Special Lab Leak Roundtable Discussion

Hey everyone,

This is a bit of a special release that we want to keep behind the Guru curtain until it is edited up with the intro and outro.

But we can trust you guys, right?

So in response to all the discussion around lab leaks we arranged an interview with three leading experts on the topic.

You have:

Kristian Andersen: a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, with joint appointments in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, and at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Over the past decade, his research has focused on the complex relationship between host and pathogen. Using a combination of next-generation sequencing, field work, experimentation, and computational biology he has spearheaded large international collaborations investigating the emergence, spread and evolution of deadly pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus, Ebola virus, West Nile virus, and Lassa virus. His work is highly cross-disciplinary and exceptionally collaborative.

Eddie Holmes: known for his work on the evolution and emergence of infectious diseases, particularly the mechanisms by which RNA viruses jump species boundaries to emerge in humans and other animals. He currently holds an NHMRC Leadership Fellowship and is Professor of Virology at the University of Sydney. He moved to the University of Sydney in 2012. He has studied the emergence and spread of such pathogens as SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, dengue virus, HIV, hepatitis C virus, myxoma virus, RHDV and Yersinia pestis.

and

Michael Worobey: Department Head, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona. His research taps into the genomes of viruses, using molecular and computational biology, to understand the origins, emergence and control of pandemics. He has made discoveries pinpointing, for example, where, when and how HIV originated and spread worldwide and how influenza pandemics, including the intense 1918 pandemic, emerge and kill large numbers of people. Recently, his interdisciplinary work on SARS-CoV-2 has shed light on how and when the virus originated and ignited the COVID-19 pandemic in China and how SARS-CoV-2 emerged and took hold in North America and Europe.

Current research includes (1) SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology and evolution from local to global scales, (2) work at the intersection of viral evolution and immunology with both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, (3) influenza vaccines, and (4) pandemic preparedness and prevention.

They have all published on the topic of covid origins, all are targets for conspiracy theorists, and all have in various ways examined the evidence for and against a lab leak.

We think this discussion is important and we will add an intro and outro to introduce the topic and participants and edit for clarity.

But this is the Patreon so you get the full unedited interview.

Feedback and comments welcome. Enjoy!