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Originally Posted by Fuzz
I find your position rather baffling, because the balance of evidence and expert opinions is that it is a natural source. I've asked what expert is putting forth the idea that it is created, and no one replied with one. We have the journalist, who isn't an expert..and we now have some investigations. But at this point, as has been since ealry last year, the prevailing theory and knowledge all do not support the lab theory. Yet you seem to think that is the most likely scenario. So again, what experts are proposing this and what evidence are they presenting?
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You are correct, that the most likely explanation is a pure natural source. However, science isn't a popularity contest. Scientific truths aren't decided by a vote.
There are many scientists stating that the virus may have been altered in a lab. The WHO's current stance is that more studies need to be conducted before any conclusions can be made:
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“As far as WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table. This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end. We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do,” said Dr Tedros. “Finding the origin of a virus takes time and we owe it to the world to find the source so we can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. No single research trip can provide all the answers.”
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https://www.who.int/news/item/30-03-...es-remain-open
DiracSpike's argument is almost exactly in line with the WHO's current stance on the subject.
There's also multiple scientists complaining that the theory of a lab leak was suppressed for political reasons:
https://www.technologyreview.com/202...ts-conspiracy/
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David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, says a lab leak was never the subject of a “fair and dispassionate discussion of the facts as we know them.” Instead, tempers soon began to flare as those calling for a closer look at possible lab origins were dismissed as conspiracy theorists spouting misinformation. Election-year politics and growing Sinophobic sentiments only added to the tensions. Attacks on Asian-Americans had been escalating since the pandemic began, and with then-president Trump fuming about a “Chinese virus,” many scientists and reporters became “cautious about saying anything that might justify the rhetoric of his administration,” says Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC–based Atlantic Council, an international affairs think tank.
It could have been career suicide for scientists to voice suspicions about a possible lab leak, says Metzl, especially when there was already a long history of viral disease outbreaks spilling over from nature.
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What we do know is that Covid-19 is very transmissible among humans, and the likely reason is that the spike proteins bind far more strongly to human receptors than receptors in other animals. It's likely, until we have more evidence to prove otherwise, that this is a random occurrence. However, if you were going to design a virus to infect humans more efficiently, altering the spike protein is exactly what you would do.