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Slack / Private Message Drop, pp.906-907 [SLACK_001120] · slack_pm:msg:09412

Date: 2021-06-02 15:14
Type: chat message · slack
recipient: Kristian G. Andersen, Robert F. Garry, Edward C. Holmes
speaker: Andrew Rambaut
Topics: Furin cleavage site and molecular features

Recipients on this medium are inferred from channel membership, not per-message addressing.

Sorry - I have been out of the loop working on B.1.617.2. But I agree Eddie - it is got quite far from what we were thinking it should be. Everyone keeps saying 'keep it tight' and then adding more stuff in. I think we should not mention manipulation - no furin site, no passaging, nothing - that is all dumb and has been dealt with. I think itshould just address how implausible it is for it ever to get to the lab to escape in the first place and how plausible the animal route is. The one thing we need to nail is the 'lab escape is plausible' shit that serious scientists are signingup to.

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
I think we should not mention manipulation - no furin site, no passaging, nothing - that is all dumb and has been dealt with.	needs context	uncertain explicit hedge	instructs

Statement

Grade

Attribution

Stance

I think we should not mention manipulation - no furin site, no passaging, nothing - that is all dumb and has been dealt with.

needs context

uncertain explicit hedge

instructs

In context

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

2021-06-02 14:47 Robert F. Garry open

In other new it looks like the MOMA might actually let me use The Persistence of Memory along with my commentary The Persistence of Ebola regarding @Andrew Rambaut et al. sequencing paper on the newest Guinean Ebola outbreak coming out in _Nature_. Other good news - the mystery of the "thing" in PoM is solved - seems to be a bat - maybe a hammerhead bat. [shared file(s): image.png, image.png]
2021-06-02 14:50 Edward C. Holmes open

I'm having doubts about the wisdom of our new letter: (i) it's crap - SO depressing that I spent ages cutting it down for it to be readded; (ii) it's late; (iii) there's so much hate out there that people will be reluctant to sign and I can't say I'm keen to get back in the firing line; (iv) what will it actually achieve - people have made their minds up.
2021-06-02 14:59 Kristian G. Andersen open

We'll get it back in shape, I'm sure. Let's decide on next steps once we have it - I very much think it's worthwhile tohave it out there for something to point to.
2021-06-02 15:00 Kristian G. Andersen open

I have a lot of urgent shit to deal with today, but I'll have some time tomorrow (hopefully...) to go through it - I think itcan be brought back to life and the full version history is saved.
2021-06-02 15:14 Andrew Rambaut

Sorry - I have been out of the loop working on B.1.617.2. But I agree Eddie - it is got quite far from what we were thinking it should be. Everyone keeps saying 'keep it tight' and then adding more stuff in. I think we should not mention manipulation - no furin site, no passaging, nothing - that is all dumb and has been dealt with. I think itshould just address how implausible it is for it ever to get to the lab to escape in the first place and how plausible the animal route is. The one thing we need to nail is the 'lab escape is plausible' shit that serious scientists are signingup to.
2021-06-02 15:32 Robert F. Garry open

Agreed! - that's where your capture-escape definition is helpful. Capturing the next pandemic virus, then getting infected is hard [and much less likely than 1 of 14M wildlife traders getting infected]. Escape also rare, but not impossible - that is why the Lab leakers focus on that. Throw in capture-manipulate-escape (still being pushed bythe likes of eDim, Yuri etc) and its a slam dun it didn't happen. [shared file(s): What Did Fauci Tell Trump About Wuhan_ - WSJ.pdf]
2021-06-02 15:36 Robert F. Garry open

eDim - might be feeling a little overly cocky these days. [shared file(s): image.png]
2021-06-02 15:36 Robert F. Garry open

He's talking about Fauci and Collins here.
2021-06-02 15:36 Edward C. Holmes open

Jon Cohen's story had nothing to do it for me - I don't even remember seeing it

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