#311 — Did SARS-CoV-2 Escape from a Lab?

Sam Harris speaks with Matt Ridley and Alina Chan about the
origins of the COVID pandemic. They discuss the evidence of a lab
leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, media and academic
censorship of this topic, the history of collaboration between
western scientists and Chinese labs, the risks of
"gain-of-function" research, the evidence for the zoonotic
origins of SARS-CoV-2, the initial complacency and denialism of
the Chinese, the biosafety levels at the Wuhan Institute of
Virology, molecular evidence of a lab leak, the practical
constraints on synthesizing viruses, lack of international
cooperation, conspiracy theories promulgated by the CCP,
EcoHealth Alliance, different kinds of "gain-of-function"
research, virus hunting, the history of lab leaks, risk and
reward in the search for knowledge, Anthony Fauci, and other
topics.


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