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Crits-Christoph Study Links COVID-19 Origins to Wuhan Market, Raccoon Dog DNA Found

Sep 19, 2024, 05:31 PM

A new scientific paper by Crits-Christoph et al., published in the journal Cell, has sparked significant debate regarding the origins of COVID-19. The study presents genetic evidence suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic most likely originated from a natural spillover from animals sold in the Huanan market in Wuhan, China. This conclusion is supported by the presence of raccoon dog DNA in the market samples. However, the paper has faced criticism for its methodology and conclusions. Some scientists, including those from the Proximal Origin group, have refuted the study's findings, arguing that the pandemic started with Lineage A, while early market cases were all Lineage B. Additionally, there are calls for an investigation into the paper for potential scientific misconduct, with concerns raised about sampling bias and errors in the phylogenetic tree. The publication has also been linked to Kristian Anderson, a scientist who previously suggested in private that the virus could have come from a lab, but publicly supported the natural spillover theory.