The absence of a confirmed source does not put disproven conspiracy theories about its origin on the same footing as actual science.
Well, so what? People aren't generally making that claim. The only thing disproven is a straw man.
Nothing in the article rules out the possibility of a lab creating the virus via conventional breeding, by passing the virus through human cells and/or by infecting cells simultaneously with human viruses. Nothing in the article rules out the possibility of a lab accident; indeed there have been several lab accidents in China that released dangerous viruses.
Look at this research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18077725
It is 2008 research from the lab in Wuhan. They created a virus by combining SARS-CoV with HIV, targeting the human ACE2 molecule as receptor. These features match those of our current pandemic. (India reported the HIV link, and the use of ACE2 is widely known)
We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the possibility. Note also that China is actively trying to point people away from this line of inquiry. We should resist that effort.
It's worth remembering that the very term "conspiracy theory" was first used to deflect attention from an actual conspiracy. It was a very successful psy-op, and it lives on to this day.
But I'm also a Chinese agent, so take that with a grain of salt.
That is a straw man. I'm definitely not claiming that any such technology was used. The virus modifications in the Wuhan lab are older than the existence of most of that technology.
We didn't need modern technology to create the dog from the wolf. It's the same here, with viruses.
Breeding viruses in a lab is not detectable compared to what happens in nature.
The lab was breeding viruses the old-fashioned way long before modern gene-editing technology was invented. Bat coronaviruses would be mixed with other viruses and repeatedly passed through human cells. That leaves no evidence in the genome. It looks just like natural selection.
The virus labs in China have had several other dangerous accidents that let viruses get out. Those previous accidents were gotten under control. With this one, we weren't so lucky. I think the lesson is clear: don't screw around making deadly viruses when your biohazard containment is substandard. Maybe just don't attempt it under any conditions.
There is a difference between "seems obviously correct" and "proven well enough to avoid a lawsuit".
China exerts control over American media companies. Ones that don't play ball get banned in China. Remember that these companies are usually involved in many businesses, including the sale of movies to China's large population. Everybody is afraid to upset China.
Even the publisher of Nature has ditched about 1000 articles that were upsetting to the Chinese government.
Much of the US media is strongly in opposition to the US president. (They even stopped airing his virus updates, despite good ratings, because it was making him look good.) There is no desire to spread any news that could support his opposition to China.
1. The Chinese initially tried cover up and conceal reports new of the virus. E.g., the police intimidation of Dr. Li Wenliang before he succumb to the virus.
2. Wuhan, where the virus was first reported, is coincidentally China's best and only BSL-4 virus research lab, specifically focused on SARS. COVID is a close relation to SARS.
3. Chinese were caught doing unethical and dangerous DNS editing on human embryos. China later sent this "rouge" scientist to prison after a raucous global outcry.
4. Its been reported some Chinese researchers sell laboratory animals to street vendors after they have finished experimenting on them.
All this said, I don't think China deliberately released released virus. More likely, this will turn out to be China's Chernobyl. Plain and simple greedy incompetent people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/world/asia/china-coronavi...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7922379/Chinas-la...
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dont-buy-chinas-story-the-...
We fully expected an outbreak like this to happen eventually, and yet somehow having the expected result occur has spawned accusations of it being an American or Chinese plot.