logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
16m 25s

Coronapod: Uncertainty and the COVID 'la...

SPRINGER NATURE LIMITED
About this episode

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been allegations that SARS-CoV-2 could have originated in a Chinese lab. A phase one WHO investigation concluded that a 'lab-leak' was "extremely unlikely" and yet, the theory has seen a resurgence in recent weeks with several scientists wading into the debate.


In this episode of Coronapod, we delve into what scientists have been saying and ask how and why the 'lab-leak' hypothesis has gained so much traction. We ask if the way we communicate complex and nuanced science could be fuelling division, and what the fallout could be for international collaboration on ending the pandemic.


News: Divisive COVID ‘lab leak’ debate prompts dire warnings from researchers


Science: Investigate the origins of COVID-19


Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Ancient DNA reveals farming led to more human diseases
00:48 The past 35,000 years of diseaseAncient DNA evidence shows that the advent of agriculture led to more infectious disease among humans, with pathogens from animals only showing up 6,500 years ago. The DNA, extracted from human teeth, shows the history of diseases present in ... Show More
37m 6s
Jul 4
Audio long read: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic — research reveals what works
Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide and public-health specialists worry that these trends could worsen. But while the shift in public attitudes towards immunizations can leave scientists, physicians and many others feeling disheartened, a surge of resear ... Show More
16m 13s
Jul 2
3D-printed fake wasps help explain bad animal mimicry
In this episode:00:45 Why animals evolve to be imperfect mimicsMany harmless animals mimic dangerous ones to avoid being eaten, but often this fakery is inaccurate. To help explain why evolution sometimes favours imperfect mimicry, a team 3D printed a range of imaginary insects. ... Show More
27m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Covid leaks and conspiracies
Science writer Philip Ball has followed the relationship between government and its scientific advisors throughout the pandemic. He discusses the role of scientific advisors in the light of conflicting information following the leak of a number of former Health Minister Matt Hanc ... Show More
36m 3s
Mar 2023
What to Know About the Covid Lab Leak Theory
Three years after the start of Covid, the central mystery of the pandemic — how exactly it began — remains unsolved. But recently, the debate about the source of the coronavirus has re-emerged, this time in Congress.The Energy Department has concluded, with “low confidence,” that ... Show More
22m 56s
Feb 2023
#311 — Did SARS-CoV-2 Escape from a Lab?
Sam Harris speaks with Matt Ridley and Alina Chan about the origins of the COVID pandemic. They discuss the evidence of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, media and academic censorship of this topic, the history of collaboration between western scientists and Chines ... Show More
58m 18s
Dec 2023
COP28, swine flu, Bennu asteroid and digital twins.
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs, In this week's episode... what’s on the agenda for the COP28 climate summit? What do we know about the new strain of swine flu found in North Yorkshire? Samples from the Bennu ... Show More
51m 52s
Jun 2023
Babbage: How to uncover the origin of the coronavirus
The Biden administration is expected to declassify some information gathered on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, hoping to end a three-year battle over whether covid-19 came from a seafood market or a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Some scientists say they have strong evidence fo ... Show More
43m 5s
Aug 2022
How Covid changed science, part 2
In the second of our series How Covid Changed Science, Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Health at Edinburgh University looks at the scientific messaging. Just how do you explain to both politicians and the public that a growing global pandemic is likely to kill many people, and ... Show More
27m 50s
Dec 2022
The Science of Magnetism
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.In today’s programme: A breakthrough in nuclear fusion: what’s happened and what does this mean in practical terms? A new way to stop your glasses fogging up during this cold s ... Show More
51m 15s
Aug 2021
Babbage: Unstrung — the end of string theory?
The 20th Century was a golden age for physics but some of its ideas for explaining the material universe have been thrown into doubt. Could a theory known as entropic gravity usher in a new dawn? Also, how should scientists engage with science deniers? And, the technology behind ... Show More
25m 7s
May 2020
#18: Bending the curve on climate change, the era of commercial space travel, staying safe from coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic is a human disaster that is dominating the news right now, but climate change is going to be worse and longer-lasting. The two crises may seem to be completely separate, but there are parallels that can be drawn between the two in our reaction and respons ... Show More
25m 57s
Aug 2021
Babbage: Unstrung — the end of string theory?
The 20th Century was a golden age for physics but some of its ideas for explaining the material universe have been thrown into doubt. Could a theory known as entropic gravity usher in a new dawn? Also, how should scientists engage with science deniers? And, the technology behind ... Show More
25m 7s