CONGRESSIONAL GOOFING AROUND WITH GOF PART 2

YESTERDAY WE  BEGAN SHARING A DIALOGUE of two scientists commenting at AAAS’s Community Forum about the virological term “gain of function.” Today we continue this knowledgable commentary from Drs. Robert Dodge and Ronnie Hawkings.

On International Oversight. Dr. Dodge observes, “There is evidence of other research done there [at Wuhan Institute of Virology] where appropriate safety measures were not met, which shouldn’t come as a surprise with little oversight.”

Wild or Lab Covid? With current information, Dodge says, “I am still of the opinion that we will never resolve the origin of SARS-COV2 without the cooperation of the Chinese government, which is very unlikely. If the wild source/lab source issue was ever definitively resolved, either way it’s a lose/lose for the Chinese government.”

Ronnie Hawkings, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Philosophy, University of Central Florida.

Dr. Hawkins concurs: “While there is a good case to be made for a lab origin of SARS-CoV2, I believe we will never reach a definitive conclusion without the cooperation of the Chinese. There are numerous reports that the Chinese government has made significant efforts to cover up or destroy relevant data which I think will make any further investigation futile.”

She says, “The current standoff between China and the US does not bode well for dealing with future pandemics, as they are very likely to originate in Southeast Asia, and China is best able to detect them due to technical capability and geographic location.”

GOF Research and Bioweapons. “Of course,” Hawkins writes,“at least to my naive way of thinking about these issues (I’m still trying to understand them), it does seem generally true that manipulations that give animal pathogens the ability to infect humans and produce lethal disease could be used as bioweapons.”

“But right now,” she comments, “I’m just trying to get my head around the ongoing oversight, and the reasoning, both pro and con, regarding the general category of ‘gain of function research.’ ”

Congressional Intent. “Meanwhile,” Hawkins writes, “if the purpose of these Congressional hearings was to investigate the ‘origin’ of the virus underlying the pandemic that caused such havoc around the world, they surely turned out to be a flop.”

Science Continues. Hawkings recounts, “It’s refreshing to see these very knowledgeable virologists discussing their own misgivings honestly, and it’s unfortunate that the entire discussion around the ‘origin’ and ‘GOF’ has become so politically polarized. How to move on from here is the challenge before us now.”

Both Science and Congress Move On. Dodge recently observed, “Fortunately the Congressional circus has left Fauci-ville, with Merrick Garland now in their sights. At least it keeps them away from science!”

Hawkins responded, “And what a circus it was, too. Too bad our representatives aren’t more scientifically literate. But then again, having a little bit of knowledge can sometimes make a person almost as arrogant as having a whole lot of it. Glad to be movin’ on!”

It’s refreshing to read intelligent, informed, and articulate people commenting on complex matters. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024