6 chapters across the catalog
A new Moderna vaccine named "Nex Spike" has drawn attention due to the Latin translation of "Nex" meaning death, though a Latin generator translates the full name as "don't." Meanwhile, a Netflix documentary titled "Pangolin: Kulu's Journey" aims to protect the endangered mammal. This shift in media portrayal is noted, as pangolins were previously blamed for the spread of COVID-19.
A report published in BioRxiv details experiments conducted by Chinese military-trained scientists involving a lab-made version of a coronavirus found in pangolins. The study found that the virus was 100% lethal in mice, causing white eyes and severe brain infections within eight days. The findings have sparked international concern about the potential for such strains to spill over into the human population.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held hearings regarding the origins of COVID-19, focusing on how scientists like Robert Gary changed their views from the lab leak theory to natural origin within days. Lawmakers questioned the validity of the "pangolin" theory, with physician-congressmen arguing that the lack of the virus in wild animal populations makes the natural origin hypothesis unlikely.
Professor Staines suggests that climate change is driving animal populations out of their natural ranges and into closer proximity with human urban centers. Local reports in Austin and Marin County highlight increased sightings of cougars and bears in residential backyards. The discussion posits that environmental shifts are creating new biological connections between wildlife and humans that were previously uncommon.
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb notes that the investigation into COVID-19's origins is as much a political issue as a public health one. He expresses skepticism that the WHO mission will ever put the lab-leak theory to rest without access to original source strains, which the Chinese government has not provided. The hosts dismiss the "pangolin" theory due to the lack of a found animal reservoir.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the coronavirus pandemic resulted from an "imbalance in man's relationship with the natural world." Speaking ahead of a biodiversity summit, Johnson attributed the zoonotic spread of the virus to environmental disregard, specifically mentioning the consumption of bats and pangolins.
