But in conversations with The Washington Post, experts rejected the idea that the virus could be man-made. ADTim Trevan, a biological safety expert based in Maryland, said most countries had largely abandoned their bioweapons research after years of work proved fruitless. ADThe article cited research by Dany Shoham, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, who told The Post he did not want to comment further. ADDespite little public evidence, the theory has spread widely on social media, to conspiracy theory websites and in some international news outlets. The speculation may be linked to uncertainty over where the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak originated.

Source: Washington Post January 29, 2020 10:03 UTC