Lab Leak or Not? How Politics Shaped the Battle Over Covid’s Origin

A lab leak was once dismissed by many as a conspiracy theory. But the idea is gaining traction, even as evidence builds that the virus emerged from a market.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #science-and-technology, #united-states-politics-and-government, #viruses, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china, #your-feed-science

What We Know About the Lab Leak Theory and the Origins of Covid

Scientists and spy agencies have tried for years to determine where the coronavirus originated. Conclusive evidence is hard to come by, and the nation’s intelligence officials are split.

#animals, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #china, #classified-information-and-state-secrets, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #energy-department, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #wildlife-trade-and-poaching, #wuhan-china, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china

Covid Origins Hearing Opens With Arguments for Lab Leak Theory

At its first public hearing, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic plunged into the politically charged debate over the origins of the virus.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #house-of-representatives, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #redfield-robert-r, #republican-party, #united-states-politics-and-government

Hearing on Covid’s Origins Promises Politics Mixed With Substance

In advance of a hearing on Wednesday expected to focus on the lab leak theory, House Republicans took aim at Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, whom they have long vowed to investigate.

#andersen-kristian-g, #brad-wenstrup, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #fauci-anthony-s, #house-of-representatives, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #national-institute-of-allergy-and-infectious-diseases, #research, #select-subcommittee-on-the-coronavirus-pandemic, #united-states-politics-and-government, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china

Could the Next Blockbuster Drug Be Lab-Rat Free?

Alternatives to animal testing are gaining momentum.

#animal-abuse-rights-and-welfare, #animals, #drugs-pharmaceuticals, #food-and-drug-administration, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #your-feed-health, #your-feed-science

Two Different Versions of ‘Cancel Culture’

Scott Adams and the lab-leak theory of Covid.

#cancel-culture, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #internal-sub-only-nl, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment

We’ve Been Talking About the Lab-Leak Hypothesis All Wrong

When are we going to get more serious about the highest-security labs?

#accidents-and-safety, #china, #conspiracy-theories, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #deaths-fatalities, #disease-rates, #fauci-anthony-s, #genetic-engineering, #internal-sub-only-nl, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #science-and-technology, #united-states, #united-states-politics-and-government

Where Did Covid Originate? Here’s What We Know and Don’t Know

Scientists and spy agencies have tried to determine where the coronavirus originated, but conclusive evidence is hard to come by and the nation’s intelligence agencies are split.

#animals, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #china, #classified-information-and-state-secrets, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #energy-department, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #wildlife-trade-and-poaching, #wuhan-china, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china

China Dismisses Latest Claim That Lab Leak Likely Caused Covid

The response came after the Energy Department concluded with “low confidence” that the coronavirus emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #energy-department, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #viruses, #wuhan-china

N.I.H. Leader Rebuts Covid Lab Leak Theory at House Hearing

Now in the majority, House Republicans are eager to scrutinize the Biden administration’s Covid policies and the origins of the virus, as a hearing on Wednesday demonstrated.

#califf-robert-m, #centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #ecohealth-alliance, #food-and-drug-administration, #house-committee-on-energy-and-commerce, #house-of-representatives, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #national-institutes-of-health, #republican-party, #tabak-lawrence-a, #united-states-politics-and-government, #walensky-rochelle, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china

N.I.H. Did Not Properly Track a Group Studying Coronaviruses, Report Finds

An internal federal watchdog said that the health agency had not given adequate oversight to EcoHealth Alliance, which had been awarded $8 million in grants.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #ecohealth-alliance, #fauci-anthony-s, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #national-institute-of-allergy-and-infectious-diseases, #national-institutes-of-health, #nonprofit-organizations, #research, #united-states-politics-and-government

What Do We Owe Lab Animals?

The standard ethical guidelines encourage minimizing the use of, and harm to, animals used in research. Some experts propose an additional courtesy: repayment.

#animals, #clinical-trials, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research

A New Strategy for Preventing Fentanyl Overdoses: Testing Drugs

Machines that examine samples of drugs can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but experts say they are an increasingly vital tool in stemming overdoses.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #fentanyl, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #opioids-and-opiates, #tests-drug-use, #united-states-politics-and-government, #university-of-north-carolina

Could I Survive the ‘Quietest Place on Earth’?

Legends tell of an echoless chamber in an old Minneapolis recording studio that drives visitors insane. I figured I’d give it a whirl.

#audio-neutral-immersive, #audio-neutral-informative, #ears-and-hearing, #internal-sub-only, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #minneapolis-minn, #noise

Lab Manipulations of Covid Virus Fall Under Murky Government Rules

Mouse experiments at Boston University have spotlighted an ambiguous U.S. policy for research on potentially dangerous pathogens.

#boston-university, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #epidemics, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #national-institutes-of-health, #national-science-advisory-board-for-biosecurity, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #research, #science-and-technology, #your-feed-science

When You Step Inside This Lab, You Must Whip It

By studying the movements of volunteers cracking bullwhips, scientists sought to understand the manipulation of nonrigid and wobbly objects.

#brain, #bullwhips, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #royal-society-open-science-journal, #tools, #your-feed-science

Russia’s Unfounded Claims of Secret U.S. Bioweapons Linger On and On

Without providing evidence, the Kremlin is pressing allegations that the U.S. operates labs in Ukraine and beyond. This week, it has called an investigative session in Geneva.

#biological-and-chemical-warfare, #conspiracy-theories, #international-relations, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #propaganda, #putin-vladimir-v, #rumors-and-misinformation, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #security-council-un, #united-states-international-relations, #war-and-armed-conflicts

To Prevent a Martian Plague, NASA Needs to Build a Very Special Lab

The likelihood is low that bringing rocks to Earth from the red planet will make us sick, but the space agency isn’t taking any chances.

#epidemics, #extraterrestrial-life, #hazardous-and-toxic-substances, #heating-ventilation-and-cooling-hvac, #internal-sub-only, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #mars-planet, #microbiology, #national-aeronautics-and-space-administration, #perseverance-mars-rover, #research, #space-and-astronomy

Octopuses Don’t Have Backbones — or Rights

As cephalopods become more important in neuroscience and other fields, scientists and welfare advocates seek to give the smart animals the same protections as mice and monkeys.

#animal-abuse-rights-and-welfare, #animal-behavior, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #fish-and-other-marine-life, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #octopus, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #research, #science-and-technology, #your-feed-animals, #your-feed-science

The Mysterious Dance of the Cricket Embryos

A team of biologists and mathematicians studied hours of video to learn how insects take shape in the egg. The secret is geometry.

#anatomy-and-physiology, #biology-and-biochemistry, #crickets, #di-talia-stefano, #donoughe-seth, #evolution-biology, #extavour-cassandra, #hoffmann-jordan-mathematician, #internal-sub-only, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #mathematics, #microbiology, #nakamura-taro, #rycroft-christopher, #your-feed-animals, #your-feed-science

Need for Speed Spurs Demand for Move-In-Ready Buildings

As vacancies for industrial space tighten, developers are building warehouses and labs on speculation, hoping a tenant will lease the space when construction is done.

#buildings-structures, #factories-and-manufacturing, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #real-estate-commercial, #supply-chain, #warehouses

The U.S. May Be Losing the Fight Against Monkeypox, Scientists Say

Longstanding weaknesses in the public health system are giving the virus a chance to become entrenched.

#disease-rates, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #monkeypox, #sexually-transmitted-diseases, #tests-medical, #vaccination-and-immunization, #your-feed-science

To Fight Monkeypox, Remember the Lessons of Covid and H.I.V.

How to keep another epidemic at bay this summer.

#homosexuality-and-bisexuality, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #monkeypox, #tests-medical, #vaccination-and-immunization

The Search for a Model Octopus That Won’t Die After Laying Its Eggs

A lab in Massachusetts may have finally found an eight-armed cephalopod that can serve as a model organism and assist scientific research.

#animal-abuse-rights-and-welfare, #animal-behavior, #animal-cognition, #brain, #genetic-engineering, #genetics-and-heredity, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #marine-biological-laboratory, #octopus, #research, #your-feed-animals, #your-feed-science

Russian Scientists Face Isolation Following Invasion of Ukraine

International collaborations are unraveling as researchers, including many in Russia, speak out against the invasion of Ukraine.

#cern, #geneva-switzerland, #higgs-boson, #intergovernmental-panel-on-climate-change, #international-congress-of-mathematicians, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #large-hadron-collider, #linde-andrei-d, #particle-accelerators, #physics, #rabinovici-eliezer, #russia, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #space-and-astronomy, #thorne-kip-s, #ukraine, #war-and-armed-conflicts, #your-feed-science

Theory About U.S.-Funded Bioweapons Labs in Ukraine Is Unfounded

Prominent conservative voices have mischaracterized remarks from American officials to amplify baseless claims promoted by Russian state media.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #biological-and-chemical-warfare, #carlson-tucker, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #nuland-victoria-j, #russia, #ukraine, #united-states

Will We Soon Be Eating Chicken Grown From Animal Cells?

Here’s an early taste of the laboratory-grown meat that companies are racing to bring to market, and a look at the questions it raises about how we feed ourselves.

#andres-jose-1969, #audio-neutral-immersive, #audio-neutral-informative, #crenn-dominique, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #meat, #poultry, #upside-foods-inc

You Don’t Need a Spaceship to Grow ‘Weird Little’ Martian Radishes

Scientists on this planet have worked out a variety of techniques to simulate the conditions of other worlds that are near and very far.

#laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #mars-planet, #moon, #national-aeronautics-and-space-administration, #research, #space-and-astronomy, #stars-and-galaxies, #titan-saturn-moon

Covid-19 At-Home Testing and PCR, Rapid Testing Questions: What to Know

Facing long lines and shortages of home test kits during the latest surge, people are searching for answers about Covid tests.

#content-type-service, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-omicron-variant, #coronavirus-risks-and-safety-concerns, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #medicine-and-health, #parties-social, #proteins, #quarantines, #spitting-expectoration, #tests-medical, #vaccination-and-immunization

C.D.C. Virus Tests Were Contaminated and Poorly Designed, Agency Says

An internal review documented two serious flaws in the test kits, which were distributed to public health laboratories in early 2020.

#centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #tests-medical, #your-feed-health, #your-feed-science

Omicron Is a Dress Rehearsal for the Next Pandemic

America’s response to the variant highlights both how much progress we have made over the past two years — and how much work remains

#bright-rick-a, #centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention, #chiu-charles, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-delta-variant, #coronavirus-omicron-variant, #coronavirus-risks-and-safety-concerns, #genetics-and-heredity, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #microbiology, #san-francisco-calif, #sewers-and-sewage, #tests-medical, #topol-eric-j, #vaccination-and-immunization, #your-feed-health, #your-feed-science

The Variant Hunters: Inside South Africa’s Effort to Stanch Dangerous Mutations

Scientists in a cutting-edge laboratory do part of the work. Local health workers on foot do the rest.

#acquired-immune-deficiency-syndrome, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-omicron-variant, #immune-system, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #south-africa, #vaccination-and-immunization

How a Lab in Nebraska Is Tracking the Spread of Omicron

More states are finding cases of the new variant. Tracking its spread, experts say, is key to understanding what threat it poses.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-delta-variant, #coronavirus-omicron-variant, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #omaha-neb, #united-states, #university-of-nebraska

You Should Be Afraid of the Next ‘Lab Leak’

Covid might not have come out of a medical research lab, but it raises some urgent questions about how those facilities operate.

#2021-tech-and-design, #accidents-and-safety, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #epidemics, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #viruses

C.D.C. Says ‘Smallpox’ Vials Found in Lab Did Not Contain Disease-Causing Virus

In a new statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vials found in a Pennsylvania lab contained vaccinia, the virus used in the smallpox vaccine.

#centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #merckcompany-inc, #pennsylvania, #smallpox

Key takeaways from Week 10 of the Elizabeth Holmes trial.

Two former lab directors testified about some of the inner workings of Theranos.

#computers-and-the-internet, #frauds-and-swindling, #holmes-elizabeth-1984, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #tests-medical, #theranos-inc

Submarine Spy Case: Couple Stewed Over Money and Politics

Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, charged with trying to sell classified nuclear secrets to a foreign power, struggled with finances, family and the state of America.

#computer-security, #content-type-personal-profile, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #federal-bureau-of-investigation, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #nuclear-energy, #submarines-and-submersibles, #toebbe-diana, #toebbe-jonathan, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #washington-navy-yard-washington-dc

Couple in Submarine Spy Case Stewed Over Money and Politics

Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, charged with trying to sell classified nuclear secrets to a foreign power, struggled with finances, family and the state of America.

#computer-security, #content-type-personal-profile, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #federal-bureau-of-investigation, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #nuclear-energy, #submarines-and-submersibles, #toebbe-diana, #toebbe-jonathan, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #washington-navy-yard-washington-dc

Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Key Moments From Week 6

Testimony addressed the question of whether Theranos was misleading and deceiving big corporations to get money.

#balwani-ramesh, #carreyrou-john, #computers-and-the-internet, #drugs-pharmaceuticals, #falsification-of-data, #frauds-and-swindling, #holmes-elizabeth-1984, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #safeway-inc, #start-ups, #supermarkets-and-grocery-stores, #tests-medical, #theranos-inc, #walgreen-co

Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Key Moments From Week 4

A Theranos lab director emerged as key prosecution witness during testimony focused on problems with the company’s blood tests.

#computers-and-the-internet, #frauds-and-swindling, #holmes-elizabeth-1984, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #start-ups, #tests-medical, #theranos-inc

Covid Rapid Test Prices: How a Law Allows Labs to Charge Any Price

Insurers say it’s price-gouging, but a law left an opening for some labs to charge any price they wished.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #health-insurance-and-managed-care, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #law-and-legislation, #price-gouging, #prices-fares-fees-and-rates, #tests-medical

This Lab Charges $380 for a Covid Test. Is That What Congress Had in Mind?

Insurers say it’s price-gouging, but a law left an opening for some labs to charge any price they wished.

#coronavirus-2019-ncov, #health-insurance-and-managed-care, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #law-and-legislation, #price-gouging, #prices-fares-fees-and-rates, #tests-medical

How Biology is Getting a Technological Makeover

The story of Ginkgo Bioworks shows the challenges and progress in the emerging field of synthetic biology.

#biotechnology-and-bioengineering, #computers-and-the-internet, #genetic-engineering, #ginkgo-bioworks-inc, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #start-ups, #synthetic-biology, #venture-capital

Intelligence Review Yields No Firm Conclusion on Origins of Virus

Declassified portions of a report presented to President Biden revealed divisions among federal agencies over whether the virus came from a lab leak or natural processes.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #federal-bureau-of-investigation, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #national-intelligence-council, #office-of-the-director-of-national-intelligence, #wuhan-china, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china

Exoskeleton Suits: A New Device to Help You Walk and Run Better

Scientists are developing devices and clothing that make running and walking easier and more enjoyable.

#laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #legs, #muscles, #research, #running, #science-journal, #stanford-university

Scientists Press Case Against the Covid Lab Leak Theory

In a review of recent studies and comparisons to other outbreaks, a group of virologists contends that there is more evidence to support a natural spillover from animals to humans.

#animals, #bats, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #nature-medicine-journal, #sars-severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome, #wuhan-institute-of-virology-china, #your-feed-science

The Warnings About the Coronavirus That Were Ignored

Even if the coronavirus did not emerge from a lab, the groundwork for a potential disaster had been laid for years, and learning its lessons is essential to preventing others.

#bats, #china, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-risks-and-safety-concerns, #daszak-peter, #genetic-engineering, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #sars-severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome, #shi-zhengli, #wildlife-trade-and-poaching, #wuhan-china

Scientist Finds Early Coronavirus Sequences That Had Been Mysteriously Deleted

By rooting through files stored on Google Cloud, a researcher says he recovered 13 early coronavirus sequences that had disappeared from a database last year.

#bats, #computers-and-the-internet, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #disease-rates, #genetics-and-heredity, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #wildlife-trade-and-poaching, #your-feed-science

Scientist Finds Early Virus Sequences That Had Been Mysteriously Deleted

By rooting through files stored on Google Cloud, a researcher says he recovered 13 early coronavirus sequences that had disappeared from a database last year.

#bats, #computers-and-the-internet, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #disease-rates, #genetics-and-heredity, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #wildlife-trade-and-poaching, #your-feed-science

Covid Lab-Leak Theory Renews “Gain-of-Function” Research Debate

Talk of ‘gain-of-function’ research, a muddy category at best, brings up deep questions about how scientists should study viruses and other pathogens.

#avian-influenza, #bats, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #laboratories-and-scientific-equipment, #research, #science-and-technology, #united-states-politics-and-government, #viruses, #your-feed-science