Some New Orleans-based scientists lost their life's work in the storm.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that some 300 federally funded projects, representing about $150 million, suffered serious damage as a result of Katrina.
Katrina leaves scientific research in ruins.
One example is the Bogalusa Heart Study, which was tracking the diets, lifestyles and blood chemistry of 16,000 people in Bogalusa, La., with an eye to pinpointing risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Thirty to 40 years' worth of biological samples were stored in minus-70-degree freezers. After three or four days without power, those freezers rose to room temperature and two generations' worth of knowledge went with them. Genetic analysis is still possible, as DNA can withstand such changes, but other tests are now out of the question, Whelton said.