3 ms·
>We know that the lab was adding functionality to bat coronaviruses, making them able to infect human cells. Source?
by jml7c5 7y ago
>We know that the lab was adding functionality to bat coronaviruses, making them able to infect human cells.
Source?
- burfog 7y agoHere, because somebody else asked the same thing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22875438 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22875438
- abandonliberty 7y agoI reviewed Burfog's claims. While it's true that Chinese scientists were investigating SARS, the above assertion is not supported by the evidence provided. My best guess of where the confusion came from was the insertion of a temporary mammalian plasmid into HeLa cells in order to produce bat ACE2 for study. While this could potentially be viewed as adding functionality to human cells in order to make them susceptible to bat coronaviruses, the above assertion doesn't follow. (and unfortunately we have no ability to genome-edit humans)