Origins of covid

Gain of function research, zoonosis, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and truth over tribe

When the pandemic first spread beyond China there was a straightforward message from scientific elites: the virus came from a wild animal accidentally spilling over into humans, and any suggestion it might have instead been manipulated in a lab and then escaped was a quasi-racist conspiracy theory. However, as the years have gone on this has been shown to have been, at best, wildly premature. We now know there is plenty of evidence which actually points away from an evolutionary coincidence and towards human error in a virology lab. The exact question of covid’s origins remains unresolved, and is probably unknowable, but the way the debate has fluctuated and been managed since January 2020 is both fascinating and concerning. How have virologists been genetically tweaking existing animal coronaviruses, and is it safe? Why did the scientific establishment close ranks to shut down questions about lab leaks and research in Wuhan? And how can Christians uphold the value of truth-telling, no matter the geopolitical consequences, in this era of febrile culture war?

  • This New Yorker article is an excellent investigation into the debate over the origins of covid
  • This New York magazine investigation from January 2021 was one of the first mainstream sceptical accounts of zoonosis to appear
  • This British Medical Journal article covers the way lab leak theory went from crackpot fringe conspiracy theory to serious possibility
  • The original February 2020 statement discounting a lab leak in The Lancet
  • This Unherd piece explores the leaked private messages between scientists as they pulled together the influential Nature article which resoundingly dismissed the lab leak theory

Listen to other episodes of Matters of Life and Death or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Castbox or whatever app you use to subscribe and receive new episodes sent straight to your device.

Tags
Most read posts
What can we learn from how the early church lived out their faith during their own pandemics?
How are young people different to those who came before, and what can we learn from them?
Navigating the transitions of later life
Living faithfully as we approach retirement, dependence, dementia and death
This Bill is the wrong approach - there is a better way to give individuals and their families dignity at the end of life
Recent posts
Low-tech transhumanism through something as commonplace as cosmetic surgery, is already with us
Our working and personal lives are becoming increasingly infiltrated by simulated persons
Are social media and smartphones ruining children’s mental health?
Spiritual warfare, evil and technology in the 21st century
After the Cass Report, how can Christian parents navigate the fast-changing world and culture of gender medicine?