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Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sparked a mass walkout of NIH employees after suggesting that COVID-19 may have originated from a Wuhan lab and that NIH helped fund it. During a staff town hall meeting on Monday, Bhattacharya told NIH employees, “It’s possible that the pandemic was caused by research conducted by human beings, and it’s also possible that the NIH partly sponsored that research.” https://amgreatness.com/2025/05/21/nih-director-qu...

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sparked a mass walkout of NIH employees after suggesting that COVID-19 may have originated from a Wuhan lab and that NIH helped fund it. During a staff town hall meeting on Monday, Bhattacharya told NIH employees, “It’s possible that the pandemic was caused by research conducted by human beings, and it’s also possible that the NIH partly sponsored that research.” https://amgreatness.com/2025/05/21/nih-director-qu...

I thought this had already been uncovered a while ago but to even mention the possibility 5 yrs ago got you slammed as a racist because it was a Chinese lab?
And why would all those NIH people walk out in high dudgeon? Obviously not all of them ,and in fact very few of them know all the details of the inner working of a complex organization like the NIH.

for those new to MAGA reasoning, let me help...

a. possible that the NIH partly sponsored that research
b. possible that trump is a human being

trump did not shutdown NIH 2016-2019, thus trump caused covid.

" Obviously not all of them ,and in fact very few of them know all the details of the inner working of a complex organization like the NIH."


Even today, I wonder how many know who Fauci's wife is?

Quack quack quack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Bhattacharya

SARS-CoV-2 is a natural virus that found its way into humans through mundane contact with infected wildlife that went on to cause the most consequential pandemic for over a century. While it is scholarly to entertain alternative hypotheses, particularly when evidence is scarce, these alternative hypotheses have been implausible for a long time and have only become more-so with increasing scrutiny. Those who eagerly peddle suggestions of laboratory involvement have consistently failed to present credible arguments to support their positions.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/...(24)00206-4/fulltext

I'm sure you mean well but stay current. Common sense question of the day. WHY weren't experts from the USA, WHO, and around the globe invited too Wuhan to help search for the infected bat in 2019 or 2020? Has the medical community been given unrestricted access to the lab yet? Incredible refusal to think. To repeat, WHO is Fauci's wife? How aggressively did he disclose it? Thanks.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/rfk-jr-ca...

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthca...

My studies are from reputable journals and are current as intelligent people will note.


NATURE 20 September 2024

COVID pandemic started in Wuhan market animals after all, suggests latest study
The finding comes from a reanalysis of genomic data.

The hunt for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has new leads. Researchers have identified half a dozen animal species that could have passed SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, to people, by reanalysing genomes collected from an animal market in Wuhan, China1. The study establishes the presence of animals and the virus at the market, although it does not confirm whether the animals themselves were infected with the virus.
Many of the earliest cases of COVID-19 were linked to the city’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, and so it became a focus in the search for the pandemic’s origin. The study, published in Cell today, is the latest in a series of analyses of the market samples. The researchers argue that their reanalysis adds more weight to the market being the site of the first spillover events, in which animals with the virus infected people, sparking the pandemic. This expands on a preliminary analysis on a subset of the China CDC data, which the same team published in March 2023.

https://archive.is/Jatg0

Your pubs are Washington Examiner? MSN?

From Fauci,

Your selective sources are no longer gospel. To repeat, why not allow experts globally to visit Wuhan to help capture the bat?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lab-leak-not-conspiracy...

Oh?

Nature: “The researchers argue that their reanalysis adds more weight to the market being the site of the first spillover events, in which animals with the virus”

So over time the weight goes more against lab leak.

Lancet is an editorial - so read the rest of it, as it pertains to you.

”Take the time to reflect on the paragraph above and how many words were expended to make the simple point that COVID-19 had a natural origin. This is because there are many people, most notably in the USA, with disproportionate influence who are poised to seize on less explicit statements to undermine a simple, and pretty straightforward, truth. These are the same people who are willing to malign individuals—a topical example being former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci—who dedicated themselves to understanding and lessening the impact of the pandemic.

The sheer hubris needed to underpin alternative hypotheses was an early signal of their tenuousness, when we are intensely aware that the natural processes needed to bring about this sort of pandemic are constantly churning and testing the boundaries between animal and human populations. The most remarkable thing about the whole COVID-19 origin saga is the confected controversy over something that should not be controversial at all. The thing that should be controversial is how little of the energy expended over this discussion has been directed towards actual beneficial outcomes.

To be frank, the fanciful ideas put forward by self-described free thinkers are more in keeping with popular movies than the realities of working with pathogens. It is admirable to pursue curiosity wherever it might lead and to reject the constraints of received wisdom when exploring the unknown, but doubling down on flawed assumptions in the face of growing evidence calls motivations into question. It is difficult to say what these motivations might be, and it is certain that not everyone has the same reasons for their intransigence. It is well within the bounds of probability that some people genuinely believe in an unnatural origin of SARS-CoV-2, but these people are simply wrong.

Being wrong, and fearlessly so, is part and parcel of robust enquiry, but those who platform these flawed arguments without responsible levels of scrutiny have serious questions to answer. Uncovering COVID-19 origins and the actions that follow will have profound consequences. So those elevating fringe theories (fringe at least in terms of validity if not in terms of popular opinion) are actively creating risks for us all. This topic is not so trivial to be left to the instincts of commentators paid by the word or media outlets seeking the next titillating headline. But news outlets focussing on entertainment over information is so commonplace now that it can seem futile to highlight that this is a failing.

Worse than the irresponsibility of media pundits are the politically motivated actors, although they can be one and the same. In the USA in particular, they have produced amateurish reports that have even misrepresented work published in The Lancet Microbe. And, more recently, they have engaged in what they would describe as an official investigation, but to the dispassionate observer seem like attempts at political point scoring against both domestic and foreign opponents. These exercises have involved raking through the correspondence of scientists and public servants to find any slip that might provide them with evidence to back up their arguments. They have found nothing.

A worrying potential consequence of this saga is that it might have a chilling effect on the pursuit of answers in the future on both COVID-19 and new potential threats. With researchers unwilling to ask questions freely for fear of being persecuted when facts lead to inevitable refinement or revision of earlier conclusions. So, while we should defend the right to ask awkward questions, we should also defend the right to change our minds. In summary, although the finer details of the events leading to the COVID-19 pandemic will take time to uncover, the story is one of a series of largely unremarkable steps coalescing to produce a momentous event—a perfect storm if you will. Those arguing for other explanations have their reasons, but none of these are public safety.”

And this was written a few months ago.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/...(24)00206-4/fulltext

NATURE 20 September 2024

COVID pandemic started in Wuhan market animals after all, suggests latest study
The finding comes from a reanalysis of genomic data.

The hunt for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has new leads. Researchers have identified half a dozen animal species that could have passed SARS-CoV-2,

Thanks for the find. In the beginning this was my preferred theory. It made the most sense. But was also the most racist sounding ergo shut down almost as soon as it was mentioned.

I still have the question, if The finding comes from a reanalysis of genomic data. what the hell was wrong with all the prior (and there were many many many) analyses of the genomic data?
This could just be more obfuscation and deflection masquerading as intrepid scientific pursuit of truth

Thanks for the find. In the beginning this was my preferred theory. It made the most sense. But was also the most racist sounding ergo shut down almost as soon as it was mentioned.

I'm not understanding how the virus emerging from animals is racist.

I still have the question, if The finding comes from a reanalysis of genomic data. what the hell was wrong with all the prior (and there were many many many) analyses of the genomic data?
This could just be more obfuscation and deflection masquerading as intrepid scientific pursuit of truth

It's fine to be critical, read what you can of the article and others.

SNIP

New techniques
The latest study used more-sophisticated genomic techniques to identify species represented in the samples, including half a dozen animals the team says are possible intermediate hosts of SARS-Cov-2. The most likely hosts include raccoon dogs and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata), which also might be susceptible to the virus. Other possible hosts include hoary bamboo rats (Rhizomys pruinosus), Amur hedgehogs (Erinaceus amurensis) and the Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), but it is unclear whether these animals can catch SARS-CoV-2 and spread the infection. The team says the Reeves’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) and the Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) could also be carriers, but are less likely than the other species.
The co-location of viral and animal genetic material is “strongly suggestive” that the animals were infected, says Gigi Gronvall, a biosecurity specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. “I was quite amazed by how many animals were there,” she says.
Bats, from which the progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 probably originated, were not detected in the genetic data. The lack of bat DNA is unsurprising, says Alice Hughes, a conservation biologist at the University of Hong Kong who studies bats and the wildlife trade. Although bats are commonly eaten in southern China, they are not typically sold in the country’s markets.
The authors of the Cell study also argue that the viral diversity present in the market suggests it was the site of the pandemic’s emergence. In particular, they say the presence of two SARS-CoV-2 lineages — known as A and B — circulating in the market suggests that the virus jumped twice from animals to people. The researchers conclude that, although it is possible that infected humans brought the virus to the market on two separate occasions, that is a much less likely scenario than the virus jumping twice from animals, especially since their analysis suggests that very few people would have been infected at that point and it is unlikely that one person seeded both lineages. “It really just fits this ongoing infection in animal populations that spilled over multiple times to people,” says Gronvall. SNIP

And it looks like all of the article wasn't archived.

fco --- Thanks for the find. In the beginning this was my preferred theory. It made the most sense. But was also the most racist sounding ergo shut down almost as soon as it was mentioned.
---------------------------------
lapsody --- I'm not understanding how the virus emerging from animals is racist.

Rationally and truthfully speaking it's not. But it involved Chinese wet markets. Chinese people. A culture different from The West, especially USA. ergo if you find fault with it you're a racist. That's the socio/political mindset among a huge demographic and was thrown around liberally at the time. Remember there were a couple of incidents of some dumbass attacking a Chinese people (Americas of Chinese lineage IIRC) in the US were was just walking down the street? "The Chinese flu" etc etc. We were even admonished that German Measles started in Kansas ego Americans are stupid in these matters, which of course missed the entire point.


fco ---I still have the question, if The finding comes from a reanalysis of genomic data. what the hell was wrong with all the prior (and there were many many many) analyses of the genomic data?
This could just be more obfuscation and deflection masquerading as intrepid scientific pursuit of truth
----------------------------------------------------------
lapsody ---It's fine to be critical, read what you can of the article and others.

So, techniques of this kind have changed substantially in the last 5 years? Perhaps, but I find that dubious.


SNIP

New techniques
The latest study used more-sophisticated genomic techniques to identify species represented in the samples, including half a dozen animals the team says are possible intermediate hosts of SARS-Cov-2. The most likely hosts include raccoon dogs and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata), which also might be susceptible to the virus. Other possible hosts include hoary bamboo rats (Rhizomys pruinosus), Amur hedgehogs (Erinaceus amurensis) and the Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), but it is unclear whether these animals can catch SARS-CoV-2 and spread the infection. The team says the Reeves’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) and the Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) could also be carriers, but are less likely than the other species.

Wish I had time to read the all of everything on this, but even this article, which supports my own view, seems somehow wishy-washy. Are they equivocating over the fact COVID came from animal contact? Or are they equivocating only over which animal it came from? I am sure if I read the whole thing I'd find even more to be disappointed over.

I get my Epidemiology information from a private online group composed of over 5000 doctors, scientists, a few statisticians, and a few non-contributing bozos like me who sneaked in because we were in multiple clinical trials.

"New research published in the journal Cell provides further support that COVID-19 did not originate from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, but rather through natural transmission from animals—similar to how the original SARS virus emerged in 2002. The study shows that the virus’s spread across China to Wuhan mirrors the time and geographic patterns seen during the first SARS outbreak, which the researchers argue strongly undermines the need for a lab-based explanation.

According to the researchers, including Joel Wertheim from the University of California San Diego, there is nothing unusual or inexplicable about how SARS-CoV-2 reached Wuhan. Previous studies have already linked early COVID-19 cases to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan—a location known for selling wild animals, where traces of the virus have also been found in those animals. Additional studies have identified two separate viral lineages circulating early in the outbreak, and another has genetically traced the virus to multiple animals at the market.

This new research suggests that the virus may have originated in western China or northern Laos, but it likely reached Wuhan via the wildlife trade—legal or illegal—because the distance is too great for the virus to have traveled solely through bat-to-human transmission. This pattern closely resembles how the original SARS virus spread through animal markets.
The scientists emphasize that zoonotic spillover—when pathogens jump from animals to humans—is a recurring pattern in the emergence of pandemics. Although some details, such as the exact intermediate animal host between bats and humans, are still unknown, the researchers believe they are getting closer to identifying it within the next couple of years.

The study provides strong scientific evidence that SARS-CoV-2 followed a natural path of animal-to-human transmission, and that there is no need to invoke a lab leak hypothesis to explain its emergence in Wuhan.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00353-8...
https://www.discovermagazine.com/.../evidence-of-o......

I get my Epidemiology information from a private online group composed of over 5000 doctors, scientists, a few statisticians, and a few non-contributing bozos like me who sneaked in because we were in multiple clinical trials.

Well, there you go, sano! Convicted by your own words!

You rely on acknowledged “experts”!

And who says they are experts? Why- other experts! I’s a scam.

I’ll trust Joe Rogan. At least he talks like me.

“ You rely on acknowledged “experts”!
Have you bothered to find out who funds these, experts? Who funds their research facilities? Are these experts as expert as the experts who assured us the Hunter laptop was most likely Russian misinformation? Some of you are so easy it’s frightening. Why prevent the experts from visiting the Wuhan market and lab unobstructed so they could find this evil bat and his family?

Have you bothered to find out who funds these, experts? Who funds their research facilities?

Who funds doctors? Seriously? Who funds universities? Seriously?

That question becomes meaningful wrt to the handful that become motivated by partisan interests: the scum that become purveyors of wooo, supplement salesmen, eccentric legends in their own minds like Linus Pauling and hi Vitamin C inanity.... Ben Carson who developed delusions of christian infallability.

Are these experts as expert as the experts who assured us the Hunter laptop was most likely Russian misinformation?"

Look... a slimy squirrel.

“ WHO power grab dangers“ it’s a 15 minute video, try it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9yMvbuVmwkI

John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator who has made videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the videos received praise, but they later diverged into COVID-19 misinformation.[2] He has been criticised for suggesting COVID-19 deaths have been over-counted,[3] repeating false claims about the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, and providing misleading commentary about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

And just to illustrate how snake oil salesmen can take the internet by storm:

As of March 2024, his YouTube channel had 3 million subscribers and over 750 million views.

And:

On the BBC's statistical programme More or Less, editor Richard Vadon said that Campbell – who was neither a scientist nor a medical doctor – had been on "quite a journey" since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic transitioning from "wholesome" videos on topics such as hand-washing, to what could be regarded as more fringe topics, garnering a large audience in the process.

Sorta like television viewers got the notion of Donald Trump as a successful businessman by watching “The Apprentice”

He’s a crank and a charlatan, who undoubtedly has convinced himelf that he is a savior. And because many folks have convinced themselves that he is a genius in spite of the fact that claim after claim of his has been disproven, here we are.

Which again, is sorta like most of the claims that come out of Donald Trump’s mouth.

Truth is what these people and their youtube enablers tell you it is.

The result, for many people, of “Do your own research” is to find themselves algorithm-ed down a conspiracy infected rabbit hole.