Comment by Brayden G. Schindell

There has been concern that the emergence of the virus into the human population may have resulted from a laboratory release. The two main hypotheses are, SARS-CoV-2 was created through gain of function experiments on related viruses via serial passaging though this has been refuted. The second hypothesis has posited that an accidental laboratory release of SARS-CoV-2 precipitated movement of the virus from the laboratory to the community though this has also been refuted. Recent investigation of SARS-CoV-2 genomic diversity by Pekar and colleagues has provided evidence to support the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 through multiple zoonotic events.