Her reaction is not unique. "People worked with dogs or rabbits or mice or rats, have cared for and fed these animals, in some cases for years," says George Stancel, interim vice-president for research and dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UT Health Science Center. "There's a genuine loss there because of that relationship."
In early June, tropical storm Allison pummeled the Houston area with 28 inches of rain, taking 22 human lives and causing an estimated $4.88 billion in damage, according to the Houston Chronicle. Its toll on this city's research community was also extensive: while dollar figures are still being calculated, those interviewed spoke of the years worth of work lost, the equipment damaged, the animals killed, the refrigerated samples feared contaminated, and the infrastructures that were ruined.
The scope of the destruction at the eight-story UT building, for example, is immense. Between eight and 10 million gallons ...
