Covid-19

Military lab changed mission statement after report questioned value of its work

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The Army’s premier biolab changed its mission statement after a 2014 report by high-ranking officials concluded its work has become less useful since its Cold War heyday and no longer delivers medical products for service members. The report, which had not been previously released, was obtained through a state public records request by U.S. Right … Military lab changed mission statement after report questioned value of its work

Junk food makers heavily target Blacks and Latinos

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In the United States, health disparities in nutrition and obesity, often deriving from structural racism, correlated closely with the alarming racial and ethnic disparities related to Covid-19. Structural inequalities across U.S. society contribute to this problem, including unequal access to fresh healthy foods, unequal access to health care, socioeconomic factors and excess exposure to toxic … Junk food makers heavily target Blacks and Latinos

Preprint: COVID-19 shows ‘fingerprint’ of laboratory engineering

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COVID-19’s genome shows signs consistent with genetic manipulation, according to a new preprint.

Virologists push back on more regulation of viruses made more lethal in the lab

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Virologists pushed back on the possibility of tighter regulation of viruses tweaked in the lab to be more lethal at a public meeting Wednesday. An enhanced pandemic potential pathogen is a virus or microbe that has gained increased transmissibility — capacity to spread from person to person and reverberate throughout a population — or virulence … Virologists push back on more regulation of viruses made more lethal in the lab

How Fauci, scientists with ties to Wuhan lab persuaded the intelligence community COVID had a natural origin

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Scientists with connections to the Wuhan Institute of Virology — including Anthony Fauci — steered the U.S. national security state away from hypotheses about the origins of COVID-19 that could implicate their research, emails obtained through FOIA show.

Scientists discussed masking their involvement in key journal letter on Covid origins, emails show

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EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak, the head of an organization involved in research that genetically manipulates coronaviruses, discussed hiding his role in a statement published last year in The Lancet that condemned as “conspiracy theories” concerns that the COVID-19 virus may have originated in a research lab, emails obtained by US Right to Know show. … Scientists discussed masking their involvement in key journal letter on Covid origins, emails show

EcoHealth Alliance orchestrated key scientists’ statement on “natural origin” of SARS-CoV-2

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Update 2.15.21 – Newly surfaced Daszak email: “No need for you to sign the ‘Statement’ Ralph!! ” Emails obtained by U.S. Right to Know show that a statement in The Lancet authored by 27 prominent public health scientists condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin” was organized by employees of … EcoHealth Alliance orchestrated key scientists’ statement on “natural origin” of SARS-CoV-2

Three State Department cables

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On May 24, 2021, the U.S. State Department released more records in response to our FOIA lawsuit. These may be of interest: “PRC claims of COVID transmission via cold chain food imports growing”: A November 18, 2020 State Department cable expressed skepticism of Chinese state media claims that SARS-CoV-2 was transmitted via imported cold chain … Three State Department cables

Coronavirus Food News Tracker: Best articles on the pandemic and our food system

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Covid-19 is exposing serious problems with our food system. In this post, U.S. Right to Know is tracking important food news news related to the coronavirus pandemic.To receiveweekly updates and breaking news from the USRTK investigations, please sign up for our newsletter. Topics (drop links) Most Recent Articles Obesity and Coronavirus Eating Ultra-processed Food Increases … Coronavirus Food News Tracker: Best articles on the pandemic and our food system

New emails show scientists’ deliberations on how to discuss SARS-CoV-2 origins 

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Newly obtained emails offer glimpses into how a narrative of certainty developed about the natural origins of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, while key scientific questions remained. The internal discussions and an early draft of a scientists’ letter show experts discussing gaps in knowledge and unanswered questions about lab origin, even as some sought to tamp … New emails show scientists’ deliberations on how to discuss SARS-CoV-2 origins 

No peer review for addendum to prominent coronavirus origins study?

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Photo Credit: @BillyBostickson

The journal Nature did not assess the reliability of important claims made in a November 17 addendum to a study on the bat-origins of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, correspondence with Nature staff suggests. On February 3, 2020, Wuhan Institute of Virology scientists reported discovering the closest known relative of SARS-CoV-2, a bat coronavirus called RaTG13. … No peer review for addendum to prominent coronavirus origins study?

Altered datasets raise more questions about reliability of key studies on coronavirus origins

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Revisions to genomic datasets associated with four key studies on coronavirus origins add further questions about the reliability of these studies, which provide foundational support for the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 originated in wildlife. The studies, Peng Zhou et al., Hong Zhou et al., Lam et al., and Xiao et al., discovered SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses in horseshoe … Altered datasets raise more questions about reliability of key studies on coronavirus origins

Chinese scientists sought to change name of deadly coronavirus to distance it from China

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In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of scientists affiliated with China’s government tried to distance the coronavirus from China by influencing its official naming. Nodding to the fact the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, the scientists said they feared the virus would become known as the “Wuhan coronavirus” or … Chinese scientists sought to change name of deadly coronavirus to distance it from China

Chinese-linked journal editor sought help to rebut Covid-19 lab origin hypothesis

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The editor-in-chief of a scientific journal with ties to China commissioned a commentary to refute the hypothesis that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab, according to emails obtained by U.S. Right to Know. The commentary reinforced a scientific narrative of certainty about natural origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, just a … Chinese-linked journal editor sought help to rebut Covid-19 lab origin hypothesis

Wuhan lab director ordered staff not to discuss Covid-19, State Department cable says, citing blogger

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The director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) ordered staff in January 2020 to “not discuss COVID-19,” according to a Guangzhou-based blogger’s social media post that is cited in a February 2020 U.S. State Department cable obtained by U.S. Right to Know. The WIV is at the center of debate surrounding the origins of … Wuhan lab director ordered staff not to discuss Covid-19, State Department cable says, citing blogger

Items from coronavirus expert Ralph Baric‘s emails 

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This page lists documents in Professor Ralph Baric’s emails, which U.S. Right to Know obtained via a public records request. Dr. Baric is a coronavirus expert at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC). He has developed genetic techniques to enhance the pandemic potential of existing bat coronaviruses in collaboration with Dr. Zhengli Shi … Items from coronavirus expert Ralph Baric‘s emails 

Validity of key studies on origin of coronavirus in doubt; science journals investigating

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By Carey Gillam Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, scientists have searched for clues about what led to the emergence of its causative agent, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Uncovering the source of SARS-CoV-2 could be crucial for preventing future outbreaks. A series of four high profile studies … Validity of key studies on origin of coronavirus in doubt; science journals investigating