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> And had inserted the furin site into the coronavirus A claim was made about that, but it’s far from settled. One could argue it has been debunked. See “SARS-

> And had inserted the furin site into the coronavirus A claim was made about that, but it’s far from settled. One could argue it has been debunked. See “SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site was not engineered”: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2211107119 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2211107119 > And they’ve mismanaged the research and they’ve let the virus to spread. That’s speculation. Irresponsible speculation, in fact, which has been pushed by people who should have known better. But they pushed it for jingoistic reasons. > Arguably this lab should be sued out of existence for damages. That’s an emotional reaction which you’re not examining rationally. If you remove the confirmation bias you’re applying to the evidence, there’s simply no substantial basis for the conclusions you’re reaching.

junofan 3y ago
It’s speculation because nobody’s been allowed to investigate the lab thoroughly.
foobiekr 3y ago
Engineered is a very careful word choice. None of the properties they call out are things you would not expect from research involving gain of function by evolutionary means.
startupsfail 3y ago
There is a lab that had planned and did the research. This is well documented. The virus spread had started nearby. There is nothing else that you need to know. There is evidence that the Chinese authorities were suppressing information about the leak (information about that virus had leaked accidentally, by an ophthalmologist that saw cases spreading in his hospital). Yes, it is not clear exactly, how the furin site got there. Was it a long series of mutations and a recombination with another virus in a lab animal? Was it spliced? We’ll never know, unless the scientists responsible would decide to tell how it had happened. But I’m not particularly emotional about that virus. If you read the above, you’ll see that I see positive and negative after effects. Viruses and mistakes happen. But it’d be a good idea to make a point and get rid of that lab. Failures like that should not be rewarded with continual existence.

junofan 3y ago

It’s speculation because nobody’s been allowed to investigate the lab thoroughly.

foobiekr 3y ago

Engineered is a very careful word choice. None of the properties they call out are things you would not expect from research involving gain of function by evolutionary means.

startupsfail 3y ago

There is a lab that had planned and did the research. This is well documented. The virus spread had started nearby. There is nothing else that you need to know. There is evidence that the Chinese authorities were suppressing information about the leak (information about that virus had leaked accidentally, by an ophthalmologist that saw cases spreading in his hospital). Yes, it is not clear exactly, how the furin site got there. Was it a long series of mutations and a recombination with another virus in a lab animal? Was it spliced? We’ll never know, unless the scientists responsible would decide to tell how it had happened. But I’m not particularly emotional about that virus. If you read the above, you’ll see that I see positive and negative after effects. Viruses and mistakes happen. But it’d be a good idea to make a point and get rid of that lab. Failures like that should not be rewarded with continual existence.