Human Rights Project, Division of Social Studies, Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing, and Biology Program Present
Where Did the Virus that Causes COVID-19 Come From?
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Campus Center, Weis Cinema
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
A panel discussion on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
COVID-19 has killed nearly five million people worldwide, so far. Like most novel microbes, the virus that causes it—known as SARS-CoV-2-- was at first assumed to have come from nature. A person, perhaps a trapper or butcher, was infected by an animal that carried the virus. But early in the epidemic, members of the Trump administration began speculating openly that the virus could have leaked from a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the Chinese city where the disease was first detected. Since then, prominent scientists have argued fiercely over the natural transfer vs lab leak theories, and the Biden administration has also weighed in on the issue. Knowing how this pandemic started will help prevent future ones, but the search for answers is politically fraught. In this panel discussion, Bard biology professors Felicia Keesing and Brooke Jude will explain the science of what we do and do not know about the origin of SARS-CoV-2, and what the data so far tells us about what is and isn't possible. Panelists:
Felicia Keesing, an ecologist specializing in emerging infectious diseases teaches biology at Bard
Brooke Jude, a molecular microbiologist specializing in bacteria and viruses teaches biology at Bard
Helen Epstein (moderator) a writer and researcher specializing in public health
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Campus Center, Weis Cinema