Muddying debate on COVID-19 origin distracts from real research By ZHANG ZHIHAO | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-07-16 06:48 Share Illustration by Qianli From genetic signatures to personal testimonies, evidence is growing to support the theory that the COVID-19 virus emerged from nature, while the lab leak hypothesis remains unsubstantiated, according to studies and scientists. Last week, 21 scientists from universities and research institutes around the world published a critical review on the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 on the preprint server Zenodo. The paper, which is still awaiting peer review, examined existing scientific literature on the two hypotheses. Citing the history of emerging diseases, epidemiological data and genomic information, it concluded that a substantial body of scientific evidence points to a zoonotic origin of the virus, while there is currently no credible evidence of a lab leak. The Wuhan Institute of Virology in Hubei province has been put forward by some scientists and Western governments as a possible source of the coronavirus.