A new piece in the NY Times reports that scientific consensus is changing to strongly suggest that COVID 19 was indeed leaked from a lab https://www.nytimes.com/202...

Hardly more that restating Wade's unsubstantiated claims. Consider the author!

Consider reviewing the following:

https://fair.org/home/us-me...

Contrary to your assertion that the dust has settled, it appears that there is scientific evidence that C19 is specially adapted to humans. I cannot say whether these scientists are right. But that is the point, isn't it - we don't know yet. Link: https://scitechdaily.com/re...

1. This is in silico research, based on modelling in computer only, not verified by observation of the predicted results in any living organism, so some caution is warranted.

2. But assuming for the sake of argument that their models are entirely accurate, how does this paper change the prevailing picture?

3. The virus is continually adapting to humans and presumably was doing so at around the same rate for at least several months, if not years, before the first sequence was identified circa 24th Dec 2019.

4. If the virus were not already relatively well adapted to humans by that date, there would have been no explosive pandemic immediately after, so in this respect the paper only reaffirms an already blindingly obvious fact.

5. The authors state "This minimal S protein RBD mutation during the early pandemic supports the view that the SARS-CoV-2 S protein was already optimally adapted for human ACE2 binding", but this Pompeo-pandering postulate has been directly disproven by the subsequent development of several variants [e.g. Kent & India] known to be considerably more infectious [by an estimated 70% & 250% respectively], presumably through *better* adaption to human ACE2 binding.

6. No-one is suggesting that those mutant strains are the results of malicious genetic engineering experiments in the biowarfare labs of the evil Johnson and Modi regimes, though of course both, along with the noted medical geniuses Trump and Bolsonaro, have signally excelled at promoting serial passaging of the virus throughout their respective populations, and further afield.

7. The finding that the initial Wuhan strain is in one respect [ACE2 binding] better adapted to humans than any candidate [intermediate] host species is again unsurprising, seeing as we do not as yet know what the progenitor virus looked like in the as yet unidentified animal, nor when the first zoonotic transfer happened.

Excellent article, but I have two suggestions;

The Glossary item "CTCCT..." is not a string of "four nucleotides". I suggest adding "A" to avoid confusion.

The caption on the graphic should identify the letters as representing amino acids since that isn't in the Glossary. Also, it should be stated that amino acids are building blocks of proteins

Unless I missed something, this article conflates “lab leak” with “engineered virus.” I think it’s possible that it was a natural virus that leaked from the lab.

Excellent article, with lots of scientific facts and jargon that the s**t filled brains of the conspiracy theorists cant (and wont try to) understand.

Thank you for this reporting. We desperately needed a rebuttal to all of the lab leak claims.

Sure glad that this series is being put out. At times, I just have thrown up my hands and lost all hope in understanding any of this. There are so many claims and counter-claims it is hard for the average lay person to know what's what. One thing I'll say that cannot be questioned, is that whatever the origin of the virus, the massive number of deaths from it where overwhelmingly because of the social response, or rather lack thereof, by the so called authorities. Had the outbreak been handled appropriately by countries such as Brazil, the US and India, the virus may have turned out to be no worse, at least in the level of deaths produced, than the common flu. As the author of the piece emphasized, the response by the political establishment in a number countries guaranteed that this virus went from the engine that could to the engine that did and the engine that will continue. It is this culpability for the large loss of life, along with geo-strategic concerns, that is driving the Wuhan Lab conspiracy theory.

The thing I was waiting for. Great work.

Strong.

Keep up the powerful work, Dr. Mateus!

THANK YOU!