Senior Biden officials finding that Covid lab leak theory as credible as natural origins explanation

[TURBO UNO]

Real talk though, I’ve been wearing the masks since 2020 and I’ve yet to catch a serious cold.

I can only imagine how many times I walked into a lingering cough/sneeze before this mask thing. Gross when you think about it.

 

[heelsandeers]

The FBI's official position is lab leak with moderate confidence. 4 of the 8 agencies lean natural spread with low confidence. There is yet to be a consensus and both possibilities are still on the table and should be viewed with an open mind. There is no definitive conclusion.

My guess is the difference between "medium confidence" and "low confidence" is like the difference between "affects interstate confidence" and "substantially affects interstate commerce." In other words it's just words

Scientists in this field (the vast majority at least) are extremely confident that the virus did not leak from the lab. The evidence for wet market origin is quite extensive

Right now the FBI and DOE are the only two agencies in the Western world who have embraced the lab leak hypothesis

Out of all the intelligence agencies in the US gov the FBI and DOE would be among the last I would consult when seeking information about things that happened in China

You are right that there is no definitive conclusion. One is just way likelier than the other

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Scientists in this field (the vast majority at least) are extremely confident that the virus did not leak from the lab. The evidence for wet market origin is quite extensive

...

You are right that there is no definitive conclusion. One is just way likelier than the other

Can you link me to some sources for this

 

[heelsandeers]

Can you link me to some sources for this

Covid origin studies say evidence points to Wuhan market

One of the researchers said he hoped the studies would correct the false theory that it came from a lab.

www.bbc.com

newsGP - The COVID ‘lab leak theory’ is dead

Researchers have confirmed the virus came from a Wuhan wet market, writes Professor Eddie Holmes.

www1.racgp.org.au

This Is How Covid Started. And Here’s How We Stop the Next One.

The lab leak theory is dead. Covid-19’s true origins show why we need better disease surveillance of wild and domesticated animals alike.

newrepublic.com

How seriously should we take the US DoE’s Covid lab leak theory?

Department of Energy’s updated report on origins of coronavirus pandemic jars with most scientists’ assessments

www.theguardian.com

 

[cragmatic]

Why are people so adamant about disproving the lab leak theory?

Does it even change anything at this point other than “why the hell are the creating man made viruses to study that are dangerous, not naturally occurring, and extremely unlikely to ever naturally occur.”

That’s my big question.

And yes, there are high gain research facilities in the US as well.

 

[tr1ll]

Because people don’t want to believe other people can be THAT evil. Imo…of course.

 

[MakeNTGreatAgain]

Because people don’t want to believe other people can be THAT evil. Imo…of course.

exactly

 

[getback]

I think we can all agree that people are capable of being that evil though. We don't have to travel too far back in history to prove that.

 

[heelsandeers]

Why are people so adamant about disproving the lab leak theory?

Because evidence free theories are not helpful to anyone

The lab leak theory doesn't need to be true to be important. It should be enough to recognize the possibility that the virus might have come from the lab

I also think it's been consistently used to deflect attention away from the real issue which was the woeful US response to the virus (and other countries')

 

[cragmatic]

Because people don’t want to believe other people can be THAT evil. Imo…of course.

But if it were “leaked” that wouldn’t insinuate it wasn’t done on purpose.

 

[cragmatic]

Because evidence free theories are not helpful to anyone

The lab leak theory doesn't need to be true to be important. It should be enough to recognize the possibility that the virus might have come from the lab

I also think it's been consistently used to deflect attention away from the real issue which was the woeful US response to the virus (and other countries')

I still feel like nobody is addressing why high gain function research is even a thing in the first place IF a potential consequence would be a leak.

Nobody can really tell me why they even conduct this research to begin with. Sure be better prepared, but better prepared for what? The viruses they create are EXTREMELY unlikely to ever naturally occur. Seems like the risk is much higher than the reward.

 

[tr1ll]

But if it were “leaked” that wouldn’t insinuate it wasn’t done on purpose.

In the age of information “leaked” totally means done on purpose.

 

[heelsandeers]

I still feel like nobody is addressing why high gain function research is even a thing in the first place IF a potential consequence would be a leak.

Probably because there aren't many virologists on niketalk

 

[cragmatic]

Probably because there aren't many virologists on niketalk

Doesn’t stop anyone from responding to every other question anyone asks

 

[gry60]

I also think it's been consistently used to deflect attention away from the real issue which was the woeful US response to the virus

This.

Anytime the question of the virus origin has been brought up and considered, it's led to a debate deflection about China. A lot of people would rather not talk about how the previous administration undermined the response by abandoning the Obama-era pandemic preparedness measures. It's the same dynamic with the Ohio train derailments.

I really don't care that the virus came from a lab or a wet market; however, it's a waste of time to discuss it when it comes to handling public health issues in a post-pandemic world. Finding out where the virus came from won't magically make it disappear or reduce its ability to infect people.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

I really don't care that the virus came from a lab or a wet market; however, it's a waste of time to discuss it when it comes to handling public health issues in a post-pandemic world.

You might be in the wrong thread. This one is for the discussion of stuff you don't care about. Also, knowing the origin of the virus can help prevent another pandemic

 

[gry60]

I still feel like nobody is addressing why high gain function research is even a thing in the first place IF a potential consequence would be a leak.

Why is nuclear energy research even a thing if the potential consequence would be a leak?

There are lots of subjects scientists explore for their benefits, despite the potential high cost of a mishap.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

I still feel like nobody is addressing why high gain function research is even a thing in the first place IF a potential consequence would be a leak.

Nobody can really tell me why they even conduct this research to begin with. Sure be better prepared, but better prepared for what? The viruses they create are EXTREMELY unlikely to ever naturally occur. Seems like the risk is much higher than the reward.

Gain of function research is highly controversial and there is a divide among the scientific community on whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks. You raise valid issues that shouldn't just be dismissed in order to defend the status quo without thinking. There's probably a good reason why the Obama administration put a moratorium on this type of research in 2014.

 

[gry60]

Also, knowing the origin of the virus can help prevent another pandemic

How did knowing where SARS started help prevent COVID, especially when all the lessons learned from these previous events were promptly tossed out for political reasons?

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

How did knowing where SARS started help prevent COVID, especially when all the lessons learned from these previous events were promptly tossed out for political reasons?

Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, on understanding the origins of the pandemic

The AMA is leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. See video updates on how the AMA is fighting COVID-19 by discussing why it’s important to understand the pandemic’s origin story.

www.ama-assn.org

 

[cragmatic]

Why is nuclear energy research even a thing if the potential consequence would be a leak?

There are lots of subjects scientists explore for their benefits, despite the potential high cost of a mishap.

And what benefits would those be in this scenario?

 

[heelsandeers]

Also, knowing the origin of the virus can help prevent another pandemic

I mentioned this earlier but the lab leak doesn't need to be true to learn from it

We are able to recognize that it's a possibility and that we need precautions to ensure it doesn't become reality

 

[heelsandeers]

The real question is who leaked "gain of function research" into the conspiracy-sphere

Search that term on twitter and it's a cesspool

 

[smedroc]

Why are people so adamant about disproving the lab leak theory?

They dislike Joe Rogan.

 

[RustyShackleford]

This thread bump is amazing

All the "free thinkers" on NT that feel persecuted came out to play.