Title
The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review
Journal
Cell 184(19):4848-4856 (2021)
Authors
Holmes EC, Goldstein SA, Rasmussen AL, Robertson DL, Crits-Christoph A, Wertheim JO, Anthony SJ, Barclay WS, Boni MF, Doherty PC, Farrar J, Geoghegan JL, Jiang X, Leibowitz JL, Neil SJD, Skern T, Weiss SR, Worobey M, Andersen KG, Garry RF, Rambaut A
Abstract
Since the first reports of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, there has been intense interest in understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in the human population. Recent debate has coalesced around two competing ideas: a ‘‘laboratory escape’’ scenario and zoonotic emergence. Here, we critically review the current scientific evidence that may help clarify the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Media Coverage
Science – Call of the Wild – Why Many Scientists Say It’s Unlikely That SARS-CoV-2 Originated From a “Lab Leak”
New York Times – A Group of Scientists Presses a Case Against the Lab Leak Theory of Covid
BBC News – Covid Origins: Scientists Weigh up Evidence Over Virus’s Origins
BBC News (podcast) – Covid Origins: The Science
Bloomberg News – COVID Origins Mirror SARS’s Genesis in Animals, Study Finds
CNN – Coronavirus Almost Certainly Came From an Animal, Not a Lab Leak, Top Scientists Argue