But how would you know what a consensus would look like if you don’t know what sequences would make up the source material? We would have to know all the sequences in possession of the WIV, and we don’t.

There is a discussion about your paper over on X. One comment concerns the proposal to construct a consensus genome in Defuse. If the SARS-CoV-2 sequence is a synthetic sequence based on a consensus of other closely related natural CoVs, how would that impact your conclusions?

Yes, there are differences and certainly not proof of a lab origin. But it demonstrates a plausible molecular path for evolution of key features/residues in serial passage, no? Disregarding the identity of the backbone, wouldn’t you expect a similar evol. pattern for the FCS in a SARS-like virus?

Bumping this up for @kgandersen.bsky.social and @eddieholmes.bsky.social to comment on. What are your thoughts on this analysis by Andreas Lisewski?

What about Jesse Bloom? George Gao? Ralph Baric?

That isn’t quite accurate, is it? There are many scientists who say «we don’t know», no?

Are you willing to follow your own advice and correct the record regarding the origins of the Covid pandemic? To acknowledge that the question is far less settled than what has been communicated based on the scientific evidence?