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Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
"Chan and Ridley write with an urgency...that inspires gripping depictions of what viruses are, how infectious-disease laboratories work and wonderfully lucid descriptions of bats.... They powerfully recount how dangerous pathogens can both leak from a lab and emerge in nature." (New York Times Book Review)
Understanding how COVID-19 started is crucial for the future of humankind. Viral is the most incisive and authoritative book about the search for the source of the virus.
A new virus descended on the human species in 2019 wreaking unprecedented havoc. Finding out where it came from and how it first jumped into people is an urgent priority, but early expectations that this would prove an easy question to answer have been dashed. Nearly two years into the pandemic, the crucial mystery of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is not only unresolved but has deepened.
In this uniquely insightful book, a scientist and a writer join forces to try to get to the bottom of how a virus whose closest relations live in bats in subtropical southern China somehow managed to begin spreading among people more than 1,500 kilometers away in the city of Wuhan. They grapple with the baffling fact that the virus left none of the expected traces that such outbreaks usually create: no infected market animals or wildlife, no chains of early cases in travelers to the city, no smoldering epidemic in a rural area, no rapid adaptation of the virus to its new host - human beings.
To try to solve this pressing mystery, Viral delves deep into the events of 2019 leading up to 2021, the details of what went on in animal markets and virology laboratories, the records and data hidden from sight within archived Chinese theses and websites, and the clues that can be coaxed from the very text of the virus’s own genetic code.
The result is a gripping detective story that takes the reader deeper and deeper into a metaphorical cave of mystery. One by one the authors explore promising tunnels only to show that they are blind alleys, until, miles beneath the surface, they find themselves tantalizingly close to a shaft that leads to the light.
- Listening Length11 hours and 16 minutes
- Audible release dateNovember 16, 2021
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB097CLV3QP
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 11 hours and 16 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Matt Ridley, Alina Chan |
Narrator | Gavin Osborn |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | November 16, 2021 |
Publisher | HarperAudio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B097CLV3QP |
Best Sellers Rank | #54,972 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #4 in Bacteriology #97 in Biology (Audible Books & Originals) #224 in Medicine & Health Care Industry |
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The book weaves together a dense story starting with the mysterious death of several miners in Mojiang County in 2012. In a bat cave in this county several miners came down with pneumonia and significant health deterioration with unknown origins. Speculations included fungal and viral infections but nothing identified as known disease. The authors give some perspective on the subsequent studying of these cases as masters and doctoral dissertations published on these cases but these remained within Chinese databases and were not the subject of international publication. The mine from which this occurred remains completely closed to any investigation and is not willingly discussed by China. The authors and a large number of scientists believe these cases and that cave are the likely origin of Covid. The caves of Yunnan are filled with species of bats which are the most abundant source of zoonotic viruses. Their large communities and close proximity of living leads to large virus pools that are not suited to humans or other animals but are potentially a few mutations away from being able to jump species. The authors discuss how the study of such bat populations and their viruses was the business of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, run by Dr Shi. A prominent character in the story of Covid. Their team analyzed bat viruses for years and sequenced their findings (though did not share their results and then only partially until internet sleuths found evidence of their existence on the internet). Thus the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) studied and analyzed bat genomes with coronavirus structures for years. Furthermore the institute along with general scientific momentum likely engaged in gain of function research on viruses with the ambition of getting ahead of the next pandemic by putting oneself in the position to understand viral evolution better. This sort of scientific attitude is controversial with both advocates and skeptics able to make strong cases. It is hard to imagine in a country like China their ambitions don't completely dominate any interest in ethics, but of course this is speculative.
The author spend time highlighting how lab leaks happen, giving examples in the Soviet Union as well as the US. They also discuss the level of biosafety labs that have been constructed and the safety protocols around research type and lab type. In this the author's highlight that the safety standards of Chinese labs is questionable, as they often dismissed their western peers who helped build the labs leaving a scarcity of lab technicians trained to use such highly specified equipment. A topic Chinese scientists no doubt would instinctually disagree with, but the examples given are highly concerning though there is no one given the opportunity to rebut them. The authors discuss the level of security in the WIV and its capacity to work on both genome analysis and gain of function research.
The authors spend time giving the reader and understanding of the peculiarities of COVID. The most obvious is that a virus which jumps species is extremely unlikely to be highly infectious. The binding receptors for humans and the original animal host will be different requiring mutations, thus usual first cases are people in extremely close proximity to animals often catch but don't transmit. In the case of COVID its original mutations were few meaning the virus was immediately suited for human transmission. The tracing of the chain of infections led to at best the fish section of the wet-market, which was originally given as the origin. This should now considered to be of negligible probability. The second story pushed by Chinese officials is it was transmitted in frozen food, this too has negligible probability as a scenario and there is no evidence for it either. The authors discuss pangolins and civet cats and how they are vessels for bat viruses rather than a source of virus. So one also gets decent biology lessons throughout. There is a discussion of how the spike protein is so effective and how it is unique to COVID indicating some chance of engineering. This of course would be highly disputed by Chinese policy makers but that is purely their self interest being displayed loudly rather than substantiated with evidence.
The authors weave throughout the story the reality of Chinese authorities and Dr Shi's team not being cooperative. There was late release of genome data, non-existent record keeping of early patient data. Non-sense privacy arguments on sidelining blood analysis of patients in Wuhan in 2019. Overall its pretty shocking how little China has been willingly providing on the origins of Covid but then not so shocking when considering their initial desire to cover up the outbreak. There are so many extremely strange instances of, very close but prior to the outbreak genome data being taken offline and or renamed. Of course there's an excuse for everything but the collage of evidence points to a lack of transparency that projects guilt, whether or not such is the case. If anything confidence on the China narrative on the origin of Covid is now deservedly low, while confidence in the case for a lab leak, accidental as it would have been has risen.
Viral is exciting and a dense collection of evidence on the origins of COVID. It attempts to be even in its analysis giving arguments for each side and claiming at the end the authors have yet to form their own conclusions but the writing suggests otherwise. It suggests the authors believe the evidence is stacked towards a lab leak, but an unintentional one. As a reader one will come to the same conclusion but of course that is partially due to the authors putting together the evidence the way they do and not having the other side respond. That being said scientists on the other side, who really are pursuing science and not agents of the state, like Dr Shi, have refused to respond to their questions forcing the reader to come to the same conclusions as the facts the authors put together take one to inescapable. Unfortunately this is increasingly an instance where China's closed autocratic political instincts don't sit well with the scientists investigating the topic. And whether its instincts that are counterproductive or whether its their need to cover up a mistake has amplified a growth in mistrust that wont just go away. Nor has it led to a stronger introspection for all scientific research done in the name of getting ahead of a problem ignoring the probability of creating a problem, namely gain of function research, were it actually a lab leak. It will take the world a long time to get over this pandemic and the exercise of getting to the bottom of the origin of it at the moment is more anti-cathartic than anything.
The most amazing aspect of this scientific detective story is the independent research done by scientists and non-specialists around the world to uncover the truth. Alena Chan was a member of DRASTIC, an informal group of such truth seekers, many with scientific credentials, many just with with data analysis skills and time on their hands, who coordinated queries into genome databases, read Chinese academic theses and other sources to try to pinpoint the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is simply breathtaking as the authors relate how they collected irrefutable evidence in real time about, for example, the wet market hypothesis. The facts show that 80,000 animals were tested for the virus and none were positive. Bats were not sold at the market. Previous research on gain of function conducted by Chinese and American researchers supported by Anthony Fauci's NIAID is reproduced and quoted, even as Fauci was denying it. All of this occurred on Twitter, amazingly, which permitted the flow of scientific analysis and fact-checking that made the book possible. Twitter should be commended for not censoring these communications.
Drawing especially on Alina's expertise, the authors do not stint on technical detail about viruses and their genomes. Through their contacts in DRASTIC, they expose the aspects of the virus that do not appear normally in bat coronaviruses; i.e., the infamous furin cleavage site. They explain what spike proteins are and how they work in assisting viral replication. The discussion is beautifully balanced and totally accessible to any interested reader.
The authors also present lawyerly cases pro and con for laboratory origin of the virus without stating a conclusion. Their presentation of the facts, which are unassailable at this point, provides strong circumstantial evidence for lab origin. The actual research that led to the virus, if it did originate in a laboratory, will probably never be revealed, as the Chinese have not restored the missing viral database, and are not cooperating with any investigations of laboratory origin.
Other investigators, especially Dr. David E. Martin, have provided compelling circumstantial evidence including patents, business plans, simulations, media strategies ... all prepared in the years prior to the pandemic detailing how a mass vaccination strategy for a coronavirus could be imposed upon the entire world yielding inconceivable profits for the planners, including Bill Gates, who had shiny new mRNA vaccines just looking for virus to be used on. ... This evidence is best presented in "Global Predators" by Peter and Ginger Breggin.
I predict that not one salient fact in"Viral" will be found to be false. The rigor of the research and attribution is just stellar. This is a book that should be read by every leader in the western world. The problem is that most of them seem to have been promised compensation for going along with the mass vaccination play and the implementation of a new world order based on total compliance to government, as in Communist China. In other words, the pandemic was to be used to impose the World Economic Forum's "Great Reset," by destroying the world economy and then "building back better."
Who should read this book? You should.
Top reviews from other countries
Dr Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance comes across as self serving and duplicitous. He has not acquitted himself well in this pandemic. I am surprised he has not been arrested and questioned for obstructing the investigation into the cause of so many deaths. Daszak’s lack of integrity and downright dishonesty would appear to have helped the CCP hide the truth. But he is not alone. Many Western scientist and journalists have shown a decided lack of judgment. Whatever happened to follow the data, follow the science?
Dr Fauci and the NIH, in funding gain-of-function projects at WIV, has shown a level of naivety completely inexplicable at his level of responsibility.
Daszak and Fauci’s actions have done little to prevent future pandemics and both have shown little evidence they understand that is their primary responsibility. It is why they were given public funds in the first place.
Many scientist in Holland, Spain, Canada, and France have done much to seek out the truth and Alina and Matt have done a brilliant job of putting the jigsaw together.
It’s a tragic tale of human deceit. That so many scientist and politicians do not feel driven to find out how and why so many died is a sad reflection on today’s world.
If you are interested in understanding what little the world does know about the pandemic, ‘Viral’ is the book to read.