We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Comment by Alice Hughes
Biodiversity researcher and group leader of Biodiversity Analytics of Terrestrial Ecosystems at the University of Hong Kong
There is no data to support a manmade origin, whilst the infections of mink and other wildlife highlight the ability of the virus to jump between hosts, and similar viruses circulating in wildlife highlight that like the majority of viruses Covid is almost certain to have a natural origin, starting in Rhinolophid (horseshoe) bats, spilling into an intermediate host, and then spilling over into humans through captive wildlife, which we know to be competent hosts of these viruses.AI Verified (Nov 28, 2023)
2h ago
Policy proposals and claims
votes Against
Statement relation comments
AI Verified
ai_verified: The quote is directly about COVID-19’s origin. In source context, Hughes is responding to claims the virus may have been man-made and says there is no supporting data for that view, while describing COVID-19 as almost certainly having a natural bat-to-intermediate-host-to-human spillover origin. That makes a stance on the complete statement clearly determinable. ([sciencemediacentre.org](https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-comments-made-by-michael-gove-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-about-the-origins-of-covid-19-saying-the-virus-may-have-been-man-made/))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Vote answer comments
AI Verified
The quote explicitly opposes the statement: it says there is "no data to support a manmade origin" and that COVID was "almost certain to have a natural origin" through bat-to-intermediate-host-to-human spillover, which is the opposite of a lab-related origin. ([sciencemediacentre.org](https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-comments-made-by-michael-gove-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-about-the-origins-of-covid-19-saying-the-virus-may-have-been-man-made/))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Quote authenticity verification history
Report thisQuote authenticity comments
AI Verified
The quote is authentic. The Science Media Centre page at the provided URL is dated November 28, 2023 and attributes the statement to "Prof Alice Hughes, Group Leader Biodiversity Analytics of Terrestrial Ecosystems (BAT) group, University of Hong Kong"; the quoted sentence appears there verbatim in her comment (lines 80-82). The stored quote text, date, author, and source URL are therefore consistent with the source. ([sciencemediacentre.org](https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-comments-made-by-michael-gove-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-about-the-origins-of-covid-19-saying-the-virus-may-have-been-man-made/))
·
YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
replying to Alice Hughes