[Boreal]

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...ies-speaks-out

Shi Zhengli’s group at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has long been at the centre of conspiracy theories about the origins of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In a rare interview, Zhengli — who has spent more than 15 years studying bat coronaviruses — addresses speculation that the virus could have been created in the institute. “Scientists from around the world have overwhelmingly concluded that SARS-CoV-2 originated naturally rather than from any institution,” she says. “US President Trump’s claim that SARS-CoV-2 was leaked from our institute totally contradicts the facts. It jeopardizes and affects our academic work and personal life. He owes us an apology.”