About the Guest: Nicholas Wade is a science writer and journalist. He has has authored many popular science books and written for the New York Times, Science, and various other publications. He has been a science writer for decades.
Episode Summary: Nick Jikomes & Nicholas Wade talk about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicholas describes how this story has evolved since the start of the pandemic, and contrasts the the two main hypotheses for the origins of COVID: wildlife spillover vs. lab leak. He describes how viruses in the past (e.g. SARS1) emerged, peculiarities of the SARS2 genome, Peter Daszak & EcoHealth Alliance, Wuhan Institute of Virology, and various conflicts of interest that people have had. He describes how we don't have proof whether a wildlife spillover or a lab leak explains the origins of COVID-19, what definitive evidence would look like, and whether we are likely to resolve this mystery.
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