Ep. 22 Lab Leak Debate: Harvard Scientist Who Wrote NYT Op-Ed v. Cornell Virologist

We The 66

In early June, Dr. Alina Chan published an essay in The New York Times arguing what the media once considered a conspiracy: Covid-19 originated in the Wuhan lab. The essay made waves on social media. To some, it was a breath of fresh air from the intelligentsia that validated long-held beliefs about where the costliest pandemic in modern history started. But to others, like our other guest today, it was irresponsible and scientifically misleading. Dr. John Moore is a prominent virologist and professor at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College. He penned a rebuttal for “The Nation” in which he argued that The New York Times is badly failing their readers on Covid by publishing Chan’s argument. Chan is not a virologist; she’s a molecular biologist at Harvard and MIT’s Broad Institute. Early on in the pandemic, however, she took an interest in understanding the origins of Covid. She then published a book about lab leak that she claims drew the ire of the media and scientific establishment. In this episode of We The 66, we share BOTH of their perspectives.