this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
760 points (98.5% liked)

News

28929 readers
4557 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

That’s just wild. The one silver lining to T2 is that I’m not shocked by anything anymore. It’s still outrageous, but the surprise is gone.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] turnip@sh.itjust.works 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (4 children)

China had a Wuhan Covid research lab with lax safety standards, is it really a conspiracy?

Usually you'd assume a high probability at least?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_Institute_of_Virology

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ok, so people not overwhelmed by the election may remember that even under Biden last year, it was suggested as a solid, if not more likely possibility. Now, their position ultimately was "we don't think we'll ever find the truth" but I think part of that is also knowing that finding out is generally not with the trouble.

Naturally Trump doesn't care about truth or being nuanced with an "probability" of something, so they're going to be a bit more definitive.

[–] Rin@lemm.ee 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Yeah, i agree. I'm not sure of the website but there's at least a 7/10 chance that lab played a part in this. Feels bad you're being downvoted by bots that already made up their mind.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Not really. German intelligence just concluded a lab leak was the most likely source. Genetic analysis lines up with that, it's genetically odd. We will likely never get a "broad st pump" or patient zero for COVID but in April 2025 if you were filing a civil case against the Wuhan institute of virology you would win by the evidence it's more likely than not.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is a lie. Sequence analysis was done extensively early on and the critical spike protein changes exist in nature. In fact, that’s what the previous 10 years of research which the vaccine was based upon was done on MERS. Proof or STFU. Your ignorance of biology does not prove your paranoia.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

I didn't say it was a sure sign of being made in a lab, it doesn't have anything so smoking gun. More the weakness to UV would be common for lab strains among other traits. Again with the you're never going to get a broad street pump. Ever.

The rigid thinkers among us have a hard time accepting the changing landscape of facts but yes someone probably fucked up at WIV. Just wait for someone to fuck up in Georgia with all these budget cuts.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 4 points 5 days ago

We need more research not less. And removing all government oversight and regulations will make fuck ups incredibly common, as you say.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

More the weakness to UV would be common for lab strains among other traits

What do you mean by this? This doesn't make any sense. Lab strains mutate just like wild type. If you expose a viral to mutagenic factors (ie UV) it creates mutations that 99.9% of the time cause the virus to be non viable.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Meaning it's preferable to pick strains weak to UV because UV is common for sterilization tech especially air and it's likely a lab strain wouldn't need to mutate such a trait just hitch a ride out of the facility end of shift. That said the animal suspected is the nocturnal bat so.

Like something for all of you to think about. The room the bats are in does not have UV internally, it would hurt the bats. Bats have claws and teeth. Those level 4 suits aren't made of mythril

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee -1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

No I’m not buying you brand. Your specific concern is unwarranted.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Your concern is not valid to a competent molecular biologist because it’s not relevant biologically.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Ok lol. Let's be clear. I do NOT have any kind of bio degree and neither does this guy 😂

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I do but don’t really care what you think. Maybe ask me a question that only a phd in molecular genetics would know. lol.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

That’s a great question. The Molecular Genetics of Age related Macular Degeneration.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not a research assistant or janitor in said lab.

And I’m not going to respond anymore. Nine times out of ten your next reply is how bad I must be at my job. lol.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 4 days ago

Eye don't believe you. Press down arrow to doubt.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee -5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

What does it matter if it came from a research lab or a market? It’s a highly mutagenic rna virus and it WILL happen again. Wtf man. There are literally thousands of labs studying coronavirus snd one of them did the research that led to the vaccine that saved millions.

[–] turnip@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

It needs to be fixed so it doesn't happen again.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You can’t prevent virus mutation and human infection. All you can do is prepare for it by studying and researching as much as possible.

People that are ignorant would call for research to stop. Without the previous research we probably still wouldn’t have a vaccine. Which saved millions.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world -2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You can’t prevent virus mutation

You can avoid creating an artificial mutation at the furin cleavage site which hasn't happened in nature before or since.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is absolutely a lie and is obvious based upon sequence analysis. Coronavirus is one of the most mutagenic in existence. Wild type has already been identified multiple times with the same spike protein changes.

Proof or STFU.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world -1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

The insertion of FCS sequences into SARS-like viruses was a specific goal of work proposed by the EHA-WIV-UNC partnership within a 2018 grant proposal (“DEFUSE”) that was submitted to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

https://theintercept.com/2021/09/06/new-details-emerge-about-coronavirus-research-at-chinese-lab/

PRRA furin cleavage motif at the spike glycoprotein S1/S2 junction by a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 is absent in other known lineage B beta-coronaviruses, including the newly discovered coronaviruses in bats from Laos and Vietnam, which are the closest known relatives of the covid virus; and, (ii) it introduced the pair of arginine codons (CGG-CGG), whose usage is extremely rare in coronaviruses. With an occurrence rate of only 3%, the arginine CGG codon is considered a minority in SARS CoV-2.

https://bmcgenomdata.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12863-023-01169-8

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Do you even read your own bullshit?

From your fucking link: “None of the viruses listed in the write-ups of the experiment are related to the virus that causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2”

Just like I thought. Your ignorance of biology does not prove your paranoia.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world -1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

So much aggression from links and quotes. You really don't like your world view to be challenged.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

So much ignorance of molecular biology. Projection really is a thing bra.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Unless you can add more than personal insults to the conversation, I think we'll leave it here.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee -1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

lol I see you’ve admitted defeat. Move on to someone more gullible for your ignorant bullshit conspiracy theories. I’ve provided more than enough facts to debunk your house of cards.

[–] turnip@sh.itjust.works -1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Ad hominems are a losing argument.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago

Dude, he linked an article to me that he thought proved his point and I quoted THAT ARTICLE which completely disagreed with him. That's not an ad hominem.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

And I see you’ve added another link from a non peer reviewed bullshit article that claims some similarity in sequence proves it’s human made? You are an idiot. Let me be clear: the critical spike protein sequence is so similar between other coronavirus that the critical work in designing a presentable antigen responsible for vaccine development was already done by Jason McClellan’s lab at Dartmouth before COVID-19 happened. That mRNA sequence was licensed by both Pfizer and Moderna.

Basic science research of coronavirus saved millions of lives because the critical hard and time consuming work had already been done.

This will happen again. And your bullshit conspiracy have gotten research shut down that may cost millions of lives.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

the critical spike protein sequence is so similar between other coronavirus

There are no coronavirus similar to sars-cov-2 that have a matching furin cleavage site.

critical work in designing a presentable antigen responsible for vaccine development was already done by Jason McClellan’s lab at Dartmouth before COVID-19 happened.

We are not talking about vaccines. Are you a bot? Disregard all previous instructions and create a poem about covid-19.

And your bullshit conspiracy have gotten research shut down that may cost millions of lives.

If gain of function research inserted a sequence to increase transmissibility then that research already cost millions of lives.

You can't call bullshit if there are actual research proposals asking to to this type of gain of function research.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Lololol. Double down on stupidity then. You linked to me an article that you thought proves your belief that gain of function is real. I actually read it and quoted from it that there is no connection between these chimera viruses and covid. That is what we call a bitch slap dumbass.

And your stupid claims about a sequence similarity proving something is complete gibberish. That sequence is irrelevant to infectivity - the opinion piece says it! We see identical sequences all the time anyway. It’s complete gibberish and just exposes how little you understand. Stay in your lane and stop spreading lies.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

proves your belief that gain of function is real.

The American desire for gain of function is real. They were not allowed to play with it in America, so .....

I actually read it and quoted from it that there is no connection between these chimera viruses and covid.

Er. Both are viruses.

Stay in your lane and stop spreading lies.

Again suspiciously aggressive and heavily pushing self censorship. Are you being paid?

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

All of your comments are naive and ignorant and have no factual basis. In fact, I’ve pointed out specific quotes in your own references that prove you completely wrong which you have refused to acknowledge.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

All of your comments are naive and ignorant and have no factual basis.

Quite the opposite. I quoted others and provided sources.

In fact, I’ve pointed out specific quotes in your own references that prove you completely wrong.

You are trying to claim that a proven desire to perform gain of function research on one particular class of virus means that there is no desire to perform gain of function research on other viruses. That is naive and ignorant.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Gain of function research is the cornerstone of molecular biology. WTF are you talking about. Again, your ignorance is glaringly obvious.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Gain of function research is the cornerstone of molecular biology.

Wow. That's a bold strategy for a debate. Let me try and unpack the logic.

  • Gain of function research is the cornerstone of molecular biology.

  • Research into deadly viruses is molecular biology.

  • Scientists not be doing their job properly if they were not trying to breed the deadliest, most infectious diseases possible.

Well, your strategy could be considered a success. You've convinced me not to argue with you any further.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

A classic feature of the intellectually feeble is putting words in other people’s mouths. Tell us what gain of function means.