‘It’s way beyond just science’: untangling the hunt for Covid’s origins – podcast

Three years after much of the world was forced into Covid lockdowns, the precise origins of the virus are still hazy, and the hunt is bringing scientists into confrontation with political forces that many are not prepared forOne of the most compelling clues as to the origins of a once-in-a-century pandemic was uploaded without announcement – without being noticed for weeks – on a scientific database. And then, just as suddenly, it vanished from public view.The genetic data, from swabs taken at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, in the weeks after Covid-19 first emerged, was available online for only a few weeks: just long enough for a Parisian scientist tostumble upon it while working from her couch on a Saturday afternoon earlier this month.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Presented by Michael Safi with Ian Sample and Florence D ébarre; produced by Eli Block and Adam Bransbury; executive producer Phil Maynard Tags: Coronavirus Science China UK news World news Infectious diseases Source Type: news