Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[abraham]

Food for thot, if the USA had a nasty virus leak from a lab, would the USA apologize and tell the world what happened?

Isn't that the Lyme disease conspiracy theory

[The AD]

I'm still trying to understand how Batman has anything to do with this and I'm offended by the accusation.

[PB]

JFC. The CCP initially refused to even consider the responsibility inherent in possible transmission through the wet markets, you think they would ever allow any thing as damning as a lab origin see the light of day?? They threw the scientists that first started warning the country/world about the severity of covid in fucking jail! The idea that there was ever a chance of exposing evidence of a lab escape/release in the early days is laughable. I would go so far to say that if this is the beginning of just such exposure it's much, much sooner than I would have predicted.
Trump/Pompeo = blind squirrels

[Mofro261]

I'm still trying to understand how Batman has anything to do with this...

Well then, batter up.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-020-0394-z

Bat-borne virus diversity, spillover and emergence
Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 18, pages461–471 (2020)

Bats are the second most diverse mammalian order on Earth after rodents, comprising approximately 22% of all named mammal species, and are resident on every continent except Antarctica1. Bats have been identified as natural reservoir hosts for several emerging viruses that can induce severe disease in humans, including RNA viruses such as Marburg virus, Hendra virus, Sosuga virus and Nipah virus. In addition to direct isolation of these human pathogens from bats, accumulating evidence suggests that other emerging viruses, such as Ebola viruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2 and Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV), also originated in bats, even if other hosts, such as civets for SARS-CoV and camels for MERS-CoV, are proximate reservoirs for human infection2,3,4,5. A growing list of emergent coronaviruses, including the Swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus, which emerged from horseshoe bats and killed >20,000 pigs6, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic7, further underscores the ongoing threat of bat-borne viral emergence.


Bats harbour a high viral diversity relative to other mammalian orders; indeed, recent studies have suggested that viral diversity is reflective of the number of species, with Rodentia (rodents) and Chiroptera (bats) containing the most species among mammals8. This viral diversity flags bats as an important taxonomic group for global viral discovery and zoonotic disease surveillance efforts9. These efforts, ultimately aimed at identifying and mitigating future emergence events of bat-borne diseases, have identified thousands of novel bat-derived viral genomic sequences over the past decade. However, as most of these sequences span polymerases and not the surface proteins that often govern cellular entry, little progress has been made towards translating sequence data from novel viruses into a risk-based assessment to quantify zoonotic potential and elicit public health action. Further hampering this effort is an incomplete understanding of the animals themselves, their distributions, behaviours and interactions with the environment, and the processes that lead to contact with humans. In this Review, we discuss the current state and knowledge gaps of bat virus ecology (Box 1) and the molecular barriers to zoonotic disease emergence; we also review advances and challenges in pandemic preparedness and provide a framework for addressing critical deficits in our understanding of bat-borne viruses.

[k2skier112]

Isn't that the Lyme disease conspiracy theory

Wow. I never heard of that. Sure, something like that

[LongShortLong]

Lemme get this straight... after billions of years of naturally arising pandemics, some want us to doubt that SARS-CoV2 is also natural? Therein lies your high evidence bar. Allegations, speculations, and lies are cheap.

Could we some day create a de novo virus? Or successfully tweak a natural one? Seems likely we'll eventually get there. My read from virologists is that we currently don't know enough to do this, and that it is really damn hard to get even a natural virus to replicate in a lab. Some pathogens have escaped from labs, so it's worth considering. "Considering" as we would when a speeding drunk crashes their car... it's possible a tire defect caused the crash. Very unlikely.

As for whether anyone's paying attention, the world has millions of trained scientists who have the background to look into this. Probably there's another million bio college students with the latest knowledge and plenty of free time, and access to professors with every kind of research instrument. They are all curious people who love to theorize and investigate. If there were anything to the lab creation story, it would have good evidence. It doesn't.

As for China warning the world... all governments have their problems and coverups. Perhaps a different human organization could have done better. It's worth noting it took the US several months to confirm the epidemic here, after the Chinese had sounded the alarm, published the sequence in the US-run database, and released a PCR test (that the US was too proud to use). The US, and most other countries, screwed the pooch hard. Own it.

[bennymac]

Maybe it came from a lab. Maybe it came from nature.

But being lectured by the “it’s just the flu!” guy about how he was wrongly shot down on the virus origin is just rich.

I’ll let the reader decide if I’m talking about Montucky or the former president.

[KQ]

And the answer is: Negative.

That said I'm still sick as a dog and weak as a kitten. Also totally pissed that the first time I let my mask down and go out to eat I get sick.

Damn unwashed masses. I was nicely tucked up in my mask. No colds, no flu, no Covid then the powers that be said "throw off the yoke of oppression!" so I did and what do I get for it? Sick.

[emoji40]

At least I can go to the store and buy bananas now without fear of being Covid Mary.

[Meadow Skipper]

Just because the orangutard said it, half the country just tables it.

I think Carl_Maga nailed it. The orangutard didn’t back up his claim with any evidence, and he chronically spewed a fucking amazing amount of pure bullshit without any factual basis, so I can see why people viewed it with suspicion or outright discounted it.

And yay for KQ, it’s got to be slightly relieving to test negative. Try the chicken soup therapy.

[Deebased]

Maybe another one chalked up to be simply American laziness? I called it anti science, but its probably more laziness than anything

Nah look at how scientists in biology have been disemboweled by the transgender movement.

[old goat]

Because T**** knew it was a lie. It was his Fake News. T**** started a baseless claim
Food for thot, if the USA had a nasty virus leak from a lab, would the USA apologize and tell the world what happened?
T**** is inspirational, not operational

WE still don't how weaponized anthrax got out of a US lab--presumably a military lab--and who did it.

Well then, batter up.

And now one of the labs best positioned to study the problem is a world pariah--and the recent push to blame it on the Wuhan lab doesn't help. I don't how many other labs in that part of the world have the capability to study bat coronaviruses and other zoonotic viruses, maybe the Wuhan lab is redundant. I hope so.

[mfcf13]

Nah look at how scientists in biology have been disemboweled by the transgender movement.

Look at how the scientists in immunology have been disemboweled by the "Plandemic" movement.

[Deebased]

I think Carl_Maga nailed it. The orangutard didn’t back up his claim with any evidence, and he chronically spewed a fucking amazing amount of pure bullshit without any factual basis, so I can see why people viewed it with suspicion or outright discounted it.

And yay for KQ, it’s got to be slightly relieving to test negative. Try the chicken soup therapy.

Lab manufacture would have nipped the "its just the flu" argument before it got off the ground. Pretending otherwise is more political posturing.

[Deebased]

Look at how the scientists in immunology have been disemboweled by the "Plandemic" movement.

''

Disembowled is hardly how I'd describe increased budgets, but WDIK.

[PB]

And the answer is: Negative.

That said I'm still sick as a dog and weak as a kitten. Also totally pissed that the first time I let my mask down and go out to eat I get sick.

Damn unwashed masses. I was nicely tucked up in my mask. No colds, no flu, no Covid then the powers that be said "throw off the yoke of oppression!" so I did and what do I get for it? Sick.

[emoji40]

At least I can go to the store and buy bananas now without fear of being Covid Mary.

Good news: not covid; bad news: still sick as a ... sickie? (dogs don't get sick, thye just puke a lot) Food poisoning?!?!? It wouldn't surprise me if food hygiene procedures suffered due to the shifted focus to covid .......

[bennymac]

Lab manufacture would have nipped the "its just the flu" argument before it got off the ground. Pretending otherwise is more political posturing.

The evidence that it wasn’t just the flu never nipped the “it’s just the flu” argument. Pretending otherwise is just carrying sadtroll’s water.

[KQ]

Good news: not covid; bad news: still sick as a ... sickie? (dogs don't get sick, thye just puke a lot) Food poisoning?!?!? It wouldn't surprise me if food hygiene procedures suffered due to the shifted focus to covid .......

Yes good it's not Covid for many reasons not the least is I'd hate to experience a vaccine failure.

I have some kind of respiratory infection. I live with chronic sinus issues/infections. This is yet another infection on top of that but in my chest adding a sore throat, coughing & fever among other unpleasantness.

My dining partner who goes out less than me (i.e
almost never) also is sick with a respiratory infection (also vaxxed). She was waiting for me to get tested to decide what to do but never really goes out anyway. I dragged her out saying "they say it's safe now!"

Must be the flu finally getting a chance to party. Though we both had flu shots too.

[bennymac]

Feeling like you’ve been run over + fast onset (all of a sudden go from feeling ok to feeling awful) + fever + sore throat + muscle aches = old school flu

[jono]

Lab manufacture would have nipped the "its just the flu" argument before it got off the ground.

This fact is why credibility went to zero: you can't listen to anyone who pushes mutually exclusive narratives. Pretending otherwise isn't making any point at all.

[Ted Striker]

And the answer is: Negative.

Yeah! ...and sorry. The flu sucks.

[BCMtnHound]

Congrats on the test result KQ. Like you, my sinuses hate spring. I love seeing all the plants in bloom, but the false solomons seal and lilacs can almost knock me over now. And the lodgepole pine are in full pollination too. Eyes watering, coughing due to sinus drain, tissue box lasts a day, and generally just tired even with 8hrs sleep (when late summer, fall and winter 7hrs is plenty). I couldn't imagine the double whammy of the season with a flu bug! My sympathies, and get well soon!

[mfcf13]

''

Disembowled is hardly how I'd describe increased budgets, but WDIK.

Now that we don't have to pay for secret service to rent rooms at Trump properties, there will be some extra money lying around. Should cover any increase in budgets for CDC and other agencies that are working to prevent the next pandemic.

[bennymac]

Steepbased is a troll. As is Core Shot it turns out.

#toobusyforgolf

[MultiVerse]

The Pro-Trump Culture War on American Scientists. Some are trying to turn the lab-leak theory into a potent political weapon.

Pro-Trumpers want to use Chinese misconduct—real and imagined—as a weapon in a culture war here at home. They are not interested in weighing the evidence. They want payback for the political and cultural injuries inflicted on them by the scientists. They want Fauci to have time in the barrel.

What the rest of us should want is the truth.

Trump’s supporters have no interest in the truth about the virus’s origin, whatever that truth ultimately proves to be. They care about attention-grabbing conflicts with fellow Americans, not about real-world problems. And if the Chinese state has more culpability for the pandemic than acknowledged to date, that is one hell of a real-world problem.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...theory/618911/

[galibier_numero_un]

And the answer is: Negative.

That said I'm still sick as a dog and weak as a kitten. Also totally pissed that the first time I let my mask down and go out to eat I get sick.

Damn unwashed masses. I was nicely tucked up in my mask. No colds, no flu, no Covid then the powers that be said "throw off the yoke of oppression!" so I did and what do I get for it? Sick.

[emoji40]

At least I can go to the store and buy bananas now without fear of being Covid Mary.

Good news.

Not necessarily related to your situation, but I wonder if we're gonna see a big bump in colds and such, as we begin to de-mask ... like when folks come back from a stint in Antarctica.

... Thom