6 ms·
There's genetic evidence that the Omicron variant evolved in mice: > Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences now report that they have found a pattern of
by mikem170 5y ago
There's genetic evidence that the Omicron variant evolved in mice:
> Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences now report that they have found a pattern of mutations in Omicron that is typical of a virus that has infected mice.
> They believe SARS-CoV-2 jumped from a human to a mouse in mid-2020, then back into a human in late 2021.
> They say it is unlikely that the intermediate host was a laboratory mouse.
[0] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-did-omicron-evolve-in-mice https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-did-omicr...
- nodemaker 5y agoYes but why no silent mutations?
- NicoJuicy 5y agoAt least 10 silent mutations? https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/12/08/omicron-the-sum-of-all-fears/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/12/08/omi...
- nodemaker 5y agoHmm so would you say omicron evolved naturally without human intervention?
- NicoJuicy 5y agoI don't see why humans would have done this without taking credit for it. The risk is much lower and what i read, the evolution is normal when it would have evolved through mice. I'm not an expert, but it seemed plausible when I read it. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-did-omicron-evolve-in-mice#Wild-mice-or-lab-mice https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-did-omicr...? I'm not a believer of a man made virus. A coronavirus would have been a bad choice either way because it mutates too easily.
- NicoJuicy 5y agoIt's also what I read, it could be the reason why the omicron variant is less dangerous. It doesn't make sense to do this in a lab setting without taking credit for it ( for making it less dangerous). But this is still not sure ofc. It's just guessing at this point.