The harms of promoting the lab leak hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 origins without evidence
James C. Alwine, Felicia Goodrum, Bruce W. Banfield, David C. Bloom, William J. Britt, Andrew J. Broadbent, Samuel K. Campos, Arturo Casadevall, Gary C. Chan, Anna R. Cliffe, Terence S. Dermody, W. Paul Duprex, Lynn W. Enquist, Klaus Frueh, Adam P. Geballe, Marta Gaglia, Stephen A. Goldstein, Alexander L. Greninger, Gigi Kwik Grönvall, Jae U. Jung, Jeremy P. Kamil, Seema S. Lakdawala, Shan‐Lu Liu, Micah A. Luftig, John P. Moore, Anne Moscona, Benjamin W. Neuman, Janko Nikolich‐Žugich, Christine M. O’Connor, Andrew Pekosz, Sallie R. Permar, Julie K. Pfeiffer, John G. Purdy, Angela L. Rasmussen, Bert L. Semler, Gregory A. Smith, David A. Stein, Koenraad Van Doorslaer, Sandra K. Weller, Sean P. J. Whelan, Andrew D. Yurochko
Abstract
Science is humanity's best insurance against threats from nature, but it is a fragile enterprise that must be nourished and protected. The preponderance of scientific evidence indicates a natural origin for SARS-CoV-2. Yet, the theory that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in and escaped from a lab dominates media attention, even in the absence of strong evidence. We discuss how the resulting anti-science movement puts the research community, scientific research, and pandemic preparedness at risk.