Very heated exchange on gain-of-function and #OriginsOfCovid between Rand Paul and Tony Fauci ~50min into today's hearing "The Path Forward: A Federal Perspective on the COVID-19 Response"
An old thread by me that explains why Paul and Fauci are talking past each other on this point of whether NIH funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan:
https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1370881949619851271
This is a more recent thread again by me on how the federal definition of GOFROC leaves a lot of wiggle room for interpretation and why, even among scientists, it can be very difficult to agree on what is GOF using the federal definitions.
https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1403704344009191431
So far we've seen several episodes of politicians & Fox News journalists asking NIH/Fauci if the US is responsible for the pandemic because of funding gain-of-function research.
IMO these have not been productive in terms of reaching a better understanding of the #OriginsOfCovid
IMO these have not been productive in terms of reaching a better understanding of the #OriginsOfCovid
It would be more productive to have these discussions about whether US shares responsibility for a potential lab leak in China in a different format and using shared terminology/definitions.
These discussions would ideally be international to avoid spiraling into US politics.
These discussions would ideally be international to avoid spiraling into US politics.
It is necessary to acknowledge that risky pathogen research (GOF or not) is conducted in and funded by numerous countries worldwide.
A solution to possible lab-based outbreaks in the future must be a global solution, not a US or China solution.
A solution to possible lab-based outbreaks in the future must be a global solution, not a US or China solution.
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