Biologists at Indiana University (IU) Bloomington have been locked out of their laboratories for more than a week, after the university suddenly changed locks on its biology building on 7 May. Although university officials restored access to some labs yesterday, many scientists among the dozens originally affected still can't reach their offices or equipment, such as freezers, where crucial reagents are stored. University officials initially told the researchers that the lockdown was done at the request of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is investigating the lab of Roger Innes, a prominent plant microbiologist at IU. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the USDA have been scrutinizing Innes and his research team ever since November 2025, when the FBI arrested postdoctoral fellow Youhuang Xiang for having imported biological samples into the United States from China without declaring them. The USDA has denied ordering the lab lockdown, and a 13 May agency...
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