Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed • Hacker News Board

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#51

Post by loveistheanswer » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:49 PM UTC

ch4s3 wrote: post #37

crx07 wrote: post #21

This has honestly been my unbiased opinion since essentially day 1. I believe that the release was almost certainly a complete accident, but there's just no realistic chance a novel virus coincidentally originates in the same isolated place as a lab that specializes in that exact same type of virus. The denialists, including the WHO and CDC and everyone else, need to get real and own up to what happened and figure ou…

I don't really have a stake in this, and no real idea how plausible the lab accident theory is. That said, don't you think that the location of a lab like that would be highly correlated with the location of dangerous natural viral reservoir? Or put another way, if you wanted to study zoonotic viruses, wouldn't you put your lab in a place like that?

If we have no say in whether or not scientists should be creating super viruses (a.k.a. weapons of mass destruction), I'd prefer they do so somewhere like Antarctica or on a space station, not in the middle of a city.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#52

Post by waynesonfire » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:50 PM UTC

This is definitely not my area of expertise but:

role of furin cleavage site in covid:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0184-0

"In fact, no influenza virus with a furin cleavage site has ever been found in nature,"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435492/

Where did this mutation come from?

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#53

Post by refenestrator » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:51 PM UTC

jacknews wrote: post #18

daly wrote: post #15

For expert opinion on this subject listen to actual virologists. They do a podcast about 2-3 times a week. https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/

They don't cite any evidence to refute a lab accident, and the 'clubby' atmosphere raises suspicion that they dismiss the possibility on the grounds that 'we're all professionals, free to say what we want, free from government coercion, etc', but perhaps that does not reflect reality.

There's no evidence to refute, though, besides the fact that the lab exists. It's pure speculation either way.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#54

Post by duxup » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:51 PM UTC

I wouldn't dismiss it.

I just haven't seen any evidence of it that I think 'proves' it.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#55

Post by tantalor » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:51 PM UTC

Easy answer: it's impossible to prove a negative.

In this case, that the lab was not responsible.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#56

Post by bugzz » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:52 PM UTC

waynesonfire wrote: post #52

This is definitely not my area of expertise but: role of furin cleavage site in covid: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0184-0 "In fact, no influenza virus with a furin cleavage site has ever been found in nature," https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435492/ Where did this mutation come from?

It's never been found in an influenza virus in nature, but covid isn't an influenza virus. Is this never found in coronaviruses in nature?

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#57

Post by Graffur » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:52 PM UTC

daly wrote: post #15

For expert opinion on this subject listen to actual virologists. They do a podcast about 2-3 times a week. https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/

Something that has been exposed a lot during this pandemic: expert opinions

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#58

Post by airhead969 » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:53 PM UTC

It seems like more Western MSM yellow journalism hating on China with FUD.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#59

Post by dang » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:53 PM UTC

jtdev wrote: post #46

That’s curious. I wonder if the frozen seafood origin hypothesis holds any merit, or if it’s just an attempt by the CCP to divert attention from what seems to be the far more likely lab leak hypothesis... I’m inclined to believe that the CCP is being disingenuous.

Please stop posting unsubstantive and/or flamebait comments to HN—especially on divisive topics. The guidelines are clear on this, and we ban accounts that break them repeatedly. Given that we've had to warn you half a dozen times now, it's time for you to review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and fix this.

Re: Why the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn't be dismissed

#60

Post by tshaddox » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:53 PM UTC

bugzz wrote: post #56

waynesonfire wrote: post #52

This is definitely not my area of expertise but: role of furin cleavage site in covid: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0184-0 "In fact, no influenza virus with a furin cleavage site has ever been found in nature," https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435492/ Where did this mutation come from?

It's never been found in an influenza virus in nature, but covid isn't an influenza virus. Is this never found in coronaviruses in nature?

From that second link:

> Although they only emerge under artificial conditions in influenza viruses, these furin cleavage sites are found within several branches of the coronavirus family tree. However SARS‐CoV‐2 is the only lineage B coronavirus found with one, and the only other coronaviruses known to have them are only at most 60% identical to this novel coronavirus.