02-03-2020, 08:44 AM
rainyjim - Thanks for taking the time to lay it out. Without seeing the actual sequences you BLASTed I would have to ask:
How long are they? Do they match other organisms 100% as well? What's the E-values involved? For the HIV matches are they all one strain, or do different inserts match different strains of HIV? Any evidence of common lab techniques for gene splicing/insertion?
You'd probably glean some interesting info from here as well - lots of people have run these sequences for themselves. No one seems to be able to justify choosing HIV as the definitive match when hundreds of other organisms match as well or better.
https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comme...cov_spike/
If you didn't notice, well-informed others also identified RaTG13 as the closest related strain, noting 2019-nCov and it likely had a common ancestor several decades back.
Punatic007 - Can we assume if engineered in a lab would the virus potentially be more difficult to contain and treat?
Not a fan of assuming, but IF it was engineered, it could have been made for a variety of research purposes, which may or may not increase its transmissiblility or lethality. IF it was designed as a bioweapon, it's really not much of one when compared to ebola, smallpox, polio, or many of the viruses mother nature has come up with. (or did she - quick, check the medieval viral genomes for 4 amino acid "HIV" inserts
How long are they? Do they match other organisms 100% as well? What's the E-values involved? For the HIV matches are they all one strain, or do different inserts match different strains of HIV? Any evidence of common lab techniques for gene splicing/insertion?
You'd probably glean some interesting info from here as well - lots of people have run these sequences for themselves. No one seems to be able to justify choosing HIV as the definitive match when hundreds of other organisms match as well or better.
https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comme...cov_spike/
If you didn't notice, well-informed others also identified RaTG13 as the closest related strain, noting 2019-nCov and it likely had a common ancestor several decades back.
Punatic007 - Can we assume if engineered in a lab would the virus potentially be more difficult to contain and treat?
Not a fan of assuming, but IF it was engineered, it could have been made for a variety of research purposes, which may or may not increase its transmissiblility or lethality. IF it was designed as a bioweapon, it's really not much of one when compared to ebola, smallpox, polio, or many of the viruses mother nature has come up with. (or did she - quick, check the medieval viral genomes for 4 amino acid "HIV" inserts