That’s just wild. The one silver lining to T2 is that I’m not shocked by anything anymore. It’s still outrageous, but the surprise is gone.

  • CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee
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    12 days ago

    But I thought conservatives said COVID was all made up and a plot by the democrats to control the populace through mask-wearing?

    • Nougat@fedia.io
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      12 days ago

      Note that mask-wearing only makes it so you can’t breathe if Democrats want you to do it for public health reasons. Mask-wearing is hunky dory if you’re doing it because you’re a Nazi who doesn’t want to be personally identified.

  • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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    10 days ago

    So the narrative is COVID was a dangerous lab leak - but also, you don’t have to wear a mask?

    Consistency is not a strong point of these dumbasses.

  • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    11 days ago

    Can someone help me understand what’s going on here?

    Are they trying to throw shade on China because… they think it will help win the trade war?

    • monotremata@lemmy.ca
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      11 days ago

      So, this is wild speculation, but I’ll tell you my guess. I think it’s about TSMC, the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer. China has, for years, been saying that Taiwan isn’t an independent country, but is instead “Chinese Taipei,” a part of China. They’ve been using this idea for years to gradually build towards an invasion of Taiwan. Taiwan, of course, does consider itself an independent nation. The US officially holds no position on this question, which is kinda bonkers; there’s this whole diplomatic dance about whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The US might not care if it weren’t for TSMC, which runs the plants that produce a huge proportion of the world’s CPUs and GPUs and AI chips. All the best chip-making technology and know-how is with TSMC. It’s a major vulnerability in the US supply chain.

      China has been ramping things up in the past several years. It’s suspected that a big part of why they’re going along with the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that Russia probably promised to go along with China invading Taiwan in exchange. It’s all very sub-rosa, but there’s been so much military maneuvering and posturing and so on back and forth around Taiwan that it’s been kind of dizzying.

      This is, unfortunately, part of why China was enthusiastic about getting Trump back into the White House. Trump’s policies of isolating the US from its military allies, instigating worldwide trade chaos, and cozying up to dictators make the conditions a lot more ripe for China to make a move on Taiwan. And since the US has never been able to actually talk about Taiwan before, it’s gonna look absolutely batshit to the majority of Americans if China invades Taiwan and the US government suddenly wants to go to war against China over this, which seems like a huge risk. But since, as Trump so eloquently put it, “everything is computer,” we basically can’t stand by and let China take Taiwan without a fight.

      So he’s trying to gin up sentiment against China on his own terms to lay the groundwork for a war that seems increasingly inevitable.

      • Bloomcole@lemm.eeBanned from community
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        11 days ago

        That is indeed wild speculation and sinophocic garbage

    • redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 days ago

      Not really. German intelligence just concluded a lab leak was the most likely source. Genetic analysis lines up with that, it’s genetically odd. We will likely never get a “broad st pump” or patient zero for COVID but in April 2025 if you were filing a civil case against the Wuhan institute of virology you would win by the evidence it’s more likely than not.

      • rusticus@lemm.ee
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        11 days ago

        This is a lie. Sequence analysis was done extensively early on and the critical spike protein changes exist in nature. In fact, that’s what the previous 10 years of research which the vaccine was based upon was done on MERS. Proof or STFU. Your ignorance of biology does not prove your paranoia.

  • Daggity@lemm.ee
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    11 days ago

    So… Chinese Americans (and anyone vaguely Asian looking) the next to be sent to concentration camps?

    • Bloomcole@lemm.eeBanned from community
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      11 days ago

      Sinophobia was already rampant and bipartisan.
      Deliberately fueled by the government.
      Like the embarrassing ‘spy’ balloon farce as an example.

      • Daggity@lemm.ee
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        11 days ago

        Not going to make excuses for the democrats, I am saying our nazi government needs more scapegoats, and they’re back to spreading lies about them. It’s the first step like calling all immigrants ms13.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    10 days ago

    So did it originate in a Wuhan Lab or not? I keep hearing one thing then another.

    Not trying to confuse the issue, I legitimately don’t know.

    • Doorbook@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      No one know because China are not going to admit if it was a lab leak. Also lab leaks doesn’t mean the virus is human made. However there are some un-answerd questions. There were scientists spies that got caught with sample from Canadian labs flying to China, and there was some concern about military funding and other few things that support the leak theory. However it is not conclusive evidence. So it stay at the theory level.

  • 1984@lemmy.today
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    12 days ago

    Trump is crazy but I still think its possible it was a lab leak. But of course everyone here is 100% confident it wasnt, so no point trying to discuss it.

    • ooterness@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      As a general rule: Never accuse anyone of a serious crime unless you have evidence to back it up.

  • LiveLM@lemmy.zip
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    10 days ago

    The tall letters in all caps.
    The dramatic fade to blue.
    Trump standing in the middle.
    The fancy font on 𝓒𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭.

    Oooh the tackiness is too much to bear

  • rusticus@lemm.ee
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    11 days ago

    It is insane how many comments here believe that humans somehow made COVID-19 in a lab and leaked it. It is obvious and clear that the critical sequences responsible for the jump to humans exist in wild type form in nature. In fact, the critical spike protein sequence is so similar between coronavirus that the antigen work which the vaccine was based upon was done BEFORE COVID-19 in Jason McClellan’s lab at Dartmouth.

    This WILL happen again, and conspiracy theories that have now shut down labs and funding are likely to cause millions of lost lives next time. We got lucky and the tinfoil hats are going to guarantee we’ll be unlucky next time.

    • HiddenLife@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      Yeah, I used to believe that too. Until I read how irresponsible these scientists were. Before the outbreak, they were planning to release an enhanced version into bat caves filled with bats to observe how the coronavirus mutated. They were infecting bats in the lab with coronavirus. Nobody said they created this from scratch, but they could have definitely helped evolution along. Even the CIA suspects it could have been a lab leak. I think the problem is that thinking it is “man-made” is hard for many, but it’s not difficult to believe that the evolution of the virus was influenced by humans.

      https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/cia-shifts-assessment-covid-origins-saying-lab-leak-likely-caused-outb-rcna189284

      • rusticus@lemm.ee
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        11 days ago

        it’s not difficult to believe that the evolution of the virus was influenced by humans.

        Only for the ignorant. This is how research has worked for decades. Even the CIA (who are not scientists) have “low confidence”. Since when does “low confidence” mean it happened or you believe it??

        All sequence data, wild type virus, and previous research history clearly show this virus existed in nature and because it is a highly mutable RNA virus, was able to infect humans. No credible scientist says otherwise. Let’s be clear - if they were studying the virus in a lab and it “got out” from the lab or from the wild what difference does it make? This is NOT a man made virus and to make the leap to that is just plain ignorance.

        So the ignorant human response is to shut down all research on viruses because of the fear of it being “man made”. The result? When this happens again in 3 or 100 years (which it will), we will have no R&D to lean on LIKE WE DID FOR THE COVID19 VACCINE. We’ve ALREADY discovered a number of viruses in the wild that are likely to mutate and cause another pandemic. We should be celebrating research because the previous decade of work on antigen presentation of the spike protein gave us a vaccine in 11 months that we would otherwise likely not have EVEN TODAY.

        I guess this is why ancient civilizations had human sacrifice when there was an eclipse. The stupid scared ignorant people determined public policy.

        • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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          11 days ago

          Let’s be clear - if they were studying the virus in a lab and it “got out” from the lab or from the wild what difference does it make?

          Firmer policies & enforcement of safety protocols? Informed selection of safety protocols?

          • rusticus@lemm.ee
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            11 days ago

            These things already happen to an insane degree, which is good. Others are using this argument to either jump to the conclusion that it’s man made or that we should shut down all coronavirus research. There is a clear distinction between these thoughts that are being intentionally blurred by those with an agenda.

            • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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              11 days ago

              We ought to be vigilant about leaping to conclusions or letting biases creep in, and I can’t control others doing that.

              Contrary to these things happening to an insane degree, it’s not clear the laboratories in question took adequate precautions.

              Concerns about biosafety standards first caught my notice with this report stating that the laboratory may have been working with coronavirus at inappropriate biosafety levels as low as 2 (eg, unblocked respiratory paths of infection). Questioning the source (even though it seems coherent), I noticed other corroborating reports with references. If the reports are true, then these laboratories in the Wuhan Institute worked with infectious coronaviruses at inappropriate biosafety levels lower than their US counterparts.

              • rusticus@lemm.ee
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                11 days ago

                Okay you’ve refused to acknowledge or read my more important points so it appears you don’t want a conversation with perseverations on your agenda. Good luck.

                • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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                  11 days ago

                  I don’t know what logically led you to that conclusion. Maybe you ought to self-reflect & work on your own biases/not jump to conclusions?

                  I’m linking to supporting references, and you’re not, so 🤷.

  • Realitätsverlust@lemmy.zip
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    11 days ago

    By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced

    Ah yes, we’ve already discovered everything. Science is over, everyone, let’s go home.

      • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        We already have plenty of evidence to conclude zoonotic origin. Bat RNA. Positive cultures in the wet market. Covid genome.

        • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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          10 days ago

          The closest sample [BatCoV RaTG13] is a 96.1% match and was collected 7 years and 1000km away from the wuhan outbreak.

          Positive cultures were found in the wet market, but the origin is not confirmed to be zoonotic. Neither bats nor pangolins were being sold at the market. The virus could have arrived there on the shoe of a lab worker.

          • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            The virus could have arrived there on the shoe of a lab worker

            And it could have been sprayed by flying saucers. How is that any less probable?

            You’re using the words without understanding virology or epidemiology or basic probabilities. We have evidence of prior outbreaks like SARS from the wild and positive cultures in the wet market are major pieces of evidence to back up the origin.

            • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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              9 days ago

              And it could have been sprayed by flying saucers. How is that any less probable?

              Because only a trail of infected animals arriving at the market would imply a zoonotic origin.

              positive cultures in the wet market are major pieces of evidence to back up the origin.

              No, because we cannot determine if those virus cultures arrived to the market on an animal, on the shoe of a lab worker or even by ufo.

              The data does not help determine the origin. It only documents the spread.

              • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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                9 days ago

                Not at all. You think animals naturally migrated on their own from the forest to the market and would leave a trail? Someone picked one up and brought it in a cage. It only takes one.

                I love how everyone online is an armchair zoonotic expert. Your ideas are inexperienced.

                • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                  9 days ago

                  Someone picked one up and brought it in a cage.

                  Possibly, but there is no evidence that this happened. No animals in captivatity or in the wild outside of the wuhan market have been found with early strains of sars-cov-2.

                  This is why a lab leak remains as a possible origin.

                  I love how everyone online is an armchair zoonotic expert. Your ideas are inexperienced.

                  Expertise is not required to understand what NO EVIDENCE means.

  • Bloomcole@lemm.eeBanned from community
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    11 days ago

    If it did come from a lab it would be Fort Detrick.
    The place where the anthrax came from used in the 9/11 letters.