Investigation into pandemic source continues

U.S. intelligence officials said they have ruled out the possibility that the new coronavirus was man-made, but the precise origin of the pandemic is still unknown. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is investigating whether the outbreak “began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, [China],” according to a statement issued on Thursday.

What do we know? The intelligence statement concurs with the finding of scientists who said the virus most likely arose naturally. Many believe it jumped from an infected animal to humans. But it could have escaped from a laboratory even if humans didn’t synthesize it. An infectious disease lab researches coronaviruses in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. President Donald Trump has suggested a Chinese lab could have released it by mistake, but China has repeatedly denied the possibility.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings about how researchers studying genetic mutation patterns are reconstructing the history of the new coronavirus.