Short Wave

Scientists Think The Coronavirus Transmitted Naturally, Not In A Lab. Here's Why.

06 May 2020

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The Trump administration has advanced the theory the coronavirus began as a lab accident, but scientists who research bat-borne coronaviruses disagree. Speaking with NPR, ten virologists and epidemiologists say the far more likely culprit is zoonotic spillover⁠—transmission of the virus between animals and humans in nature. We explain how zoonotic spillover works and why it's more plausible than a lab accident.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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Short Wave

Scientists Think The Coronavirus Transmitted Naturally, Not In A Lab. Here's Why.

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from Short Wave

Your DNA is changing all the time. Here’s why

Inner monologues are still a mystery

Prepare to be baffled by what we don't know about eels

This common garden plant summons wasps as bodyguards

Why are scientists planting tiny forests in big cities?

Why you can't stop scrolling: the science of 'dark flow'

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