zlacker

>>datafl+(OP)
If we apply Occam's razor [1] decision between "Wuhan, however, is home of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a leading world center for research on coronaviruses" and "Wuhan, there is a wet market where under certain conditions virus can jump from bat to monkey to person" is relatively straightforward

But then, we should probably also apply Hanlon's razor [2] "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor

>>seymor+Jo
I assume practically every city in China has wet markets. I wonder how many cities have facilities that do virus research. It might actually be more than you'd assume; I have no idea what sort of research might happen at universities, You also have to weigh this with SARS Classic originating in China.

>>dehrma+ir
"a leading world center for research on coronaviruses" presumes some form of uniqueness amongst potential other similar facilities

>>seymor+7s
Presumably they specialised in coronaviruses because of the proximity to a bat population with coronaviruses, making sample gathering much easier? Are there other areas with significant coronavirus hosts? Are there other labs that specialise in coronaviruses to the same extent? The two seem linked to me, although I have no background in this area.

So we'd a priori expect coronavirus to originate in the area with coronavirus hosts, whether it was through the lab or the market...

>>verbif+iy
It's been written everywhere that the horseshoe bats most likely to carry coronaviruses live in Yunnan province, more than 1000 km away. It's where the closest COVID relative was found as well.

Also while there are other species of bats near Wuhan, they are in hibernation in winter.