Read the play book. It starts off as isolated conspiracy in right wing circles only to be adopted as mainstream when it suits the political narrative ala lab leak. Look at how that was reported on last year. Lunatic fringe right wing conspiracy.
So now the game is raised to bioweapons level with the likes of Rand Paul hammering the point. . If, as the Trump administration publicly asserted, COVID-19 is a “weaponized virus” sent by Beijing against the American population, it would constitute grounds for war against the most populous country in the world.
Even Fauci feels this is getting out of control and has had to respond
I know I mention bio weapon, but I meant germ warfare. Sorry about that, but I think both can be ruled out given the whole world has been affected and I can’t imagine all governments wanting to use germ warfare on their own people or another country, much less the whole world. Germ warfare was my first thought though when COVID-19 first started spreading all over China. Still, I’m not so sure it didn’t come from a lab, but since bats carry a lot of diseases, it could be bats, but we’ll never know unless a thorough investigation is done.
Most scientists say SARS-CoV-2 probably has a natural origin, and was transmitted from an animal to humans. However, a lab leak has not been ruled out, and many are calling for a deeper investigation into the hypothesis that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), located in the Chinese city where the first COVID-19 cases were reported.
The idea of an investigation is not unfounded. The world has to know for sure how it started so we can hopefully prevent future outbreaks. If it came from a lab, it is even more important that we find out to prevent it from happening again.
Australia, the European Union and Japan have also called for a robust investigation into SARS-CoV-2’s origins in China.
It’s not just the U.S. asking for this investigation.
Scientists don’t have enough evidence about the origins of SARS-CoV-2 to rule out the lab-leak hypothesis, or to prove the alternative — that the virus has a natural origin.
We do not know for sure that the virus came from a natural source, but the most probably source is natural, because most do, but again we need to investigate to know for sure.
Researchers have some leads that support a natural origin.
Still, the possibility remains that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab.
At this point, the theory cannot be ruled out.
In theory, COVID-19 could have come from a lab in a few ways. Researchers might have collected SARS-CoV-2 from an animal and maintained it in their lab to study, or they might have created it by engineering coronavirus genomes. In these scenarios, a person in the lab might have then been accidentally or deliberately infected by the virus, and then spread it to others — sparking the pandemic. There is currently no clear evidence to back these scenarios, but they aren’t impossible.
One holds that it’s suspicious that, almost a year and a half into the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2’s closest relative still hasn’t been found in an animal. Another suggests it is no coincidence that COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, where a top lab studying coronaviruses, the WIV, is located.
If it did come from a lab, then new rules and regulations will be created to prevent it from happening again. I haven’t heard about the “closest relative” theory in which to comment on it.
Some lab-leak proponents contend that the virus contains unusual features and genetic sequences signalling that it was engineered by humans. And some say that SARS-CoV-2 spreads among people so readily that it must have been created with that intention. Another argument suggests that SARS-CoV-2 might have derived from coronaviruses found in an unused mine where WIV researchers collected samples from bats between 2012 and 2015.
The theory about it “created for humans” would go back to my first thought when we saw it breaking out in China in Dec. 2020, but I find that a little difficult to believe at this point, because it was a pretty poor job if it was.
The WIV specializes in coronaviruses because many have been found in and around China. Munster names other labs that focus on endemic viral diseases: influenza labs in Asia, haemorrhagic fever labs in Africa and dengue-fever labs in Latin America, for example. “Nine out of ten times, when there’s a new outbreak, you’ll find a lab that will be working on these kinds of viruses nearby,” says Munster.
Just because a lab is in the area of an outbreak doesn’t mean that the outbreak was caused by the lab, because the labs are located where the viruses they study are located, but it can’t ruled out until there is an investigation.
Back at the lab, WIV researchers detected nearly 300 coronaviruses in the bat samples, but they were able to get whole or partial genomic sequences from fewer than a dozen , and none of those that were reported were SARS-CoV-29,10. During the WHO-led origins probe earlier this year, WIV researchers told investigators that they cultured only three coronaviruses at the lab, and none were closely related to SARS-CoV-2.
This does not rule out either theory- natural origin or a lab leak.
for SARS-CoV-2 to have come from this mine in China, WIV researchers would have had to overcome some serious technical challenges — and they would have kept the information secret for a number of years and misled investigators on the WHO-led mission, scientists point out. There's no evidence of this, but it can't be ruled out.
Again, this why we need to investigate.
it’s unclear what such asks will yield because China has not conceded to demands for a full lab investigation. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Lijian, said that US labs should instead be investigated, and that some people in the United States “don't care about facts or truth and have zero interest in a serious science-based study of origins”.
If agreeing to investigate U.S. labs causes the Chinese government to allow an investigation into their lab(s) then I say bring it on. Bottom line, we have to investigate to know for sure the origins of COVID-19.
not even a theory. A hypothesis. China rasies a good point about US bio labs never being allowed to be audited/inspected by independent third parties. The WHO was never been permitted to step foot inside Fort Detrick. Remember the anthrax powder in the mail. post 9/11?? That was from Fort Detrick when the public were told by the govt that there is no American bioweapons program, no research into bioweapons exist. The anthrax incident highlights that it most certainly does and as a result of it not being allowed to be monitored, may not be in strict compliance with the signed 1972 Biological Weapons Convention
Hypothesis is a good start to research or inquiry. It is part of the scientific method. A hypothesis is a good start to an investigation, so I wouldn’t knock it. If we have the hypothesis before going into the lab or labs then we’ll be able to settle the question once and for all.
Fauci, who heads the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and is a top medical adviser to President Biden, said, “It is more likely” that — much like SARS, ebola, influenza and HIV — COVID-19 “originated from an animal reservoir and jumped species to humans.” He added, “There’s the possibility that it came from the lab, but I believe that that’s a much less likely possibility.”
and possibility is distinct from probability in the scientific method
Richo, I’m not even sure I get your position. Are you staying that probability has been to determined to be so low that further investigation is unnecessary?
This covers many angles and opinions. I certainly don’t have the data to calculate a probability
I’m with Lausten in that I don’t know what point you’re trying to make here.
Incidentally, I find you more credible, then not, so am curious what’s the take away message you want us to get?
My attitude towards the whole thing, is that it’s just another diversion, distraction, misdirection to keep our minds off of what we should be pissed off about, and trying to figure out. Why has Trump and the GOP has gotten away with doing pretty everything possible to make this outbreak as bad as possible. It was nothing less than malicious and criminal.
The Global medical community has been learning how to handle this stuff. They looked at incidents, studied and learn from their mistakes, etc., etc… And their track record speaks for itself. Up until the ME FIRST GOP b&@%$#ds, started their cut backs and turned their back on science in favor of Disaster Profiteering. That what everybody should be up in arms about. But, alas.
My attitude towards the whole thing, is that it’s just another diversion, distraction, misdirection to keep our minds off of what we should be pissed off about, and trying to figure out. Why has Trump and the GOP has gotten away with doing pretty everything possible to make this outbreak as bad as possible. It was nothing less than malicious and criminal.
I think we can pissed about the dotard and his cronies murdering thousands of people, as well as request an investigation to know for sure the origins of the virus.
What I am saying is the Democrats opening the door ajar to this enables the right wing to go all in and take it in a slippery slop direction that leads to war with China. Look at how this is developing with the Right wing now feel empowered to call for the sacking of Fauci over his emails on this.
Demonize a people to the public by telling them that China is responsible lays the ground work for public acceptance of war when the trigger is pulled.
Watch this space. Lab leaks will morph into bioweapons, these will be an immediate threat. Dissenting voices such as Fauci will be labelled Chinese agents as has already begun with the hysteria over his emails
Oh so we shouldn’t investigate to find out for sure what started the pandemic because it will cause a war? That doesn’t make any sense. It sounds like fear of inquiry and fear of being sure. I don’t see how investigating to be sure of the origin will cause war. Ignorance is what cause problems, not investigation, unless China doesn’t want the world to know the truth and are covering something. Unless China is covering up the truth, they shouldn’t be so worried about an investigation. There’s no reason for such fear of an investigation, except for being caught in a cover up.
Many people distrust official news and what they name " Mainstream media ". If one does not do an honest effort to find the truth, it will feed conspiracy theories.
Truth is the most important thing, including to prevent a war