--- type: Topic title: Proximal Origin paper description: "Drafting, review and publication of the 'Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2' paper and related messaging." tags: - topic - covid-19 document_count: 187 sources: - { id: baric_ti, resource: /sources/baric-ti.md, title: Baric Transcribed Interview (Redacted), author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2026-07-23 } - { id: diary_prequel, resource: /sources/diary-prequel.md, title: Diary Prequel Package, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2026-07-27 } - { id: fauci_diary, resource: /sources/fauci-diary.md, title: Tony's Diary Package, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2026-07-24 } - { id: fauci_intel, resource: /sources/fauci-intel.md, title: Fauci Intelligence Community Release, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2026-06-11 } - { id: gates, resource: /sources/gates.md, title: Gates Package, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2026-07-31 } - { id: letter_dni, resource: /sources/letter-dni.md, title: Chairman Paul Letter to DNI Gabbard, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release", last_modified: 2025-10-30 } - { id: reading_room, resource: /sources/reading-room.md, title: Reading Room Production, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release" } - { id: slack_pm, resource: /sources/slack-pm.md, title: Slack / Private Message Drop, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release" } generated: { by: randpaul-corpus-pipeline/1.0, at: "2026-08-01T12:42:27Z" } status: stable --- Drafting, review and publication of the 'Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2' paper and related messaging. Tagged on **187** documents. # Principal voices * [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) - 49 documents * [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) - 31 documents * [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) - 25 documents * [Sara Selgrade](/people/sara-selgrade.md) - 13 documents * [Andrew Rambaut](/people/andrew-rambaut.md) - 8 documents * [Christina Salazar](/people/christina-salazar.md) - 8 documents * [Anthony S. Fauci](/people/anthony-s-fauci.md) - 4 documents * [Christine Sizemore](/people/christine-sizemore.md) - 4 documents * [David Spiro](/people/david-spiro.md) - 4 documents * [Ralph S. Baric](/people/ralph-s-baric.md) - 4 documents * [Clare Thomas](/people/clare-thomas.md) - 2 documents * [Francis S. Collins](/people/francis-s-collins.md) - 2 documents * [Bill Gates](/people/bill-gates.md) - 1 documents * [Carole Heilman](/people/carole-heilman.md) - 1 documents * [Heidi E Avery](/people/heidi-e-avery.md) - 1 documents # Statement timeline Attributed statements in chronological order. Each is quoted verbatim and cited to its page. * **2020-05-01** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (questions): "Should we just go ahead and retract our paper?" [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-01** — [Andrew Rambaut](/people/andrew-rambaut.md) (questions): "Should just reply to the editor - 'Did you read our paper at all'." [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-01** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "Reads to me that are pissed off that they were not involved inour paper and so want to get in on the act." [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-02** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (asserts): "oppps...."One *Nature Medicine paper* further indicated that the pandemic virus shows no signs of having been engineered by scientists, another contention of conspiracy theorists." [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-22** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (asserts): "Ihave a few questions on which I would value your input related to the recent paper that you co-authored in Nature Medicine.In the first instance I was hoping for a brief background chat over the phone, but alternatively, if easier we couldconverse over email." [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-25** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (asserts): "AndersenI read with interest your paper titled, The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2, in which you conclude this is a natural, zoonotic-sourced infection." [^slack_pm] * **2020-05-25** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (questions): "Iam not sure why this obvious correlation was not at least pointed out in your paper and then addressed with acogent argument.I look forward to hearing your thoughts.Regards, Steve Steven _MD, PhD" [^slack_pm] * **2020-06-10** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (questions): "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/09/conspiracies-covid-19-lab-false-pandemic?CMP=share_bt n_tw "Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine, researchers strongly refuted the idea that the code had been purposefully manipulated." [^slack_pm] * **2020-06-10** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (reports): "Whereas the article in Nature Medicine_ _was written by senior virologists, one author, John Fredrik Moxnes, the chief scientific adviser to the Norwegian military, has already withdrawn his name from the paper cited by Dearlove - while scientists from the…" [^slack_pm] * **2020-06-11** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (asserts): "Our paper was pretty strong insaying "there's no way", but I have less confidence in that statement at this stage." [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-05** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (asserts): "Could be the straw that pushes us to Proximal Origin 2 perhaps..." [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-27** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "In addition, they completely fail to note that it was Clare that suggested Nature Medicine!!" [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-28** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "It is worth pointing out that the senior author on our paper - Bob Garry - has published a significant number of papers on coronaviruses, including on the SARS spike protein, and even commented on this on the virological.org website prior to the call taking…" [^baric_ti] * **2020-07-28** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "Importantly, our study was an evolutionary study based on genomic information, which is the only way to investigate the origins of SARS-CoV-2 - we believe all the authors on our paper have a strong demonstrated record in answering exactly those types of…" [^baric_ti] * **2020-07-28** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (reports): "We have attached our first draft of what would eventually become our paper from Feb 7, which was circulated to everyone on the call." [^baric_ti] * **2020-07-28** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "The truth is that we had a range of views among us, our paper included the pangolin data that was not available at the time of the call, and we circulated drafts of our document to everyone. 7." [^baric_ti] * **2020-07-28** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (acknowledges): "Indeed, the great irony is that 99.9% of the feedback we have received on our paper - including death threats - are people accusing us of dismissing the lab escape theory too quickly." [^baric_ti] * **2020-07-29** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (asserts): "BTW - Proximal Origins is at 4.87m accesses - seems destined to cross 5m in a few weeks, which is actually quite remarkable." [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-29** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (asserts): "We believe that RB is either Reviewer 2 of our paper, or Reviewer 2shared confidential information with RB." [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-29** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "The email makes several serious allegations, including details about a confidential and private meeting involving senior US andUK officials/scientists on a topic that is highly sensitive but ultimately led to our "Proximal Origins" paper that wesubmitted to…" [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-29** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "Clearly, individual B is either Reviewer 2 of our paper, or Reviewer 2 shared confidential information with them." [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-29** — [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md) (asserts): "It does not appear that individual B knew that you discussed the paper directly with Nature Medicine, nor does it appear that the person knew who the handling editor was at that journal (Joao).We are very sorry to have to bring this to your attention, but…" [^slack_pm] * **2020-07-30** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (acknowledges): "Rather, our aim was to carefully examine in a balanced and unbiased manner the evidence for and against a number of possible probable scenarios for the proximal origins of SARS-CoV-2.* But more importantly this reviewer feels, and we agree, that the…" [^slack_pm] * **2020-08-30** — [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md) (asserts): "Probably the most jarring COVID abstract I have read in a paper I just got for review for Nature Medicine: _"Here, from 273 COVID-19 patients, we identified six cases of reinfection based on clinical, phylogenic, virological, serological, and epidemiological…" [^slack_pm] * **2020-09-09** — [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md) (reports): "Attached please find a formal request for retraction of the Nature Medicine article, "The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2." Representatives of Nature Medicine, the Springer Group, the authors and their associated institutions, and relevant medical journal…" [^slack_pm] # Matching terms High-confidence: `proximal origin`, `nature medicine`, `the paper we wrote`, `our paper`, `andersen et al` Supporting: `draft`, `preprint`, `virological.org`, `manuscript`, `referee`, `reviewer`, `submission` # Sources [^baric_ti]: [baric_ti](/sources/baric-ti.md) [^diary_prequel]: [diary_prequel](/sources/diary-prequel.md) [^fauci_diary]: [fauci_diary](/sources/fauci-diary.md) [^fauci_intel]: [fauci_intel](/sources/fauci-intel.md) [^gates]: [gates](/sources/gates.md) [^letter_dni]: [letter_dni](/sources/letter-dni.md) [^reading_room]: [reading_room](/sources/reading-room.md) [^slack_pm]: [slack_pm](/sources/slack-pm.md)