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 your findings don't fit into what some people want. So some "scientists" prosecute you. simple as that.
@Ayjchan If it was proven that it originate from Wuhan lab, financed by the US, would US and China be liable for damage reparation in an international trial like Nuremberg ?
@Ayjchan We respect and support you, Alina!
@Ayjchan Excellent. Thanks Alina. We all know who Angie Rasmussen is and she is a toxic presence with an obvious agenda. She has blocked me and many others only for asking legitimate questions.
@Ayjchan Doesn't really answer the who, what, when, now does it? Nor book proceeds, etc? Nor why there is no Viral book disclosure for Pathogens... You should release all related emails.
@Ayjchan Biology incl microbiology is a complex form of chemistry, many states run secret bio-labs, maybe it is better and safer to not investigate and find the answer of origin. Place it the whole picture too, see the global agenda and look back at the management of it.
@Ayjchan You're awesome. We need more of this type of academic activism. It's the only way to counter-balance all the disproportionate influence yielded by those with well-funded agendas. Stay strong, we need you!