3 ms·

Why many scientists say it’s unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a lab leak

9 points by EMM_386 5y ago

newbamboo 5y ago
If anyone is inclined to read this I’d suggest they also read Paul Thacker’s piece in the more prestigious BMJ.[1] Lab leak doesn’t require lab engineered and to tie the two together is a bit slimy. 1 https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1656/rapid-responses https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1656/rapid-responses
Ambolia 5y ago
Couldn't it have passed through the lab, to humans, without being modified? There's no clue about how that bat virus from a different region could have ended in Wuhan otherwise, and they were doing gain-of-function research with bat viruses (financed by the US).
- zepto 5y ago
  Yup, conflating “engineered” with lab leak is common. They have different implications of course.
Cycl0ps 5y ago
Who cares? I read through the entire thing, I followed up with the BMJ article linked by another poster. That's the end result that comes to mind, who cares? Why do I need to waste my time playing detective? Was it made in a lab? Is it engineered from a SARS strain found in a copper mine? Was their GoF testing done in WIV? Will any of these questions being answered improve my life in any meaningful way? The answers are: Maybe, maybe, maybe, and a hard no. I cut politics out of my life and it improved my outlook dramatically. I think it's time I do the same with Covid. I'll worry about the people around me in my community, and in a decade or so I'll watch the documentary on this mess when the dust settles. Until then I'll let the politicians, journalists, and scientists fight amongst each other all they want, and I'll be happier for it.
- slowmovintarget 5y ago
  I had to do the same back in 2002-ish. The "9/11" attacks and the resulting political vortex of negativity were pushing me toward depression. I stopped reading the news, cut out talk radio, and focused on reading books and listening to music in spare time. Was massively happier. It feels like we're reaching another one of those angst-saturation moments where the news media is just bad for mental health.

9 points by EMM_386 5y ago

If anyone is inclined to read this I’d suggest they also read Paul Thacker’s piece in the more prestigious BMJ.[1] Lab leak doesn’t require lab engineered and to tie the two together is a bit slimy. 1 https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1656/rapid-responses https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1656/rapid-responses

Ambolia 5y ago

Couldn't it have passed through the lab, to humans, without being modified? There's no clue about how that bat virus from a different region could have ended in Wuhan otherwise, and they were doing gain-of-function research with bat viruses (financed by the US).

zepto 5y ago
Yup, conflating “engineered” with lab leak is common. They have different implications of course.

Cycl0ps 5y ago

Who cares? I read through the entire thing, I followed up with the BMJ article linked by another poster. That's the end result that comes to mind, who cares? Why do I need to waste my time playing detective? Was it made in a lab? Is it engineered from a SARS strain found in a copper mine? Was their GoF testing done in WIV? Will any of these questions being answered improve my life in any meaningful way? The answers are: Maybe, maybe, maybe, and a hard no. I cut politics out of my life and it improved my outlook dramatically. I think it's time I do the same with Covid. I'll worry about the people around me in my community, and in a decade or so I'll watch the documentary on this mess when the dust settles. Until then I'll let the politicians, journalists, and scientists fight amongst each other all they want, and I'll be happier for it.

slowmovintarget 5y ago
I had to do the same back in 2002-ish. The "9/11" attacks and the resulting political vortex of negativity were pushing me toward depression. I stopped reading the news, cut out talk radio, and focused on reading books and listening to music in spare time. Was massively happier. It feels like we're reaching another one of those angst-saturation moments where the news media is just bad for mental health.