I am going to respond to Dr Rasmussen's questions as honestly as I can here. But first I thank the wise people in my life who reached out to me, reminded me of the ultimate goal of finding the #OriginOfCovid and advised me to take the high road. x.com/angie_rasmusse…
I waded into #OriginOfCovid without knowing the kind of mess I would get in for writing a single line in a preprint that the virus might have come from nature or it might have come from a lab. A year later, I wrote VIRAL: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19 with @mattwridley
Half of the money I've made from the book has been donated to charity (non-political). I have not accepted $ for doing #OriginOfCovid research despite several offers. Thankfully the publication and open access fees were waived for my peer reviewed paper. academic.oup.com/mbe/article/39…
I am honored to be part of a Taskforce that looks into how pathogen research can be made safer and more transparent. There is no compensation tied to this role. This Taskforce and conference do not discuss #OriginOfCovid but the much larger issue of lab-based outbreaks.
Over the past 2.5 years, some virologists have tried unsuccessfully to assert that I am not qualified to comment on #OriginOfCovid or have an agenda. The attacks have gotten worse and worse despite the lab leak hypothesis becoming more widely accepted. x.com/ayjchan/status…
Over the past 2.5 years, some virologists have tried unsuccessfully to assert that I am not qualified to comment on #OriginOfCovid or have an agenda. The attacks have gotten worse and worse despite the lab leak hypothesis becoming more widely accepted. x.com/ayjchan/status…
A major development was the release of FOIA'ed emails in 2021 revealing that the highly influential Proximal Origin letter dismissing a lab #OriginOfCovid as implausible had come out of discussions with funders & collaborators of the Wuhan scientists + gain-of-function advocates.
After the emails were released, the 1st author of Proximal Origin deleted ~5,000 tweets before deactivating his twitter account. Among others, I called for the release of the unredacted emails so the public might understand how they changed their minds about lab #OriginOfCovid
This summer, data was accidentally released revealing that a senior author of Proximal Origin had collaborated with the Wuhan scientists suspected of being involved in the #OriginOfCovid on the study of novel SARS-like viruses. x.com/ayjchan/status…
This summer, data was accidentally released revealing that a senior author of Proximal Origin had collaborated with the Wuhan scientists suspected of being involved in the #OriginOfCovid on the study of novel SARS-like viruses. x.com/ayjchan/status…
I pointed out that this clear conflict of interest should have been declared in the #OriginOfCovid papers this scientist had authored. x.com/ayjchan/status…
I pointed out that this clear conflict of interest should have been declared in the #OriginOfCovid papers this scientist had authored. x.com/ayjchan/status…
I guess it's very challenging for the Proximal Origin authors and their friends to understand why a junior researcher who isn't getting paid for #OriginOfCovid research aside from VIRAL would spend so much time advocating for an investigation and safer pathogen research...
... why would I put myself in harm's way and endure years of abuse from these virologists? Why did I make this decision long before the prospect of writing a book? It's because I want to know how this pandemic started and I don't think politics should prevent science.
There is no person in the shadows funding and advising me on #OriginOfCovid My funders have never been involved in discussions about my manuscripts. I have no ties to the wildlife trade or virus hunting. The same cannot be said for Proximal Origin.
@Ayjchan Doing science should be about being willing to engage in a fierce yet honorable clash of ideas, not about abusing power to stifle and smear your opponents. I think you are a great scientist.
@Ayjchan Grateful for your work, Alina. You have been balanced, thorough, and thoughtful in your analyses. History will be the judge of these events, and what a “COI” actually looks like.
@Ayjchan 👆this. This is why I follow you. You are one of the only people doing this.
@Ayjchan She unfairly smears anyone’s entire reputation she doesn’t agree with, she won’t keep comments on to have an actual discussion after causing drama and blocking people and then demands you give her whatever she wants. Bravo for taking the high road. She doesn’t deserve it.
@Ayjchan hopefully the gangsters of proximal origin will eventually be exposed and brought to justice.