Inside the Debate Over the Origins of COVID-19

In the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic first developed, virology experts still debate the origins of the virus. Some believe the so-called “Lab Leak” theory, which suggests that the virus was accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, while others argue that a similar virus was spreading among animals, and it mutated to spillover into humans. Frederic Bushman, PhD, discussed why he finds the spillover theory more plausible. “We’ve seen zoonotic infections naturally over and over again, and there are tons of background reasons to think of that as the default option,” he said.