was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Citing Safety, French Institutions Temporarily Halt Prion Research
Citing Safety, French Institutions Temporarily Halt Prion Research

The three-month moratorium comes after a former prion researcher was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The three-month moratorium comes after a former prion researcher was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

lab safety

2020 in Scientists’ Own Words
Abby Olena, PhD | Dec 23, 2020 | 5 min read
The world was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but researchers rose to all manner of challenges.
Do English-Only Policies Foster or Damage Inclusivity in Science?
Shawna Williams | Dec 1, 2019 | 9 min read
Speaking a common language is key to a well-integrated team, but guidance is sparse on what—if anything—principal investigators should do about it.
Gas Cylinder Explosion Kills Researcher at Indian Laboratory
Ashley P. Taylor | Dec 7, 2018 | 2 min read
Two professors have been arrested for negligence in connection with the blast.
Opinion: Preparing for Potential Disasters
Larissa Paschyn | Jan 25, 2017 | 3 min read
How to increase the resiliency of biotechnology organizations in the face of emergency risks
Thirty Years of Lab Safety
Michal Barski | Oct 1, 2016 | 3 min read
From mouth pipetting to automated liquid handling, life-science labs have gotten much safer over the past three decades.
AAAS Fellowship Decision Criticized
Bob Grant | Dec 11, 2015 | 2 min read
The chemist charged with felony labor code violations following a 2008 lab fire that killed a research assistant was recently named an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow.
Toward Eliminating Poliovirusā€”In the Lab
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | Nov 16, 2015 | 5 min read
As the world inches closer to polio eradication, laboratories studying the virus will have to bolster biosafety standards. Eventually, most will need to stop working with the pathogen entirely.
DoD Under Investigation for Pathogen-Handling Mistakes
Jef Akst | Sep 16, 2015 | 2 min read
US Defense Department labs are the subject of inquiry following several safety breaches concerning the handling of deadly bacteria and virus strains. 
Mistaken Anthrax Shipments
Jef Akst | Jun 5, 2015 | 1 min read
The Defense Department reports that live samples of the deadly bacterium may have been accidentally shipped to more than 50 labs in the U.S. and abroad.
Lab Bloopers Galore
Jenny Rood | Apr 24, 2015 | 2 min read
Readers reveal research mishaps
CDC Scores Poorly on Biosafety
Jef Akst | Mar 25, 2015 | 2 min read
In the wake of numerous safety breaches at the federal agency, a new report finds US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oversight “inconsistent and insufficient at multiple levels.”
Risky Research Halted at Tulane
Jef Akst | Mar 3, 2015 | 1 min read
Federal officials suspend research on certain pathogens at Tulane University following the escape of potentially dangerous bacteria from a high-security lab.
Haste Caused CDC Bird Flu Contamination?
Jef Akst | Aug 19, 2014 | 1 min read
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who accidentally leaked H5N1 into a benign strain of avian influenza may have been rushing off to a meeting.
CDC Anthrax Researcher Resigns
Tracy Vence | Jul 23, 2014 | 1 min read
The former head of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biosecurity lab has left his post amidst safety retooling at government labs.
Government Cracks Down on Biosecurity
Tracy Vence | Jul 15, 2014 | 2 min read
After a string of incidents leading to lab closures and a moratorium on the transfer of select agents, US labs are reassessing safety threats within their own walls.
CDC Halts Hazardous Biomaterial Transfers
Tracy Vence | Jul 11, 2014 | 2 min read
Following recent high-profile safety lapses in government labs, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has placed a moratorium on movement of biological materials from BSL-3 and BSL-4 facilities.
Agreement Reached in Lab Fire Case
Jef Akst | Jun 25, 2014 | 2 min read
A University of California, Los Angeles chemist facing criminal charges after a lab accident that killed his research assistant in 2009 avoids a public trial and jail time.
CDC Anthrax Researcher Reassigned
Tracy Vence | Jun 24, 2014 | 1 min read
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes its first disciplinary action in the wake of the biosecurity oversight that potentially exposed 75 agency scientists to anthrax.
Dozens of Researchers Exposed to Anthrax
Bob Grant | Jun 22, 2014 | 2 min read
As many as 75 scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have come in contact with live Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that cause anthrax.
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