Scientists are skilled at tackling unexpected problems that threaten the integrity of their experiments — it comes with the territory. But the coronavirus pandemic poses a new — and entirely unprecedented — challenge.

The global health emergency has shut down scientific research labs across the country in a crisis that has left some scientists scrambling to save their work — and has left others grieving the loss of experiments they had dedicated months or even years to carrying out. Many are grappling with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about how they’ll continue their work.

The situation has hit early-career researchers particularly hard. Their funding — and their futures — depend on quickly gathering data to publish in prestigious journals. Without additional financial support and an extension of tenure clocks, some scientists who have just started their own labs fear the delays to their studies may be too disruptive to overcome.  Read more.