In a recent interview with Firstpost, molecular biologist Richard Ebright has presented what he calls “smoking gun” evidence supporting the theory that the Covid-19 pandemic originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. Ebright, a professor at Rutgers University, highlighted research proposals by Chinese scientists and their US collaborators that involved the insertion of furin cleavage sites (FCS) into coronaviruses1.
Ebright pointed out that the presence of the FCS in SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, is extremely rare in nature. He emphasized that the DEFUSE proposal, which aimed to insert FCS into coronaviruses, aligns with the emergence of the virus near the Wuhan Institute of Virology a year later1.
The interview also delved into gain-of-function research, a controversial practice where scientists give pathogens characteristics they do not naturally possess. Ebright argued that such research has no practical civilian applications and poses significant risks1.
This new evidence adds to the ongoing debate about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, raising questions about the safety and ethics of gain-of-function researc