Funnily enough, not all scientists are equally qualified to give expert opinion on the origins of emerging infectious diseases. Botanists are brilliant, but I wouldn't want one to tell my neurosurgeon how to remove my brain tumour!

Exasperated with mainstream coverage of Covid origins. It’s clear our flagship newspapers learned nothing from the false equivalencies around phony vaccine-autism links 20 years and the damage that caused. Despite zero evidence they’re doing the same with GOF or lab leak nonsense

Totally agree Peter Daszak. Since SARS CoV 1 in 2003, we/others have elaborated the amazing diversity of coronaviruses and SARS-related CoVs in bats. Other species may well act as amplifying/spillover hosts, but the weight of evidence indicates that bats are the primary hosts.

Those who have concluded that zoonotic origin at Huanan market is most likely did so by weighing the mounting evidence, taking a scientific approach. Those who promote the lab leak hypothesis despite no evidence have taken a political approach from the start.

Genetic evidence of susceptible wildlife in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, Wuhan: Analysis and interpretation of data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control | Zenodo zenodo.org/record/7754299

The paper provides evidence that wildlife were shedding virus - highest # of SARS-CoV-2 reads in stalls w/ wildlife. Some stalls w/ no human DNA reads. Full details are in the paper, supplementary material. Fig 3 gives a flavor..

Yep 'Master' suggests you're the font of all wisdom. Yoda! 'Doctor of Philosophy' sounds like you're a bit of a dreamer. Yoda also. Regardless, we need to continue to counter the current agenda-driven anti-science push by some seeking to disregard the importance of knowledge.

Science is a reductionist discipline. Not all scientists are equally knowledgeable on the vast spectrum of science. Pls critically weigh informed/expert opinion/perspective accordingly.

Seems a long time ago and yet no time at all Leo Leo Poon. Regrettably, in terms of disease emergence, we have failed to learn the lessons from that time.

Yep, can't complain abt a polite passive presence that's for sure. Long as he doesn't stand on/eat your gear!!

Looks like yet another story for the sake of the ratings, and damn the truth and the moral journalistic obligation to inform (rather than mis-inform) people. My genuine concern is that there's no stepping back from this self serving media model. Is it really the new norm?

Is it really true? Need to check. Negative/divisive/hateful politicions who seek to promote themselves along such lines surely and thankfully have no place in a forward looking Australia.

Seems pretty unhinged to me..

It's not hard people. Even Wiki has it right.. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Marb…

Wish I had one of those!!

Just spotted this horrible reminder in my Twitter feed - there's nothing new about the COVID-19 origins lab leak conspiracy - they said it about HIV, SARS, MPox and they'll say it about the next one. Time to wake up folks!

New preprint from @EcoHealthNYC's work in Côte d'Ivoire as part of USAID PREDICT. CoVs similar to those from Kenyan bats found in Chaereophon, Mops, Epomops bats, potential risk of exposure in farming, hunting, trapping communities. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

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Not...

Just when you thought they couldn't go any lower.. disgusting!