Is it possible to tell if the covid-19 virus was man made?

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ironpony
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07 Aug 2020, 7:28 pm

With the debate about whether or not it was, is it possible scientifically tell? For example if you take something like say, redbull and asked a chemist to tell you whether or not it was man made, or created by nature, the chemist could probably tell you it was manmade, just by looking at the chemicals of it.

But, is there a way to tell that with a virus, such as a specialist being able to tell by the ingredients of the virus, whether or not it was created by nature, or if those ingredients had to have been put together by man?



UncannyDanny
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07 Aug 2020, 7:37 pm

In my honest opinion, I do not believe that the Covid-19 was mad-made.

In fact, if one takes virology and biology, when you learn about viruses, they EVOLVE. So China may NOT actually be responsible for the coronavirus outbreak, in spite of what many Trump-supporters believe.



Last edited by UncannyDanny on 07 Aug 2020, 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Feyokien
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07 Aug 2020, 7:37 pm

ironpony
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07 Aug 2020, 7:47 pm

Oh okay well that article is very technical beyond my understanding, but it seems to say that the virus is likely not man-made, if that is what it is saying?



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07 Aug 2020, 7:54 pm

The simple answer is yes, it is possible to determine if a virus is engineered or natural. This article has some explanations about how it's done. There's a bunch of fluff at the beginning that can be skipped if you want to get to the meat of it: start at "Why do scientists think it wasn’t genetically engineered?" heading.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/wh ... inese-lab/



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07 Aug 2020, 7:55 pm

ironpony wrote:
Is it possible to tell if the covid-19 virus was man-made?
Not likely, in my opinion.  Besides, a person would have to be the penultimate expert on virology and actually know a real process by which virii are manufactured and not evolved -- neither of which are qualifications that any member of WP seems to possess.

And, by the way, FiveThirtyEight (sometimes rendered as 538) is a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging.


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07 Aug 2020, 7:58 pm

ironpony wrote:
Oh okay well that article is very technical beyond my understanding, but it seems to say that the virus is likely not man-made, if that is what it is saying?


Yes, sorry. I'm not a virologist, but yeah the paper indicates that based off of the viruses structure that it is not man made. This paper is kinda old (from March); there might be newer better studies.



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07 Aug 2020, 8:07 pm

Fnord wrote:
And, by the way, FiveThirtyEight (sometimes rendered as 538) is a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging.[/color]


I dunno about the website, but the scientist they interviewed, Robert Gary, is one of the authors on the Nature article I posted. He looks like an expert.

https://medicine.tulane.edu/departments/microbiology-immunology-tulane-cancer-center-tips-advisory-committee-tips-mentor/faculty



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08 Aug 2020, 4:17 am

Back in September, 2019, I was listening to France 24 news or BBC - I can't remember - it wasn't U.S. news. They talked about an Italian Virology lab receiving a second warning about mending a cracked hood and the next step would be to shut them down. It was also mentioned that this was a security issue and that if pathogens were to escape, it could lead to an epidemic or the worst case scenario, a pandemic. I wanted to forget I heard that. So, guess what?! !! Here we are!! ! I almost sh*t when I heard the word "pandemic" back in March of this year. Now, I just cry myself to sleep thinking that this is where it all possibly began and that so many have died. I feel sick to my stomach right now as I type these words. God help us all. Please people, pray for a vaccine. :cry:



ironpony
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08 Aug 2020, 1:40 pm

Oh okay

When it comes to a vaccine, since one is not available through normal channels, is it possible for people to buy one off the black market, or "bootleg" at all?



naturalplastic
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08 Aug 2020, 2:08 pm

ironpony wrote:
Oh okay

When it comes to a vaccine, since one is not available through normal channels, is it possible for people to buy one off the black market, or "bootleg" at all?


Oh sure...

Just like it's possible to buy a real live unicorn on the black market if you have the right connections.

I have friends in low places, and other friends in high places, who can get you whatever you want, kid. Just give me the money.

Wanna live forever?

I will send you a vial of the elixir of life. Just send a million dollars cash, and a return envelop to...


Mr. Natural Plastic.

Box 2437

Mytown, USA 123456



naturalplastic
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08 Aug 2020, 2:16 pm

ironpony wrote:
Oh okay

When it comes to a vaccine, since one is not available through normal channels, is it possible for people to buy one off the black market, or "bootleg" at all?


Read the above post I made before you read this.

Okay.

So let me ask you something? Why do you ask this question?

A vaccine for covid 19 does...not...exist....yet. Scientist havent created it yet. Though they are trying.


So it doesnt matter what "channels" you go through. It cant be obtained because it doesnt exist. Its like asking if a nineteenth century person, like Annie Oakley, could have obtained an airline ticket (before air travel existed), or could have used Twitter (before the Internet existed)if she had gone through "the right channels". :lol:



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08 Aug 2020, 3:05 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
... it doesn't matter what 'channels' you go through. It cant be obtained because it doesn't exist.  Its like asking if a nineteenth century person, like Annie Oakley, could have obtained an airline ticket (before air travel existed), or could have used Twitter (before the Internet existed) if she had gone through "the right channels".
So this voucher for a 24-hour holodeck solo adventure must be worthless too, eh?

:( Curse that Ferengi who sold it to me!


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ironpony
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08 Aug 2020, 3:08 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
ironpony wrote:
Oh okay

When it comes to a vaccine, since one is not available through normal channels, is it possible for people to buy one off the black market, or "bootleg" at all?


Read the above post I made before you read this.

Okay.

So let me ask you something? Why do you ask this question?

A vaccine for covid 19 does...not...exist....yet. Scientist havent created it yet. Though they are trying.


So it doesnt matter what "channels" you go through. It cant be obtained because it doesnt exist. Its like asking if a nineteenth century person, like Annie Oakley, could have obtained an airline ticket (before air travel existed), or could have used Twitter (before the Internet existed)if she had gone through "the right channels". :lol:


Oh I just thought maybe someone invented a vaccine, but maybe you could only get it by going through backchannels. For example, when the medicine Lorenzo's oil was invented, it had to be brought in by bootleg, and not through normal channels. So I thought maybe there could be a vaccine out there, that you can get through abnormal channels maybe.



naturalplastic
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08 Aug 2020, 4:01 pm

ironpony wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
ironpony wrote:
Oh okay

When it comes to a vaccine, since one is not available through normal channels, is it possible for people to buy one off the black market, or "bootleg" at all?


Read the above post I made before you read this.

Okay.

So let me ask you something? Why do you ask this question?

A vaccine for covid 19 does...not...exist....yet. Scientist havent created it yet. Though they are trying.


So it doesnt matter what "channels" you go through. It cant be obtained because it doesnt exist. Its like asking if a nineteenth century person, like Annie Oakley, could have obtained an airline ticket (before air travel existed), or could have used Twitter (before the Internet existed)if she had gone through "the right channels". :lol:


Oh I just thought maybe someone invented a vaccine, but maybe you could only get it by going through backchannels. For example, when the medicine Lorenzo's oil was invented, it had to be brought in by bootleg, and not through normal channels. So I thought maybe there could be a vaccine out there, that you can get through abnormal channels maybe.


The creation of Lorenzo's oil was a very different endeavor than creating a vaccine for a new disease. Not even remotely comparable things.

Lorenzo's oil was like a narcotic drug - easy for an individual to make in their own kitchen. A vaccine takes the effort of a whole industry to develop.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 08 Aug 2020, 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ironpony
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08 Aug 2020, 4:02 pm

Well it's still something that people want, so I thought that if it's something that people want, a supply and demand was still there to motivate people to make it and get it out there, even if it's not through proper channels. I thought that trying to create a vaccine for covid was top priority.