No, it really doesn’t get you credit as a free thinker. It’s been comprehensively debunked.
The thing that drives me nuts about the lab leak theory is that it absolutely should be investigated as a possible avenue for COVID’s origin, but not because of some nefarious conspiracy theory. It should be investigated to determine whether or not there was a protocol breach, or perhaps an oversight in lab procedures, that could point to the need for greater safety in infectious disease labs. Remember, Wuhan, like all infectious disease labs, follows the same protocols as most other similar labs, including those in the United States. If there are lapses in safety and/or oversight, everyone should know and take the appropriate steps to mitigate that.
they prolly did investigate in 2021 before china announced that the virus likely originated from wet markets
This guy should be more careful with that gigantic virus in his hands … imagine that virus reproducing in your body - - that’s my own conspiracy theory 🤣
I mean, the website they link to is cancer. But the theory isn’t all that crazy. Scientists still haven’t been able to find a link between covid and any illness in bats, or any other species, so they’re looking to alternatives now, and this is one of them. Not completely stupid considering ground zero was literally in a city where a lab doing this exact kind of gain of function research was located. Coincidence, maybe, but its not crazy to consider.
Believe me, I wouldn’t put it past the CCP to have been lying or attempting a cover-up.
But lab-grown virus is readily distinguishable from virus in the wild, and that was looked into by non-Chinese researchers early in the pandemic. That’s why I think it’s highly unlikely covid escaped from a lab. It is much more likely that the specific host and specific location where cross-species infection took place has not been identified. That takes both extensive fieldwork and luck.
Also, talking about liars: the first Trump administration went through all kinds of contortions to try to hang the blame on China, for obvious propaganda point-scoring reasons. So the fact that the Trump flunkies are still parroting that line lends zero credibility to the theory.
gain of function research
Are you referring to the actual research, or to the right-wing screeching pattern based on the same set of words?
An origin theory pointing to manmade sources alone was never the problem. Using that idea to avoid doing things to protect the public was and still is. If someone like Trump starts shouting “hey, look over there!”, you better look where he’s not pointing, as he’s all about distraction.
I would agree. Their refusal to get on messaging with wearing masks and getting vaccinated was annoying as fuck and killed people.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4797993/
This was a very on the nose publication 4 years before the covid-19 outbreak started. Further the viral genome doesn’t show any sign of genetic modification which leaves various genomic signatures. Stop pushing conspiracy theories unless you have actual proof.
Republican “scientists” pushing this theory are as trustworthy as oil and gas “scientists” denying manmade climate change.
I’m not pushing a conspiracy theory. It’s idiotic to dismiss stuff out of hand.
Edit: The article is literally about the lab leak theory. Otherwise I wojldnt have even mentioned it. My point is its bad science to just say it’s a crackpot theory, and dig your heels in on. Is it unlikely that it came from a lab? Yes, most scientist’s agree it is. But again, not the point.
It’s idiotic to dismiss stuff out of hand.
For stuff without any supporting evidence, that’s not idiotic, it’s the correct thing to do.
In the 5y since the pandemic started no proof of a lab leak has turned up. The existence of these covid viruses was already known in the nearby bat population and even zoonosed to humans a few times.
This is entirely contrary to your false claims that scientists couldn’t find a link between animals and covid. So yes, it is the point. Lableak was a theory at the start one I even hypothesized myself. However, the data has consistently shown otherwise so unless new data gives the hypothesis any credence it is only political propaganda to give any credibility to the leak theory.
I think the intercept did a good story on the lab leak theory. It’s more broadly focused on gain of function research. you can read the transcript or listen to the podcast here
The Intercept has been consistent for years about not declaring it case closed prematurely
Considering it is one thing but the right is outright saying it’s either the most likely cause or the cause of the outbreak. I’m willing to consider food additives and other processing methods to be contributors to autism but I wouldn’t say it’s a “possible cause” when there are only vague correlations to that effect.
Yes. The theory is crazy.
And you sound crazy for peddling it
Edit: Literally only the republican “scientists” think it came from a lab. Actual scientists believe it was not.
So yeah. You sound crazy. Here’s the democrats final report that states you sound crazy for peddling thier lies
I don’t care what democrats say. This isn’t a political thing. It’s a science thing. It either came from a lab, or it came from somewhere else. We will likely never know the actual origin of it. And if you’re outright excluding a possibility, then you’re just as dogmatic as the Republicans.
Ok. It’s only political because one party backs truth while the other keeps shouting conspiracy theories.
Have you read the democratic side? Actual scientists saying if anything, it came from a market after a wild bat gave it to a wild animal.
The only reason it can kinda look like it came from a lab is because there was a lab nearby. But the actual scientific report says the strand it too unlike the lab strand to have actually come from a lab.
Stop sounding crazy and read the truth
Is that what the science actually say? Because I remember during the early COVID reading a research paper publish 6 months prior to the outbreak by Wuhan Lab studying the exact same thing.
Ok. Well my proof is from 5 months ago. Where’s yours?
2018 - June : Discovery of Novel Bat Coronaviruses in South China That Use the Same Receptor as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29669833/
They published this paper , they were studying the virus family, in the lab , in the city that it first detected from. A lab knowing for not being up to code, have concern of Chinese government using it to work on biological weapons, among other things.
At the end it doesn’t matter if it is from a lab or not and I am not sure why people get very offended by it. I understand if the cheesiness government tried to hide it, but people in the state calling people conspiracy theorist for suggestion that is crazy.
A regional center for studying potential pandemic viruses studies a virus detected in its region. This is utterly unprecedented. /s
If that lab were doing CBW research, it would never have been publishing in open international journals.
Yes, and further studies have shown that the strains in the lab and the strain that became Covid 19 were too different to have come from the same place.
We’re calling people conspiracy theorists because they’re peddling a conspiracy theory.
Proof from the democratic party isn’t proof, they’re also corrupt and take lobbyist cash. There’s also reason to believe the ties between the US and China specifically researching these kinds of viruses in a lab in the same area as where the outbreak started is very suspicious and more reason to not believe the “old power” in the US.
Not that Trump and Co is any better, they want to topple the old power to bring about even worse things.
That was one of the weakest bothsides attempts I’ve seen in months.
It’s not the democrats who are doing the tests and saying it wasn’t from a lab; it is scientists. Democrats are just saying the scientists are right
Republicans themselves are calling themselves scientists and saying it was from a lab.
See the difference yet?
Stop peddling conspiracy theories.
MRI is responsible for the deaths of millions.
Great, let’s see some peer-reviewed research to back up that bizarre claim.
