New bat coronavirus with furin cleavage site reignites COVID lab-leak debate
A newly reported bat betacoronavirus carrying a furin cleavage site is being read as fresh evidence against the lab-leak hypothesis, sparking a heated online debate.
What to know
- A newly reported bat betacoronavirus carries a functional furin cleavage site, a feature once considered unusual evidence for a lab-engineered origin of SARS-CoV-2.
- Commenters are split: many argue this naturally occurring feature undercuts the lab-leak hypothesis, while others point to China's restricted lab access and destroyed records as reason for continued suspicion.
- The conversation is heavily politicized, with commenters linking the origin debate to partisan blame over pandemic response and the 2024 US election.
The dispute Whether China's blocked lab access and destroyed records constitute meaningful evidence for a lab leak, or are irrelevant given the phylogenetic and epidemiological case for zoonotic spillover. · positions read across 70 posts and comments
The new finding, combined with prior evidence, shows COVID-19 had a natural zoonotic origin and the lab-leak theory lacks evidence.
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“There was never any evidence of a #COVID lab accident.”
limelightonyou.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
China's refusal to grant lab access or share samples/documentation means the lab-leak possibility can't be dismissed regardless of the science.
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“The most compelling evidence was China blocking access to both labs and destroying samples and documentation there. 🤷♂️”
testeria.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The lab-leak theory is a right-wing/political construction used to scapegoat China and deflect blame for pandemic deaths.
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“Republicans love to try and scare us. The GOP constantly uses fear, violence, scapegoats, and blame in their politcal propaganda.”
limelightonyou.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
princess-vimentin.bsky.social Bluesky poster who shared the Chemistry World articleShi Zhengli Virologist at the Wuhan Institute of VirologyMichael Worobey Professor of evolutionary biology cited by a commenter
Rand Paul US Senator referenced in discussion as a lab-leak proponent
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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Online debate splits into political and scientific camps
Comments under the post rapidly diverge between those citing the finding as settling the origin question in favor of zoonotic spillover and others maintaining that China's lack of lab transparency keeps the lab-leak theory alive.
“There was never any evidence of a #COVID lab accident.”
— limelightonyou.bsky.social, Bluesky commenter · source -
There was never any evidence of a #COVID lab accident. Republicans love to try and scare us. The GOP constantly uses fear, violence, scapegoats, and blame in their politcal propaganda. They wanted to blame China. China is not our enemy, however.
2 more of the top 3 · 67 posts in this stretch
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I’m sure Rand Paul will be issuing a heartfelt apology any moment now. 😊
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The China theory of Covid origination was setup courtesy of Trump to prove he wasn’t to blame for a million American deaths which could’ve been cut in half with masks. Trump exercised genocide right here at home. How the fuck did we re-elect him for a second term?
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Commenter clarifies what the new finding actually shows
A follow-up comment from the original poster explains the finding demonstrates that a functional furin cleavage site can exist in a distantly related, naturally occurring bat betacoronavirus, not that it definitively rules out other origin scenarios.
“The finding simply shows that a functional furin cleavage site, responsible for the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 can be present in a bat betacoronavirus found in nature that is phylogenetically distant from Sars-CoV-2.”
— princess-vimentin.bsky.social -
P
This is noteworthy. Again, no compelling evidence supports the COVID lab leak theory. The furin cleavage site present in SARS-CoV2 was perceived as unusual, fueling the lab leak theory. But now we understand that other bat betacoronaviruses have it. 🧪
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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www.nature.com/articles/s41... The finding simply shows that a functional furin cleavage site, responsible for the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 can be present in a bat betacoronavirus found in nature that is phylogenetically distant from Sars-CoV-2. That is the point.
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as a scientist this conspiracy will continue as China closed access to Wuhan labs and never allowed independent monitors to enter in 2020. One can explain all the science based furin cleavage etc but for an average voter unless China gave a detailed access to its BSL 4 lab in wuhan .. its a lab leak
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background
Bluesky post frames finding as undercutting lab-leak theory — A widely shared Bluesky post argues the discovery shows the furin cleavage site can occur naturally in wild bat coronaviruses, concluding 'no compelling evidence supports the COVID lab leak theory.'
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background
Chemistry World reports new bat coronavirus with furin cleavage site — An article in Chemistry World describes discovery of a bat betacoronavirus, phylogenetically distant from SARS-CoV-2, that carries a functional furin cleavage site, a feature previously seen as unusual and used to support the lab-leak hypothesis.
What people are saying 19 voices from 1 site · best of 70 · verbatim
- Does the new bat coronavirus finding definitively rule out a lab-related origin, or only show the furin cleavage site can occur naturally?
- Would independent access to Wuhan Institute of Virology records change the scientific consensus?
- Sep 19
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Lol So many people don’t understand why the lab leak theory is weak, watery, tepid sauce.
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The only exercise conspiracy theorists get is from jumping to conclusions.
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I can say it. It is easier to simply recreate smallpox and much more deadly.
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I don’t like to say I told you so, but I told you so. Bats are vectors for hundreds of thousands of viruses. They just are. Science.
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For a deep dive into this issue here is an entertaining and informative podcast: podcasts.
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There is more evidence supporting the zoonotic origins than an a lab leak. There is no credible evidence that it was genetically engineered.
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lol no. The fact that the WIV is 10 miles from the wet market is circumstantial. It is possible to get more evidence of the zoonotic origins without asking China to cooperate.
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The most compelling evidence was China blocking access to both labs and destroying samples and documentation there. 🤷♂️
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Lab Leak is Conjecture. An its more about the idea that they made it, and leaked it, on purpose. Another rightwing fantasy that has nothing to do with a legitimate conversation.
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Michael Worobey, professor of evolutionary biology, proved that covid originated at the open air market place, even found it in samples taken from the cages.
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The bats are getting even for humans using pesticides to kill their food source. Just saying. 😎
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Viruses constantly mutate, and some make it further than others. An infinite experiment of gain of function. Every day in the world there are crossover events into other species and individuals. You don’t need a lab. We live on the largest lab in our solar system.
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Because one third of eligible voters actively chose to stay home and not vote. They are each as responsible for Thump’s election as any Magat.
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A time will come when the sane will just leave them behind.
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A 2024 study published in the Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society used molecular docking simulations to test 12 musk compounds against the main protease (\(3\text{CL}^{\text{pro}}\)) of SARS-CoV-2. Musk compounds like vulcanolide and androstenol demonstrated much better binding stability
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no evidence, or factual proof would ever convince maga.
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Anti Vaxxers: “this is a psyop by WHO, CCP, Wu Tang Clan, and Bill Gates to undermine freedom….”🤡 Let’s stop enabling them, and instead call out & address the underlying diagnosis for anti vax lunacy fueled by bots: Yes I’m calling out organized psychiatry for moral cowardice. Do your job!
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The scary thing is they accuse others of the very same things they do themselves be that cheating in elections, pedophilia, and ya I think they would be evil enough to generate a horrible new illness.
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But that’s the issue. The viral sequences in Shi Zhengli’s lab at the WIV don’t match the samples from the wet market.