Prox Authors & Ebola
The evolution of Ebola virus: Insights from the 2013-2016 epidemic.
Pub: Nature, October 2016.
In the paper, the authors/Nature repeat the unproven claim that the outbreak began in the remote village of Meliandou, Guniea - the pangolin narrative of the day. In fact, for a paper titled The evolution of the Ebola virus, they strangely skip right over any examination of this theory saying: the origin and spread of the 2013–2016 EVD epidemic seem well resolved.
They cite Baize’s paper, which promulgated the story of a toddler from a remote village in Guinea contracting Ebola when playing near a hollow tree.
Science reports that the tree mysteriously burned to a stump just before they arrived, thwarting their search for evidence that might confirm the scenario.
So convenient.
But the point is it’s unconfirmed. The search for evidence was thwarted. Then why are Andersen, Holmes, Rambaut saying the origin seems well resolved?
The narrative became well established - repeated by other researchers - who fed it to the media. Notice any similarities?
And so another origin story gets passed into science zoonosis lore - without any substantial proof.