Chat message

Slack / Private Message Drop, pp.854-855 [SLACK_001068] · slack_pm:msg:08888

Date: 2021-05-22 06:39
Type: chat message · slack
recipient: Kristian G. Andersen, Edward C. Holmes, Andrew Rambaut
speaker: Robert F. Garry
Topics: Gain-of-function research Lab-leak / accidental release hypothesis Wuhan Institute of Virology collaboration

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My response to Betsy McKay at WSJ: It's a big deal - in terms of the origins "debate." It's a major arrow taken from the quiver of lab leak proponents and snapped into bits. Bloom, Chan and other Science letter signees have make a major issue that Shi had not released these mine virus sequences. The DRASTIC krewe even more obsessive regarding the mine viruses. The repeat of the claims of acover-up are likely coming (cue ominious questions: why not release sooner/are the sequences now fake?). Seems to me that Shi herself had enough and put the sequences out there.It shows that WIV was not covering up a mine virus that was closer to SC2. Like RatG13 none of the new viruses could have been used to engineer SC2 (make a chimera) or derive SC2 by other types of "GoF research." The mine viruses are interesting, but not a priority [so many viruses, so little time]. The paper confirms that that even among related sarbecoviruses there is a lot of diversity in spike, particularly [butpredictably based on other CoVs] around the S1/S2 junction where SC2 has the FCS.

Extracted statements

Rule-extracted, not adjudicated. The grade says what may be done with each one; read the document above before relying on any of them.

Statement	Grade	Attribution	Stance
Like RatG13 none of the new viruses could have been used to engineer SC2 (make a chimera) or derive SC2 by other types of "GoF research." The mine viruses are interesting, but not a priority [so many viruses, so little time].	quoted / not their view	quoted_external inside quotation marks	asserts

Statement

Grade

Attribution

Stance

Like RatG13 none of the new viruses could have been used to engineer SC2 (make a chimera) or derive SC2 by other types of "GoF research." The mine viruses are interesting, but not a priority [so many viruses, so little time].

quoted / not their view

quoted_external inside quotation marks

asserts

In context

A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.

2021-05-22 06:33 Robert F. Garry open

RaTG15 Spike - 658 DITKARTSSTPA 669 S1/S2 junction - haven't run the analysis but guessing that there are O-linked glycan sites.
2021-05-22 06:39 Robert F. Garry

My response to Betsy McKay at WSJ: It's a big deal - in terms of the origins "debate." It's a major arrow taken from the quiver of lab leak proponents and snapped into bits. Bloom, Chan and other Science letter signees have make a major issue that Shi had not released these mine virus sequences. The DRASTIC krewe even more obsessive regarding the mine viruses. The repeat of the claims of acover-up are likely coming (cue ominious questions: why not release sooner/are the sequences now fake?). Seems to me that Shi herself had enough and put the sequences out there.It shows that WIV was not covering up a mine virus that was closer to SC2. Like RatG13 none of the new viruses could have been used to engineer SC2 (make a chimera) or derive SC2 by other types of "GoF research." The mine viruses are interesting, but not a priority [so many viruses, so little time]. The paper confirms that that even among related sarbecoviruses there is a lot of diversity in spike, particularly [butpredictably based on other CoVs] around the S1/S2 junction where SC2 has the FCS.
2021-05-22 06:50 Kristian G. Andersen open

This is good. And worth adding - not only did they not cover up these sequences, they're continuing to try and figure out where these viruses come from and how we can be safer in the future.
2021-05-22 06:54 Kristian G. Andersen open

For the unsurprising DISTRACT take on these sequences, look no further https://twitter.com/franciscodeasis/status/1395898890294026243?s=21
2021-05-22 06:56 Kristian G. Andersen open

"Likes" of that thread includes Sharri Markson...
2021-05-22 07:12 Robert F. Garry open

DRASTIC should be considered part of the Murdock media empire - the really dark part - so is the WSJ - the WSJ news division though including Betsy McKay is relatively isolated and have been pretty balanced on C19. Editorial page - not so much.

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