Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Has the lab leak theory really been disproved?
The Spectator ^ | July 27, 2022 | Matt Ridley

Posted on 07/28/2022 6:37:17 AM PDT by untenured

The BBC carried a story this week with the headline ‘Covid origin studies say evidence points to Wuhan market’. Bizarrely the paper in Science they are referring to, by Michael Worobey and colleagues, says no such thing. It says: ‘the observation that the preponderance of early cases were linked to the Huanan market does not establish that the pandemic originated there’.

All three of the scientists quoted in the BBC story have been highly dismissive about even discussing the possibility that the pandemic began as an accident in a Wuhan laboratory. Their vested interest is clear: they worry that the reputation of their field of virology would be threatened by such a discussion. But the many scientists who say such a debate is needed are largely ignored by the BBC: none are quoted in this week’s article.

The Beeb’s story says that ‘this evidence paints a picture that Sars-CoV-2 was present in live mammals that were sold at Huanan market in late 2019’. This too is wrong. Nobody has found any evidence of Sars-CoV-2 in live mammals at the market. They have found some evidence – they cite only a YouTube video – that mammals were on sale in the market, which we already knew, but not that the mammals were infected. That would be the very minimum requirement for asserting that the pandemic began in the market. In 2003 scientists refused to assert that Sars began in markets till they found infected animals.


(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bbc; covid; covid19; lableak
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-28 next last

1 posted on 07/28/2022 6:37:17 AM PDT by untenured
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: untenured

No, it hasn’t.

L


2 posted on 07/28/2022 6:37:53 AM PDT by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: untenured

Anyone who had it knows it is a bioweapon. And all the variants seem manufactured too.


3 posted on 07/28/2022 6:39:32 AM PDT by FlyingEagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: untenured

Hell, no. Neither has the lab-unleash-and-cackle-evilly theory been seriously considered.


4 posted on 07/28/2022 6:41:04 AM PDT by ToxicMasculinity (FREEEEEE DUMB!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: untenured

No, it was confirmed, not invalidated.


5 posted on 07/28/2022 6:43:26 AM PDT by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

The BBC is CNN is AP is....


6 posted on 07/28/2022 6:48:20 AM PDT by es345st
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: untenured

Only a fool would believe that the “vaccine”, virus and testing are not related.

And they have only the one set - the one that started it all.

I suggest you figure it out, yourself, as the guilty parties are not going to tell you.


7 posted on 07/28/2022 6:48:31 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: untenured

Pangolins did it.


8 posted on 07/28/2022 6:48:46 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ToxicMasculinity

Doesn’t really make sense to me though that the Chinese would intentionally release it FIRST on their own citizens. Accidental lab leak, via an infected researcher shopping in the Wuhan wet market, though.....


9 posted on 07/28/2022 6:48:56 AM PDT by babble-on
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: untenured

Not a single sample of the virus has been found at the market. You’d think those geniuses would have the foresight to have planted some.


10 posted on 07/28/2022 6:57:40 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Empire_of_Liberty

I seem to recall a spurious patent for a SARS vaccine of the mRNA type dated 2019.

Denial is often a key indicator of bias, as is this sort of horseshit BBC propaganda intended to undermine anyone who proffers such a position (lab leak).


11 posted on 07/28/2022 6:59:45 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: logi_cal869

I don’t wish to win a debate - especially not a one-sided debate with the media.

I want to understand what happened for my own survival.

Only an idiot would believe that Round 2 of this is not underway at this very moment. I don’t think that COVID worked out the way they wanted, but they will get better at this. This is science run by the government.

My worse-case scenario is that when they feel proficient enough, they will be monkeying around with something like Polio.


12 posted on 07/28/2022 7:10:35 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: babble-on

There was an allegation that staff at WIV were selling animals no longer used for testing at the market.

It was probably how it happened (unknown cross infection between lab animals and researchers alike, unless one takes the position that the release was intentional because sacrificing a few million Chinese is NOTHING to the regime).

I lean heavily on the latter, but especially in the wake of what can only be defined as a fear-based response to the virus (was noting lockdowns under ‘zero COVID’…the only country in the world still adhering to such nonsense).

It is a reasonable question: What does the CCP fear worse? Loss of control, or unchecked spread of the virus until they have a truly effective vaccine designed to eradicate the risk of post-infection complications ( and, in the case of the US, ‘post-jab complications’).

I suspect that they know far more than even our own people are admitting about what we now know to be YEARS of US/NIH-sponsored GOF research.


13 posted on 07/28/2022 7:11:21 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: All

In graduate school I worked in a lab using salmonella for research. We wore gloves and were careful but every few months someone would come down with a case of salmonellosis. The lab leak is the most probable answer.


14 posted on 07/28/2022 7:11:49 AM PDT by bennowens
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: untenured

What’s most important is not how the virus was released but how we shot ourselves in the foot over it. The bad science and fearmongering was intense, even here on FR. Some conservatives put more effort into blaming the Chinese and the illegals than in rebutting the maskers and lockdowners.


15 posted on 07/28/2022 7:25:30 AM PDT by Socon-Econ (adi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: babble-on

The timing of the release. The Dims telling Chinese Americans to go enjoy New Year, and the history of Communism against the people.

It was intentionally released. Evil bastards Both here and there


16 posted on 07/28/2022 7:29:13 AM PDT by A_Former_Democrat ( Liberty Valance Time. The point of a gun is the only law the left understands)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: untenured

BBC = Bought By China


17 posted on 07/28/2022 7:34:18 AM PDT by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Empire_of_Liberty

Which is why we need high profile trials for crimes against humanity for all researchers involved in such unethical research, beginning with Herr Fauci & Collins et al.

Death penalty is rather appropriate for a conviction.


18 posted on 07/28/2022 8:02:22 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Lurker

My theory all along has been that it was an intentional “leak” to stop the protests in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was on the verge of revolting from China when it all happened. Millions of protestors in the streets on a daily\weekly basis and it was getting worse with every passing day. Then the Wu-Flu was released and it all stopped.


19 posted on 07/28/2022 8:12:20 AM PDT by NicoDon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: untenured

There are NO modern governments that I trust. After the Trump Russia Russia Russia ordeal, in which the Brits were waist deep, that include Britain and the BBC. It also includes China and the US government.


20 posted on 07/28/2022 8:13:44 AM PDT by RatRipper (The Biden Adm is leading an attack against US citizens . . . pure evil.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-28 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson