We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Comment by Shi Zhengli
Wuhan Institute of Virology bat coronavirus researcher
RaTG13 was the closest SARS-CoV-2 relative we had ever had. We could not have leaked what we did not have.AI Verified source (Feb 9, 2022)
2h ago
Policy proposals and claims
votes Against
Statement relation comments
AI Verified
Relevant: in context, the quote is Shi Zhengli’s reason against the lab-leak claim. The article presents it as her response to suspicions that a Wuhan Institute virus sample such as RaTG13 could have been the pandemic source; saying "we could not have leaked what we did not have" makes opposition to the statement substantially more likely. ([pulitzercenter.org](https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/meet-scientist-center-covid-lab-leak-controversy))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Vote answer comments
AI Verified
The quote is a rebuttal to the lab-leak claim: by saying “we could not have leaked what we did not have,” the author argues her lab lacked SARS-CoV-2 or the necessary precursor, and the source context presents this as Shi Zhengli denying that covid began through a Wuhan lab incident. ([archive.ph](https://archive.ph/UhpY5?utm_source=openai))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Quote authenticity verification history
Report thisQuote authenticity comments
AI Verified
The quote is authentic and verbatim: republications/mirrors of the same Jane Qiu article show the exact two-sentence wording, explicitly attributed in the text to Shi Zhengli (“she said”). Search indexing also ties that article and wording to the original MIT Technology Review piece dated 2022-02-09. ([pulitzercenter.org](https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/meet-scientist-center-covid-lab-leak-controversy))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
replying to Shi Zhengli