Image by NIH DevelopmentsIs the COVID-19 virus spread from an animal to a human host as scientists believe or did it escape from a Wuhan, China lab?The White House wants to know. The White House wants to know.It will take some time to understand what seems like a lot of raw data. CNN reports that agents are using supercomputers at Department of Energy to make sense of the data and that they have hired scientists who speak Mandarin and have high security clearances.This investigation is part of a larger effort to understand the origins of coronaviruses. The Chinese government refused to give data on the virus to the World Health Organization or the US in March. This was a controversial decision that only led to renewed calls for investigation.AdvertisementAdvertisementJoe Biden, the US president, ordered American intelligence agencies in May to investigate the hypothesis of a lab leak.We have so far more questions than answers. Investigators have not found any evidence that the virus was deliberately leaked from a laboratory or passed to humans via animals.CNN reports that the new data treasure trove is unlikely to fill all the gaps in our knowledge on the virus' origins and evolution. Experts believe that even if we have a complete picture of the virus' early genome, it is unlikely that we will ever be able to determine its exact origins.
