In this episode journalist John Duffy joined me to discuss his latest podcast series Origins: Birth of a Pandemic. This series explores the likelihood that SARS-CoV-2 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). John talked about the mysterious pneumonia cases of six men in Yunnan Province back in 2012, and the theory that these were the first recorded cases of what would become known as COVID-19. We discussed how Dr. Shi Zhengli of the WIV sequenced this virus, and the odd issues surrounding this. We talked about the connection between Peter Daszak, the Eco Health Alliance, and the WIV. Specifically, we looked at the conflicts of interest between these groups. We also talked about the work of Dr. Jonathan Latham of the Bioscience Resource Project and D.R.A.ST.I.C. in bringing public attention to the lab leak theory. John and I also touched on gain of function research and the controversy over Dr. Anthony Fauci’s denials regarding U.S. funding for this research. We finished our conversation by discussing the politicization of the lab leak theory and how the media, politicians, and scientific institutions have labeled this as a dangerous right-wing conspiracy.
Show Notes:
Porkins Policy Review 