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Old 25th February 2021, 12:34 AM   #105
Skeptic Ginger
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Originally Posted by angrysoba View Post
More than a decade ago?

What do you think 13 in RaTG13 stands for? It is the year the sample was collected - 2013.
I believe you are referring to COVID, not SARS. From the Nature Abstract:
Quote:
Among the many questions unanswered for the COVID-19 pandemic are the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and the potential role of intermediate animal host(s) in the early animal-to-human transmission. The discovery of RaTG13 bat coronavirus in China suggested a high probability of a bat origin.


SARS OTOH: https://www.cdc.gov/about/history/sars/timeline.htm
Quote:
April 14 2003: CDC publishes a sequence of the virus believed to be responsible for the global epidemic of SARS. Identifying the genetic sequence of a new virus is important to treatment and prevention efforts. The results came just 12 days after a team of scientists and technicians began working around the clock to grow cells taken from the throat culture of a SARS patient.
That was more than a decade ago.
Quote:
Jan 2004 anuary 13: CDC issues “Notice of Embargo of Civets.” A SARS-like virus had been isolated from civets (captured in areas of China where the SARS outbreak originated). CDC banned the importation of civets. The civet is a mammal with a catlike body, long legs, a long tail, and a masked face resembling a raccoon or weasel. The ban is currently still in effect.


Originally Posted by angrysoba View Post
If you say so...
Link
Here is a BBC write-up of the discovery:
Link
This is what you said:
Originally Posted by angrysoba
However, as I posted previously, the types of coronaviruses that share almost all of the genetic make-up of SARS Cov2 are found over wide areas of China, South-East Asia and even in Japan (probably elsewhere as well). We have no reason for thinking that the one that orginated in Yunnan is the one that has emerged as SARS Cov2. There could likely be several areas from which it broke out. ...
This is what the Nature article says:
Quote:
Although the origin of the virus remains unresolved, our study extended the geographic distribution of genetically diverse SC2r-CoVs from Japan and China to Thailand over a 4800-km range.
So which is it: genetically diverse CoVs or "coronaviruses that share almost all of the genetic make-up of SARS Cov2"?

91% is not "almost all". We share 99% of our genome with chimpanzees.

It's a well established fact there are related viruses in many bat species and especially in horseshoe bats. Of course they are all over the country and beyond. And of course a natural event as opposed to a lab accident is possible. You seem to think I have ruled that out. I haven't. You don't need to go on trying to convince me it could have been a natural event.

Unless you have some evidence that infected pangolins or bats were teeming in the Wuhan area, none of what you are saying changes the significant coincidence COVID emerged near the Wuhan lab.



As far as the Face Saving culture, you're on your own. I am not going to write you a term paper on the subject which is very well known. You don't want to believe it? Fine, don't. Not my problem.
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