CCTV Interview with Professor of Columbia University: Conspiracy Theory of Virus Origin Driven by Political Purpose
A few days ago, Vincent Recaniero , a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University , accepted an interview with a CCTV reporter in Washington. He explained the fundamental difference between the new coronavirus and artificial viruses from a scientific perspective, and said that the conspiracy theory of virus origin may be subject to politics. Driven by purpose.
Vincent Recaniero, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University: (New Crown) The view that the virus came from the laboratory is an unfounded accusation. There is a lot of scientific data to prove to us that the virus is from nature , just like before The SARS virus is the same as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus.
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: Is there any specific scientific evidence to prove that this virus is from nature?
Vincent Recaniero: Every known virus that can infect humans can be traced back to an animal source. Since the gene sequence of the new coronavirus was measured in January, it can be clearly seen that the virus most similar to the new coronavirus is a bat coronavirus isolated in 2013. This virus is very similar to the new coronavirus, but it also lacks some features.
There are also two isolated coronaviruses that have similar characteristics to the new coronaviruses. What does this mean? Viruses resembling SARS viruses are spreading in animals in nature, and the viruses are recombined into the current new coronavirus, and new changes have been made to infect humans. All the data is there, and if you look closely, you will find that the virus's natural origin is very clear .
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: If this virus is really artificial, what will be different from what we see now?
Vincent Recaniero: If it is artificial, it will look similar to some of our existing laboratory viruses. But it (New Crown Virus) is completely different from those, because if you want to make a virus, it must be based on those (laboratory) viruses, so this is the key point. We have no viruses similar to this virus. When (new coronavirus) appears, it is brand new, which obviously comes from nature.
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: I saw in some places that if humans want to create and edit a virus, they need to edit the new characteristics based on the backbone of a known virus pathogen. Is this the theory you said?
Vincent Recaniero: Yes, this is what I want to say. If you want to make a virus, you can't start from scratch. You don't know how to make a brand new virus. You can only start with what you already have.
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: Or in a very simple way, is this like playing Lego, you can only fight with what you have at hand, it is impossible to create something out of thin air.
Vincent Recaniero: Yes, very correct, you can only use what you already have, not create new ones.
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: Why do you think people always conceal conspiracy theories, even if scientists frequently refute.
Vincent Recaniero: I think there are several reasons:
On the one hand, science itself is difficult for most people to understand. People do not understand science, but it is easy to understand conspiracy theories.
On the other hand, people want to blame others for what happened . This is a natural disaster. Like a virus, it comes from nature, but many people cannot understand or accept this. They must blame others, so they blame the laboratory.
Of course, the third driving factor is political. Some individuals in the United States accuse other countries or laboratories for political purposes. This is what drives them, and it seems irrational to me. You should look at science, it is these (political factors) that are driving these theories, and they are endless.
CCTV reporter Yin Yue: It is much easier to accuse others than to make scientific breakthroughs.
Vincent Recaniero: That's right.
(CCTV reporter Yin Yue)