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Comment by Josie Golding

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Epidemics lead at Wellcome Trust, quoted on evidence for SARS-CoV-2 natural evolution
crucially important to bring an evidence-based view [...] They conclude that the virus is the product of natural evolution [...] ending any speculation about deliberate genetic engineering.
AI Verified (Mar 17, 2020)
Source:
Josie Golding, quoted in Scripps Research, "The COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin, scientists say," March 17, 2020.
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Policy proposals and claims
COVID-19 originated from a lab-related incident rather than natural zoonotic spillover
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AI Verified Relevant: in the source context, Golding is endorsing the article’s conclusion that SARS-CoV-2 is "the product of natural evolution" and addressing rumors about the virus’s origins, so her quote strongly signals a determinable stance on the natural-spillover-vs-lab-origin question, even though the quoted wording specifically mentions genetic engineering rather than every possible lab-related incident. ([scripps.edu](https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2020/20200317-andersen-covid-19-coronavirus.html)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 20d ago
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AI Verified The author is opposing the statement: Golding says the researchers conclude SARS-CoV-2 is "the product of natural evolution," and the source article frames this as an evidence-based answer to rumors about the virus’s origins, stating there was "no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory." The quote most directly rejects engineering, and the article context extends that to a natural-origin position rather than a lab-related one. ([scripps.edu](https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2020/20200317-andersen-covid-19-coronavirus.html)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 20d ago

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AI Verified The Scripps Research page dated 2020-03-17 attributes two adjacent quotations to Josie Golding, PhD, at Wellcome Trust; together they contain the submitted excerpt, including “crucially important…,” “the product of natural evolution,” and “deliberate genetic engineering.” A Wellcome staff page corroborates Josie Golding’s identity. The stored author, date, and source URL match, so no correction is needed. ([scripps.edu](https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2020/20200317-andersen-covid-19-coronavirus.html)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 20d ago
replying to Josie Golding