Just read an interesting article outlining the progression and ongoing efforts to find the origin of the Covid virus. Spoiler: we still don’t know.
It does seem a natural origin is a strong possibility, with one investigator commenting that evolution in nature can come up with things that a human designer could not imagine, just to paraphrase, and that the Covid virus was the platypus of viruses.
In any case, as pretty long article, but worth the read. What other viruses might be lurking out there, and how should we prepare for them? Do you think the chill cast over viral research may actually make us less prepared for the next pandemic? The Mysterious Case of the COVID-19 Lab-Leak Theory | The New Yorker
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I don’t think there’s been much chill cast over viral research. Funding, at least, is up, although it usually drops off again once the immediate panic is over. What I do think is going to make us less prepared is the brutal time a lot of public health people have been having, especially in the US: underfunded, overworked, and unappreciated at the best of times, they’ve lately also had to cope with immense pressure, suspicion, hostility, and even death threats. (Doctors and nurses have had to deal with some of the same issues, with maybe more burnout and a less outright hostility.)
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Well, that is chilling anyway. Interesting that funding is up, though I bet if you applied for a grant to do bat Coronavirus research, it would get a lot of scrutiny. If you had chance to look at that article, I would be interested in what you think of it as a layman’s explanation of the investigation and issues involved.
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See also this: ‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists
Those in politics and news media who have knowingly spread false information about this pandemic for gain have a lot to answer for.
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The New Yorker piece seems like a good summary of the issues, at least as I understand them. I remain perfectly agnostic.
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