Emily
Genetic clock data gives the date of COVID human samples all coming from a single introduction a few months ago. The same calculations show divergence from either the closest bat or pangolin sequences as a couple of decades ago. No animal host has been found carrying the decades of lost viral evolution, but it must have been evolving somewhere. There is no evidence of any human interference in this virus' evolution and where close gene sequences (like the snakes) have been found it is due to common mechanisms, and genes, of ancient origin which can be found in most current life forms. The fact that so many drug trials are going on with existing drugs for diseases as diverse as flu, HIV and SARS is due to the same common mechanisms used for cell attachment, cleavage and fusion.
Genetic clock data gives the date of COVID human samples all coming from a single introduction a few months ago. The same calculations show divergence from either the closest bat or pangolin sequences as a couple of decades ago. No animal host has been found carrying the decades of lost viral evolution, but it must have been evolving somewhere. There is no evidence of any human interference in this virus' evolution and where close gene sequences (like the snakes) have been found it is due to common mechanisms, and genes, of ancient origin which can be found in most current life forms. The fact that so many drug trials are going on with existing drugs for diseases as diverse as flu, HIV and SARS is due to the same common mechanisms used for cell attachment, cleavage and fusion.
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