Covid-19 was not manmade or genetically modified (Intelligence Community) | Hacker News Reader

Covid-19 was not manmade or genetically modified (Intelligence Community)

dni.gov

19 pointskaisix9 comments

Actual title is: Intelligence Community Statement on Origins of COVID-19

In any case, the conclusion seems likely, as a guess, but this is impossible to determine for certain. A virus is ultimately just a genetic sequence--they don't come with the signature of the author or a version history.

Furthermore, not being man-made or genetically modified is not the same as not being accidentally released from a lab (one perhaps doing rather dangerous experimentation).

This people never would lie to US, would they?

I've seen this reported and passed around as though it's news - wasn't it clear that it's not manmade?

The most important theory (outside zoonosis from the wet market, which has evidence against it) seems to be whether it was an accidental lab release. Judging by Chinese actions, this seems like a plausible explanation. They reacted very strongly around the labs during the outbreak, suggesting there could have been issues there.

Considering there were state dept. cables about the safety of the lab, it's not a crazy idea at all.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-dep...

If the conspiracy theories are orchestrated, then the obvious meta-conspiracy-theory would be that the source of the conspiracy theories released the virus in the market, while it was found or developed elsewhere.

And I don't mean the CIA. Someone who doesn't like China, or the US, and is good at propaganda and public opinion manipulation.

I wonder during the decline of the Roman Republic or Empire if people also gravitated more towards superstitions, cults, conspiracy theories, and other forms of magical thinking.

They did - there were a lot of mystery religions and cults that sprung up throughout the later parts of the empire. It's more obvious though in the days of the last Romanovs, or the late Weimar republic. As official life becomes more opaque, corrupt and secretive, people tend to internalize this as their model for understanding the world.

Does “man-made” include “man-altered”?

Serious question, not trying to start a geopolitical war.

The reason I ask is that it seems somewhat trivial for a well funded organization to runs generations of a germ through multiple hosts. A (bad) analogy would be like Gregor Mendel and cross breeding plants.

Im not a biologist, hence the question. (Although I did cross-breed a hot pepper with a bell pepper when I was a kid, but that was by accident!)

If the intelligence community thought it was man made I really doubt they would announce it to the general public.

Is there greater depth explained on their scientific findings?

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