Thread by @Ayjchan

"You may disagree with their unconventional approach, but the truth is that these people behave, to all intents and purposes, like a small scientific community: they search and analyze data, they share and discuss their findings and, more importantly, they make discoveries."

https://twitter.com/emmecola/status/1334601424802635778

Timely piece by @emmecola on how a coalition of twitter users, several anonymous, have been at the front of investigating the origins and sample history of RaTG13 + connection to SARS-like cases among miners from a Yunnan mine full of bats in 2012. mygenomix.medium.com/the-origin-of-…

Their work and fringe (I say this positively) influence on scientists & journalists has led to measurable outcomes. Namely, this @Nature addendum, confirming that RaTG13=4991; was seq'ed in 2018, not post-covid; linked to severe respiratory cases in 2012.
nature.com/articles/s4158…

I find it both encouraging & problematic that it is outsiders & non-experts - who are often indiscriminately denigrated as conspiracy theorists - that are making these insightful, key discoveries about SARS-CoV-2 lineage viruses & holding top journals and scientists accountable.

I have a very strong pro-science pro-expert stance (otherwise why would I still be a scientist?). I believe that the vast majority of the time, experts are on the right track and working together (or against each other) so that the research community & humanity advances steadily.

So I'm still hopeful that, as the pandemic is overcome worldwide, more established & trainee scientists will start considering and publicly discussing both the scientific and "detective" findings surrounding SARS-CoV-2-like viruses and what this means for the #originsofSARSCoV2

Regardless of how fiercely you disagree with someone, threatening or calling them conspiracy theorists before engaging on the facts is unconstructive & polarizing.

If we can destigmatize the discussion of plausible lab origins, it will deradicalize the theories being circulated.

@emmecola your article reminded me of @TheAtlantic MH370 story “engineers and scientists.. on the internet, called themselves the Independent Group.. collaborated so effectively that the Australians took their work into account.. formally thanking them.” theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

The independent group of internet sleuths was also featured by the @SYSKPodcast MH370 episode - "they also agitated for more transparency" and even obtained raw data (~15:55 min mark onwards). iheart.com/podcast/105-st…