Private channel session 381

40 messages over 53m, 2020-09-14 – 2020-09-14.

A “conversation” here is an activity session — a run of messages with under 60 minutes of silence inside it. The channel had no native conversation boundaries.

2020-09-14 22:54 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.165

Can someone fill me in - what is the 'Yan Report' and why is it being given consideration?
2020-09-14 22:57 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.165

@Kristian Andersen She's the scientist who's been making the round on Fox News (and other conservative media) for months alleging that SARS-CoV-2 came from the lab. She's got decent credentials, so the right is listening. This is her report... Cherry picking and ignoring all recent data.
2020-09-14 22:59 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.165

And they say that 'ZC45' is the progenitor. Nuts.
2020-09-14 23:01 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.165

They say a lot of things... But yeah, ZC45 was the template... (they might want to look at the alignment again...)
2020-09-14 23:03 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.165

3690 nucleotide differences between ZC45 and SC2. That is a lot of engineering.
2020-09-14 23:05 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.165

"Accelerated evolution", of course. They _completely_ ignore the new pangolin and bat CoVs (since they're fake). If they had included them, all their arguments go away.
2020-09-14 23:08 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.165

I wonder what Jon's angle is then? He emailed me but with nothing but the 'report' in the email.
2020-09-14 23:10 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

Same here - I'm not sure what his angle is either, but sounds like Eddie talked to him.
2020-09-14 23:31 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.166

I just replied to say 3690 nucleotide differences.
2020-09-14 23:31 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.166

I was just about ask about how many nt differences there were between ZC45 and SC2. Thanks for that. I think Jon thinks it's shite. He noted all the ifs, buts and maybes. And the smoking gun in underlined bold font.
2020-09-14 23:31 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.166

I think they used the conspiracy theory template in Word.
2020-09-14 23:32 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

That smoking gun is present in RaTG13 as well... So hardly a smoking gun - it's a conserved sequence
2020-09-14 23:32 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.166

It is funny that they have killed RaTG13 as evidence so now have to find something else.
2020-09-14 23:33 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

[Trust me - I looked for these. Hard :wink: ]
2020-09-14 23:33 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

Yeah - it's remarkable how they dismiss all the new sequences - because they're fake. We have idiots like Alina tothank for that.
2020-09-14 23:33 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.166

Now, you see I thought that the conspiracy theory was manipulation from RaTG13 itself from miners? It's just SO hard to keep up!
2020-09-14 23:34 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

Oh, yes - of course. Followed by accelerated evolution in lungs to create SARS2
2020-09-14 23:35 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

Where it's been hiding out since that mine thingie, I'm not sure - but probably a freezer or something.
2020-09-14 23:35 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.166

Does this mean that these conspiracy theorists think the other conspiracy theorists are conspiracy theorists for suggesting that RaTG13 is real? I need to know.
2020-09-14 23:35 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.166

Nah, that's just a conspiracy theory.
2020-09-14 23:36 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.167

Just saw this - ```In fact, a Chinese BSL-3 lab (the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre), which published a Nature article reporting a conflicting close phylogenetic relationship between SARS- 35 36 CoV-2 and ZC45/ZXC21 rather than with RaTG13 , was quickly shut down for "rectification" . It is believed that the researchers of that laboratory were being punished for having disclosed the SARS-CoV-2--ZC45/ZXC21connection.``` They don't notice that that you are on that paper, Eddie?
2020-09-14 23:37 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.167

So, am I in the conspiracy or not?
2020-09-14 23:38 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.167

The rectification was for publishing the sequence, not the link to ZC45.
2020-09-14 23:40 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.167

Well, they do cite your CV, so there's that.
2020-09-14 23:40 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.167

Do I get a citation?
2020-09-14 23:40 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.167

Oh yes
2020-09-14 23:40 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.167

I'm all for it then.
2020-09-14 23:41 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.167

Ooh. Just saw this bit: ```Since many phylogenetic analyses categorize coronaviruses based on the sequence similarity of the RdRp gene only SARS-CoV-2 and ZC45/ZXC21 are separated into different groups/sub-lineages in phylogenetic studies.``` So they are saying 'they' used RdRp from a different virus to confuse phylogenetics!
2020-09-14 23:41 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.167

shared file(s): Screen Shot 2020-09-14 at 11.40.57 PM.png
2020-09-14 23:41 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.167

Then they constructed RaTG13 with that RdRp as well to act as a decoy.
2020-09-14 23:41 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.167

Fuck, that's cunning.
2020-09-14 23:41 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.167

But forgot to put the RBD or furin site in.
2020-09-14 23:42 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.168

It was a busy day - they had the lab to bleach.
2020-09-14 23:42 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.168

They put a restriction site INSIDE the furin site so they can follow the viruses over time - it's all very clever.
2020-09-14 23:43 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.168

I wonder if they encoded any secret messages in the synonymous codon usage?
2020-09-14 23:44 Andrew Rambaut open PDF p.168

"made in China"
2020-09-14 23:44 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.168

Ohhhh - maybe they put "Eddie Holmes" in there
2020-09-14 23:44 Kristian G. Andersen open PDF p.168

Now THAT"D be a smoking gun. Actually - we might want to scan to see if there's a "Made in USA" in there - that seems more likely.
2020-09-14 23:45 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.168

Made in China would be perfect. Then they'd be moaning about all the cheap foreign imports.
2020-09-14 23:47 Edward C. Holmes open PDF p.168

'Kung flu. Patent pending'.