Experts know that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is of viral origin. But where did the disease-causing virus, SARS-CoV-2, originate? Two compelling theories permeate public discussion over this question at present. Either the initial outbreak involved viral transmission among animals that “spilled over” into human populations, or the novel coronavirus strain accidentally “leaked” out of a high…
In late December 2019, health authorities in China confirmed dozens of pneumonia cases in Wuhan city. Preliminary investigations suggested the infection was likely transmitted from animals to humans. On January 22, 2020, experts declared that the etiological agent 2019-nCoV (SARS-CoV2) originated from bats (Gralinski & Menachery 2020). By early February, molecular epidemiologists identified a genetic similarity between 2019-nCoV in horseshoe …
Science, Medicine, and Anthropology