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That still makes no sense. The original SARS virus from 2002 is too distant genetically from SARS-CoV-2 to derive the latter from the former in any known way; e
by tripletao 3y ago
That still makes no sense. The original SARS virus from 2002 is too distant genetically from SARS-CoV-2 to derive the latter from the former in any known way; even RaTG13 is far enough that it's not clear whether e.g. accelerated evolution during serial passaging could result in SARS-CoV-2. The coincidence that makes many people suspect a research accident is that:
1. The Wuhan Institute of Virology had a major program to collect novel sarbecoviruses (viruses different from but related to SARS-1) from nature. No other lab in the world was known to have a comparable program. They'd also proposed to create artificial recombinants of those viruses with a furin cleavage site. Such a site is uncommon among related natural viruses, but present in SARS-CoV-2.
2. SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in Wuhan.
The first point does not apply to Vector, or to any other lab outside Wuhan.
- oneshtein 3y agoInformation about blast at «Vector» BSL4 lab is state secret now, I cannot find information about internal situation at «Vector». My guess: perhaps the virus was being kept alive in living organisms (deliberately or accidentally). Then the sequence of events looks as follows: * September 16, 2019 - Explosion of a gas cylinder at the territory of the "Vector" laboratory in Kol'tsevo, Novosibirsk. * Military personnel arrive to conduct fire inspection (breaking doors in each laboratory room searching for fire traces), without proper biological protection. * During the fire inspection, the military take away some property from the laboratory (captured on video) and likely get infected with the virus from animal carriers. * October 11, 2019 - Joint training of Chinese and Russian special police in Kol'tsevo, Novosibirsk, 40 Chinese policemen arrived. * October 16, 2019 - First report of a sudden increase in cases of atypical pneumonia in Krasnoyarsk Krai, in Siberia - 700 cases per week. («Arguments and Facts on the Yenisei» No. 42, 2019) * October 18, 2019 - Military World Games begin in Wuhan, attended by servicemen from Russia, from which the virus likely started spreading worldwide. * November 2019 - Schools are quarantined due to an outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Krasnoyarsk, Rostov-on-Don, Orenburg, and Samara regions. * November 2019 - Russian armed forces begin «training» to blockade infected regions of Russia. [1]: http://web.archive.org/web/20191011162034/https://www.nsktv.ru/news/city/rossiysko_kitayskie_ucheniya_po_antiterroru_nachalis_v_novosibirske_111020191734/ http://web.archive.org/web/20191011162034/https://www.nsktv....