Decades of research destroyed after freezer fails at Swedish university

Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, a prominent Swedish medical university home to the Nobel Assembly, faced a significant setback as research samples gathered over decades were destroyed due to a freezer malfunction during the Christmas holidays. Stored in cryogenic tanks cooled with liquid nitrogen at -190°C, the samples were crucial for various research initiatives. Between December 22 and 23, a malfunction occurred in the supply of liquid nitrogen to 16 cryogenic tanks, as reported by the Guardian.

tips

setback 挫折

prominent 卓越的；显著的

malfunction 故障（mal- = bad，坏）

cryogenic 低温的（cryo- = cold，冷）

crucial 决定性的，至关重要的

initiative 主动行动，这里指各种研究项目、计划或倡议