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They're parroting conspiracy theory nonsense about a lab leak and how the U.S. was 'funding gain-of-function research' as if that's not what pretty much all virology research is these days.
The fact is we need institutes studying coronaviruses. Especially in Asia, where so many originate. This is a very bad idea.
It's not a conspiracy theory if it's an accidental leak. It's happened before in the Soviet Union and people died, although it didn't lead to an epidemic
The conspiracy theory is "COVID was engineered to affect Jews and Chinese less prior to being released on purpose"
These are different claims, and accidental leak is at least plausible and only blames the lab for improper safety precautions
The U.S. funding part, which implies it was engineered, is the conspiracy theory nonsense part.
The US was actually funding research in the Wuhan institute through the NIH. It makes sense, as the caves in that Chinese province are home to the bats that have corona viruses like the original SARS and possibly covid-19.
It was engineered. They have admitted that. Coronavirus was manipulated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology to become more infectious. The contention is around the term "gain of function." Fauci changed the definition some years ago to skirt the funding bans imposed by Obama. His new definition requires intent to make a virus more communicable or virulent for humans. Since the WIV didn't intend to make it more communicable or virulent for humans, Fauci maintains it is not "gain of function" research.
I don't see why this is so hard for some people to accept. Chinese laboratory standards are among the worst in the world. Article after article after article details their abysmal safety standards. Why on Earth should we believe that this specific lab were somehow better? Of course it wasn't. Of course some unqualified technician made a mistake. This was always the concern about gain of function research, which was why Obama banned it.
That is not an admission that COVID was engineered. The overwhelming scientific evidence is that it had a natural origin.
https://www.science.org/content/article/evidence-suggests-pandemic-came-nature-not-lab-panel-says
It’s not an admission that Covid-19 was engineered. It’s an admission that the lab at the epicentre of the outbreak was engineering corona viruses to make them more dangerous.
Without data, which China has destroyed, any research such as the paper you cite is working blind. I’m sure natural origin does seem the likely theory given the precedent they cite. But our intelligence agencies are privy to more than guesses.
You cannot study viruses without gain-of-function research.
As for intelligence agencies, you're incorrect in your assumption- https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/23/us/politics/covid-lab-leak-wuhan-report.html
We absolutely can study viruses without gain of function research. It just takes longer.
If you're arguing that intelligence agencies are unreliable, why are you linking to a report from an intelligence agency?
No. You cannot reliably study what a virus is capable of without it. All you can do is hope it mutates in a certain way.
I'm not, I'm arguing that they disagree and the ones who say it is a lab leak say so with low confidence.
I'm not, I'm linking to a New York Times article (hence nytimes.com) about how they disagree and the ones who say it is a lab leak say so with low confidence.
This is something you would have known if you had read the article.
If you want people to take you seriously, link to something other than notorious shitrag National Review. Everything after mentioning them is suspect.
They cite the letter. You don’t have to trust the source. Read the evidence for yourself.
How is this nonsense?
They disregarded bio safety regulations.
Specifically COVID research.
China is conspiring in obstruction per the top leaders of the land.
Unsupported claims about bio safety regulations regarding coronaviruses are worthless. And yes, the lab studies coronaviruses. I literally said that. What's your point?
Are you questioning the factuality of The Independent as a news source or did you fail to read the article? The claims of safety regulation lapses and Chinese obstruction are coming from the Biden administration directly. Are you indicating that they are fraudulent?
You didn't give a news source. There was no link.
The article is this post
What post? I'm still not seeing a link. Do you expect me to just accept your quotes out of context?
The article is the very post we are commenting on. Also, here is something else.
https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NIH-letter-to-UCI-re-Wuhan-Institute-of-Virology-5-20-2020-redacted.pdf
See how we are commenting on an article post.. Please learn how to use Lemmy.
Ah, that article. Gotcha. The one that says:
This does not negate the HHS claims that the lab was being negligent and unsafe.