4 ms·
> It’s a debate in which legitimate scientific arguments vie for attention with partisan attacks and wild conspiracy theories. But so far, there is no smoking-g
by ralph84 2y ago
> It’s a debate in which legitimate scientific arguments vie for attention with partisan attacks and wild conspiracy theories. But so far, there is no smoking-gun evidence to definitively resolve whether COVID-19 spilled over naturally from animals at a market in Wuhan or whether it resulted from a laboratory accident in the city, where one of the world’s foremost coronavirus research facilities had amassed a vast repository of virus samples.
There’s literally no evidence that it spilled over naturally from animals in a market. That’s the wildest conspiracy theory, promoted by those who have a vested interest in it not having been a lab leak.
- acdha 2y agoThere’s not only evidence but multiple peer-reviewed papers arguing that the wet market theory is the most likely. Can you specify which of them you read and why you think they can be categorically rejected?
- readthenotes1 2y agoHow many of those papers authors were paid off by the NIH or other agencies to report what they did? We know that some were bribed, so it's not out of hand for me to ask
- acdha 2y agoThose are serious accusations. Do you have any evidence suggesting that they’re true?
- 6510 2y agoThis kind of lab accidents happen all the time, this being a crappy lab it was more a question when than if. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laboratory_biosecurity_incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laboratory_biosecurity...
- acdha 2y agoWhich specify incidents do you think involved bribes?
- AnimalMuppet 2y ago"No smoking gun" is not the same as "literally no evidence".
- michaeljx 2y agoThere was a very fun debate on this, summarised nicely here[1]. Two parties took opposing positions on lab leak theory, with 2 independent expert judges (accepted by both participants). Loser had to pay the winner 100K USD https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/practically-a-book-review-rootclaim https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/practically-a-book-review-r...