
Scientists “Firmly Determine” That SARS-CoV-2 Was Not Engineered - elorant
https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/scientists-firmly-determine-that-sars-cov-2-was-not-engineered-332244
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ThrowawayR2
Why not simply link to the original Nature article?
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9#Sec4](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9#Sec4)

" _It is improbable that SARS-CoV-2 emerged through laboratory manipulation of
a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus. As noted above, the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 is
optimized for binding to human ACE2 with an efficient solution different from
those previously predicted7,11. Furthermore, if genetic manipulation had been
performed, one of the several reverse-genetic systems available for
betacoronaviruses would probably have been used19. However, the genetic data
irrefutably show that SARS-CoV-2 is not derived from any previously used virus
backbone20. Instead, we propose two scenarios that can plausibly explain the
origin of SARS-CoV-2: (i) natural selection in an animal host before zoonotic
transfer; and (ii) natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer. We
also discuss whether selection during passage could have given rise to SARS-
CoV-2._ "

Note the use of the word "improbable" rather than "firmly determine".

