An appeal for an open scientific debate about the proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2

One year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the origin of SARS-CoV-2 still eludes humanity. Early publications firmly stated that the virus was of natural origin, and the possibility that the virus might have escaped from a lab was discarded in most subsequent publications. However, based on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2021-05
Main Authors: Jacques van Helden, Butler, Colin D, Canard, Bruno, Achaz, Guillaume, Graner, François, Segreto, Rossana, Deigin, Yuri, Colombo, Fabien, Morand, Serge, Casane, Didier, Sirotkin, Dan, Sirotkin, Karl, Etienne Decroly José Halloy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Columns (structural)
COVID-19
Documents
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Viral diseases
Viruses
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:One year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the origin of SARS-CoV-2 still eludes humanity. Early publications firmly stated that the virus was of natural origin, and the possibility that the virus might have escaped from a lab was discarded in most subsequent publications. However, based on a re-analysis of the initial arguments, highlighted by the current knowledge about the virus, we show that the natural origin is not supported by conclusive arguments, and that a lab origin cannot be formally discarded. We call for an opening of peer-reviewed journals to a rational, evidence-based and prejudice-free evaluation of all the reasonable hypotheses about the virus' origin. We advocate that this debate should take place in the columns of renowned scientific journals, rather than being left to social media and newspapers.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2105.07865