moth

bzz

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

Lab leak fears deepen: Audit finds NIH did not keep tabs on Wuhan lab

Government report says NIH failed to keep tabs on Wuhan lab where US taxpayer-funded grants were used for coronavirus research years before pandemic

https://t.co/v4Ll3WTkWu

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

Structural basis of Rho-dependent transcription termination

(New paper by our laboratory.)

https://t.co/1QEEEBm56y

[moth @maccabeecheese]

@WashburneAlex I'm also more optimistic about our long-term relationship with pathogens. There will be more devastating mistakes but I don't think it can stop us.

[moth @maccabeecheese]

@WashburneAlex I've always thought the "solution" was just a very very low probability of abiogenesis. The massive size of the universe doesn't exclude extraordinarily rare events that happen once every 1bn / 10bn / 100bn years. It wouldn't surprise me to learn abiogenesis is that rare.

[Ed Balkovic, PhD @DrMicrobe]

AGREE 💯💯💯 Along w/ Congressional hearings with subpoenas, we still need a full honest multi-day Scientific Conference w/ scientists presenting all sides of COVID19 arguments. FULL Q&A. Complete broadcast on @cspan. This is a role for @WHO, @CDCgov, @FDACBER, @US_FDA etc.

[Alexander Kruel @XiXiDu]

Your frequent reminder that the world could have defeated climate change in the 1980s if all industrialized nations had followed France's lead.

[Emily Kopp @emilyakopp]

Are virologists capable of examining whether virology sparked the pandemic?

They’ve shown us – The Lancet letter, "Proximal Origin," the omissions of Peter Daszak (who is pals with this author) – that they're not.

When do we stop acting like suckers?

https://t.co/38jttQr0lk

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

Meanwhile, NIAID is suspending, in toto, its main funding mechanism for antibiotic discovery and preclinical development, the Centers of Excellence in Translational Research.

(NIAID-OD apparently prefers to fund the construction of new potential pandemic pathogens.)

[Sotonye @cybersygh]

This is nuts

[Alina Chan @Ayjchan]

The lab #OriginOfCovid hypothesis does not require that no natural spillovers of SARS-like viruses occur or that 0 SARS-like viruses have furin cleavage sites in nature.

It asks why a rare SARS-like virus + FCS emerged where scientists proposed putting FCSs in SARS-like viruses.

[Bryce Nickels @Bryce_Nickels]

EcoHealth Alliance has received 100s of millions of $ from US taxpayers b/c Peter Daszak said they could prevent pandemics. Instead, Peter's organization funded work at the Wuhan Inst. Virology that may have caused the COVID-19 pandemic. But Peter isn't too bothered...
(1/n)

[Faye Flam @fayeflam]

This historical view with @R_H_Ebright shows we should be glad that Republicans have seen the error of their ways. Dual use biodefense/medical research was pushed by Dick Cheney. Obama was right to impose a pause. Trump was wrong to reverse it: https://t.co/QmV31IccFU

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

https://t.co/hBujcD6PyW reports that EcoHealth Alliance, despite possibly having caused the pandemic and definitely having repeatedly and gravely violated terms of a US-government grant, currently has 12 active US-government grants and contracts, totaling more than $34 million.

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

EcoHealth, the US organization that worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology to construct novel SARS-related coronaviruses with 10,000x enhanced viral growth and 4x enhanced lethality, received new $3 million US Department of Defense grant in December.

https://t.co/nKwP5Rao6X

[Alina Chan @Ayjchan]

Forms of intimidation a scientist can expect to face if they publicly ask for an investigation of a lab #OriginOfCovid

1. Accused of encouraging racist right-wing conspiracy theorists

2. Accused of being an unqualified grifter

3. Retaliation in academia

4. Threats+harassment

[moth @maccabeecheese]

@bethbourdon @kenklippenstein Thanks so much for getting this info. I'm curious, in the response to your request, do they provide reasons for the redactions? Is it possible to appeal them?

[Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein]

I obtained a highly classified military intelligence assessment under FOIA re the origins of COVID-19 from 2020. Seems the intel community was just as confused as the rest of us, though much remains redacted.

Thanks to my lawyer @bethbourdon (follow her!) for her help with this

[Richard H. Ebright @R_H_Ebright]

COVID: summary of lab-origin hypothesis:

1) Pandemic caused by bat SARS-like coronavirus emerged in Wuhan--city 1,000 km from nearest wild bats with SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses, but that contains labs conducting world's largest research program on bat SARS-like coronaviruses.

[Alina Chan @Ayjchan]

My opinion in @AMIposts
Instead of grappling only with the fact that scientific research might have caused this pandemic, we now also have to contend with whether & how members of the scientific community have suppressed inquiry into a laboratory origin.
https://t.co/XB4jGSgJBr