The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review
Holmes, Edward C ; Goldstein, Stephen A ; Rasmussen, Angela L ; Robertson, David L ; Crits-Christoph, Alexander ; Wertheim, Joel O ; Anthony, Simon J ; Barclay, Wendy S ; Boni, Maciej F ; Doherty, Peter C ; Farrar, Jeremy ; Geoghegan, Jemma L ; Jiang, Xiaowei ; Leibowitz, Julian L ; Neil, Stuart J D ; Skern, Tim ; Weiss, Susan R ; Worobey, Michael ; Andersen, Kristian G ; Garry, Robert F ; Rambaut, Andrew
Since the first reports of a novel SARS-like coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, there has been intense interest in understanding how SARS-CoV-2 emerged in the human population. Recent debate has coalesced around two competing ideas: a “laboratory escape” scenario and zoonotic emergence. Here, we critically review the current scientific evidence that may help clarify the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
