Some CONSPIRACY THEORISTS think the virus was secretly created in a lab, or it’s some sort of biological weapon. (Maybe they’ve just seen the movie “Outbreak” too many times.) But a study this week proved it’s not true. Here’s how . . .
When someone does want to make a biological weapon, they start by using the “backbone” of a virus that’s already known to make people sick. Then they tweak it.
So the first part of the study compared the molecular structure of the virus with other viruses. And they found its “backbone” is just much, much different than the other coronaviruses we’ve seen before. Like SARS and MERS.
In other words, the basic building blocks aren’t the same. And that wouldn’t happen with something made in a lab.
They also looked at how things called “spike proteins” evolved. They’re the part of the virus that make it stick to healthy human cells and infect them. And the spike proteins in it are so good at what they do, there’s just no way the virus could be man-made.
The researchers say all that stuff combined proves this virus is the, quote, “product of natural evolution.” So what REALLY happened?
Well, they think it evolved in one of two ways: It either mutated into its current form in animals, then jumped to humans. Or it jumped to us . . . laid dormant for a while . . . and THEN mutated into a virus that knows how to attack our cells and spread.
This isn’t according to just one person, by the way. Co-authors on the study include researchers at Columbia . . . Tulane . . . the Scripps Research Institute in California . . . and the University of Sydney.
(Of course, some people will try to claim all those experts are just in on the cover-up, and none of this proves anything. But if that’s really what you think, please take 20 minutes and read the Wikipedia page on conspiracy theories . . .)
(It gives you a good base knowledge on the psychology behind why that type of thinking is such an easy . . . and dangerous . . . trap to fall into.)
