Here's how Jerry describes his conversion in an article posted on his website [The lab leak theory for the origin of the Covid virus is once again deep-sixed].
Yes, I fell for a recent NYT article (June 3) by Alina Chan, a piece dismantled in the article below by infectious disease specialist Paul Offit. Chan’s piece was called “Why the pandemic probably started in a lab, in 5 key points,” and it was a long and animated op-ed. Being ignorant of the data, I took her bait and said that Chan’s article buttressed my own view that a lab-leak theory was becoming increasingly credible. (She’s a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute.)
But since I consider Offit the most credible source of information about Covid, I’ve now let go of the bait, and agree with his arguments, in the Substack article below, that a wet-market origin of the Covid virus is the best hypothesis by far.
I'm glad that Jerry has changed his mind but it's disappointing to learn that he hasn't been following the debate very closely since it's all about evolution. It's disturbing to read the comments under his article. Many of them defend and promote the conspiracy theory. It looks like Jerry's readers are not a very sophisticated bunch.
There's also a lengthy comment from Matt Ridley informing Jerry that he has been "badly misled."
- Fauci claims (incorrectly) that the lab leak conspiracy theory is not a conspiracy theory
- David Gorski (Orac) dismantles Alina Chan's lab leak conspiracy theory
- Anti-science New York Times doubles down on the lab leak conspiracy theory
- The New York Times promotes the lab leak conspiracy theory
2 comments :
most of jerry's readers with any sense quit following his blog years ago
Considering the enormity of the epidemic and its profound implications for science, medical intervention, and health policy, is this issue truly relevant, or is it merely a good talking point? I doubt that the number of posts dedicated to this issue is indicative of its significance within the wider context but I would like to be proven wrong
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