Baric Transcribed Interview (Redacted) — page 58

DC.Scheduling@LexitasLegal.com extremely unlikely that there was any evidence of genetic engineering of the virus, but that they had trouble distinguishing between natural evolutionary processes in cell culture versus animals. And that became sort of the consensus, that it evolved by natural evolutionary processes. MS. SALAZAR: And then what else did they discuss. Natural origin, that it evolved naturally? DR. BARIC: Well, that's natural origin process that either occurs through nature or natural evolutionary processes that might occur in cell cultures. They're really hard to tell apart. MS. SALAZAR: I'm not a scientist, so natural origin, to me genetically engineered or accidental release? And correct me. DR. BARIC: So accidental release would have fallen under the category of natural evolutionary processes in cell culture. MS. SALAZAR: That could have been adapted in the lab. DR. BARIC: That's correct. MS. SALAZAR: And so that was the focus of the call. But it sounds like you didn't speak. DR. BARIC: That's correct. MS. SALAZAR: It's surprising because you're an expert in this field.