From the Boston Globe (registration required to read beyond this snippet):
A freezer malfunction at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital has severely damaged one-third of the world’s largest collection of autism brain samples, potentially setting back research on the disorder by years, scientists say. An official at the renowned brain bank in Belmont discovered that the freezer had shut down in late May, without triggering two alarms. Inside, they found 150 thawed brains that had turned dark from decay; about a third of them were part of a collection of autism brains.
The brain samples are owned by the organization Autism Speaks. They were protected by two alarm systems, and checked manually twice a day, to ensure that they were kept at negative-80 degrees Celsius. Given the odds against both alarms failing, plus the thermometer, the director of the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, Francine Benes,says “she cannot rule out foul play” (in the Globe’s words). The newspaper adds: “She said she has not spoken to law enforcement officials, pending the completion of the internal investigation.”
Unbelievably bad news.