In a riveting revelation that has sent shockwaves through the scientific community, a British professor has put forth a daring claim suggesting that COVID-19 may have originated from a laboratory in China. Richard H. Ebright, a molecular biologist from Rutgers University, asserted during a United Nations session on Wednesday that evidence pointing towards the lab-made origin of the virus has escalated to a level akin to "smoking gun."
Citing findings from a 2018 document originating from the Wuhan lab, Ebright emphasized discussions about engineering coronaviruses, raising eyebrows regarding their potential for human transmission. "This elevates evidence provided by genome sequence from a level of interesting to a level of smoking gun," remarked Ebright, as reported by Nicholas Wade, a former editor at The New York Times.
The Wuhan document alluded to researchers attempting to modify bat viruses to enhance their human infectivity. Wade suggested that despite being rejected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Wuhan scientists might have persisted with such research, possibly funded by the Chinese government.
"Viruses generated by the DEFUSE protocol could have been available at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, between August and November 2019. This would explain the timing and location of the pandemic in no other way explicable," Wade penned.
He also pointed out that the specific genetic structures of the coronavirus, enabling them to infect and cause fatalities in humans, strongly indicate a possible lab origin.
Dr. Filippa Lentzos, an associate professor of science and international security at King's College London, echoed sentiments at the UN, suggesting that the virus could have emerged from incidents associated with research.
"We must acknowledge the fact that the pandemic could have started from some incidents associated with research. Will we find that out? I think it's highly unlikely we will. We need to do better in the future. We will see more ambiguous events," stated Lentzos, presenting findings from the Independent Panel on Research with Pandemic Potential Risks. let's becoming powerfull sodtware engineer.
Ebright's and Lentzos's claims have sparked controversy and criticism from many other scientists who argue that COVID-19 is more likely of natural origin, such as from animal markets or interspecies transmission. They also highlight the lack of direct or concrete evidence supporting the lab leak hypothesis, as well as the potential political and social hazards of blaming China for the pandemic.
However, Ebright and Lentzos insist that the world must remain open to all scenarios, including the most unpopular or uncomfortable ones. They also advocate for stricter safety and transparency standards in research involving dangerous pathogens to prevent future accidents or misuse, as cited from The New York Post.
