"expert reaction to a preprint reviewing the evidence on the origins of SARS-CoV-2"
https://t.co/6kG6rstweP
1. Some useful, albeit not fully developed, critiques of:
“The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review"
https://t.co/C9TyRyqHUr
have just been published here:
https://t.co/qCmzGCzRxn
by members of DRASTIC & others
@angoffinet @BahulikarRahul @MonaRahalkar @gdemaneuf
"expert reaction to a preprint reviewing the evidence on the origins of SARS-CoV-2"
https://t.co/6kG6rstweP
His critique focuses on:
1. RaTG13
2. Enhanced adaptation to the human host
https://t.co/eW8b2iK5xe
https://t.co/xrjpN1NxpO
1. https://t.co/YJ50huifly
one of the authors (Stuart Neil) then claimed
"Didn’t N501Y come up in ACE2 TG mice too?
https://t.co/HscNSEKdrZ
All your natural origin friends in one place ;)
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) July 7, 2021
Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Reviewhttps://t.co/j4A4rtmi8S
via @Topo_Ligio
Fallacy of the "straw mouse", denying evolution in wild type mice, when the claim is actually that it may have "evolved" in hACE2 mice, NOT wild mice. pic.twitter.com/7LCnSAhw6g
https://t.co/ldzuAMDiF9
Human lung xenograft & adenovirus hACE2 mice need to be immunosuppressed/deficient e.g. SCID or Rag1-2 KO2 mice, so as not to reject the allograft cells & transgenic ACE2.
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) July 8, 2021
So, why do you think N501Y would emerge in TG hACE2 mice without a functional immune system or mouse ACE2?
https://t.co/OaLzUfIPuA
A thread with papers to educate Stuart here:
https://t.co/BFVxXlVKj4
Didn\u2019t N501Y come up in ACE2 TG mice too? https://t.co/cRR1qlTUtB
— Stuart Neil (@stuartjdneil) July 7, 2021
https://t.co/k93d6gVR8s
I guess it was his way of admitting he was wrong about N501Y?
Are you just going to quote the entire history of TG mice for CoV research?
— Stuart Neil (@stuartjdneil) July 7, 2021
We know they had Th mice for recombinant CoV infection.
But it\u2019s all irrelevant
They needed to have the right virus. And thus far is there is zero evidence that they did.
https://t.co/Syn3CNd5ne
So maybe you can tell me why you get adaptive mutations in mouse passage outside spike? Those should happen in Tg mice too. Where are they?
— Stuart Neil (@stuartjdneil) July 7, 2021
https://t.co/cH4jY6HOfe
https://t.co/I90OOCJg7o
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) July 8, 2021
I suspect that the reason for the emergence of N501Y in this specific experiment is that the balb/c mice used in the experiment were non hACE2 mice and immunocompetent mice.
https://t.co/ZIPRFOHDGE
It's a simple point, that you are wrong about N501Y
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) July 10, 2021
"Taken together, these patterns of detectable selection suggest that the adaptive value of signature 501Y lineage RBD mutations may have only manifested after a selective shift that occurred shortly before November 2020"
The Straw Lab Fallacy
https://t.co/kS9wCBkgvr
They haven't even done the basic research.
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) July 11, 2021
They conjured up a straw lab, the bsl4 lab
Most bat coronavirus work was done at the older complex in xiaohongshan. The labs (plural) and their locations are listed here along with documented biosafety issues:https://t.co/ewo9oZUuqU
A long thread by @Rossana38510044 debunking the claims in "Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Pathetic Review"
https://t.co/Un0h4cm3vi
Saved:
https://t.co/8eDdbKWdqf
Archived:
https://t.co/8bfaU4nWXo
That was a surprise. So many well-known supporters of SARS2\u2019s natural origin join forces to publish an opinion piece in\u2026Zenodo \U0001f602https://t.co/led9ZcIokp
— Rossana Segreto (@Rossana38510044) July 8, 2021
A response to “The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review”
https://t.co/QrqL9DlBGh
Archived:
https://t.co/UA29u7D3v0
More from Billy Bostickson 🏴👁&👁 🆓
"The coronavirus in Italy since September 2019"
Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy
First Published November 11, 2020
https://t.co/nhlccks5AS
Smashed Paywall thanks to @Sci_Hub
https://t.co/wWPFJMjjFJ
Maybe a coincidence but an agreement was recently signed by the authors' institute and guess who?
https://t.co/vh7qX3hyPD
The Lead Author specifically of the paper:
"Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy"
is Giovanni Apolone of the "Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori" Milan, Italy
Some funding is involved....
Anyone good at Italian feel free to comment?
"You findee sars cov 2 in old sample back September time, we give you big fat red envelopeee, okey dokey?"
More has emerged regarding the Chinese connection
"Oncology research, Italy and China close to the collaboration protocol"
.https://t.co/Mt5hO9Dggc
Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy
First Published November 11, 2020
https://t.co/nhlccks5AS
Smashed Paywall thanks to @Sci_Hub
https://t.co/wWPFJMjjFJ
Maybe a coincidence but an agreement was recently signed by the authors' institute and guess who?
https://t.co/vh7qX3hyPD
The Lead Author specifically of the paper:
"Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy"
is Giovanni Apolone of the "Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori" Milan, Italy
Some funding is involved....
Anyone good at Italian feel free to comment?
"You findee sars cov 2 in old sample back September time, we give you big fat red envelopeee, okey dokey?"
More has emerged regarding the Chinese connection
"Oncology research, Italy and China close to the collaboration protocol"
.https://t.co/Mt5hO9Dggc
1. Omicron Thread - A Compilation of Opinions
"finally, the time has slip and slid its slimy course through to us - and we're the vicious bastards of the new generation. we do not relent, and we should not be held to account for our ancestral faults"
https://t.co/mhJO6yOQRE
2. The Letter Chosen by the WHO
"It's amazing that the Xi variant seems to have somehow managed to evade detection..."
via @readomain
Why 'Omicron', Not 'Nu' or 'Xi'?
WHO Says Two Letters in Greek Alphabet Jumped to 'Avoid Stigma'
https://t.co/xnGR9XK2tF
3. The Omicron variant has been found in nearly every province of South Africa, as well as Botswana, Belgium, Israel, UK and Hong Kong.
This month, Israel held an exercise, The “Omega Exercise”, meant to prepare for a hypothetical, new COVID-19
4. Omicron Infographic
(appeared in Germany and Italy now)
https://t.co/oNFYBH1F1o
5. Overview of Omicron (B.1.1.529) from @nicd_sa
https://t.co/HN9csJqK0z
"finally, the time has slip and slid its slimy course through to us - and we're the vicious bastards of the new generation. we do not relent, and we should not be held to account for our ancestral faults"
https://t.co/mhJO6yOQRE
Here is how B.1.1.529 (#Omicron #B11529) compares to Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta variants.
— nference (@_nference) November 27, 2021
Omicron has highest novel Spike mutations including striking cluster on the "crown" suggesting significant selection pressure & antigenic distinction from prior strains
(Credits: nference) pic.twitter.com/4oZQbjhbG8
2. The Letter Chosen by the WHO
"It's amazing that the Xi variant seems to have somehow managed to evade detection..."
via @readomain
Why 'Omicron', Not 'Nu' or 'Xi'?
WHO Says Two Letters in Greek Alphabet Jumped to 'Avoid Stigma'
https://t.co/xnGR9XK2tF
3. The Omicron variant has been found in nearly every province of South Africa, as well as Botswana, Belgium, Israel, UK and Hong Kong.
This month, Israel held an exercise, The “Omega Exercise”, meant to prepare for a hypothetical, new COVID-19
4. Omicron Infographic
(appeared in Germany and Italy now)
https://t.co/oNFYBH1F1o
5. Overview of Omicron (B.1.1.529) from @nicd_sa
https://t.co/HN9csJqK0z
Prof @Tuliodna is giving an insightful overview of the #NewVariant #B11529 pic.twitter.com/VnFBrj2pOT
— NICD (@nicd_sa) November 25, 2021
Keep dwelling on this:
Further Examination of the Motif near PRRA Reveals Close Structural Similarity to the SEB Superantigen as well as Sequence Similarities to Neurotoxins and a Viral SAg.
The insertion PRRA together with 7 sequentially preceding residues & succeeding R685 (conserved in β-CoVs) form a motif, Y674QTQTNSPRRAR685, homologous to those of neurotoxins from Ophiophagus (cobra) and Bungarus genera, as well as neurotoxin-like regions from three RABV strains
(20) (Fig. 2D). We further noticed that the same segment bears close similarity to the HIV-1 glycoprotein gp120 SAg motif F164 to V174.
https://t.co/EwwJOSa8RK
In (B), the segment S680PPRAR685 including the PRRA insert and highly conserved cleavage site *R685* is shown in van der Waals representation (black labels) and nearby CDR residues of the TCRVβ domain are labeled in blue/white
https://t.co/BsY8BAIzDa
Sequence Identity %
https://t.co/BsY8BAIzDa
Y674 - QTQTNSPRRA - R685
Similar to neurotoxins from Ophiophagus (cobra) & Bungarus genera & neurotoxin-like regions from three RABV strains
T678 - NSPRRA- R685
Superantigenic core, consistently aligned against bacterial or viral SAgs
Further Examination of the Motif near PRRA Reveals Close Structural Similarity to the SEB Superantigen as well as Sequence Similarities to Neurotoxins and a Viral SAg.
The insertion PRRA together with 7 sequentially preceding residues & succeeding R685 (conserved in β-CoVs) form a motif, Y674QTQTNSPRRAR685, homologous to those of neurotoxins from Ophiophagus (cobra) and Bungarus genera, as well as neurotoxin-like regions from three RABV strains
(20) (Fig. 2D). We further noticed that the same segment bears close similarity to the HIV-1 glycoprotein gp120 SAg motif F164 to V174.
https://t.co/EwwJOSa8RK
In (B), the segment S680PPRAR685 including the PRRA insert and highly conserved cleavage site *R685* is shown in van der Waals representation (black labels) and nearby CDR residues of the TCRVβ domain are labeled in blue/white
https://t.co/BsY8BAIzDa
Sequence Identity %
https://t.co/BsY8BAIzDa
Y674 - QTQTNSPRRA - R685
Similar to neurotoxins from Ophiophagus (cobra) & Bungarus genera & neurotoxin-like regions from three RABV strains
T678 - NSPRRA- R685
Superantigenic core, consistently aligned against bacterial or viral SAgs
1. Mini Thread on Conflicts of Interest involving the authors of the Nature Toilet Paper:
https://t.co/VUYbsKGncx
Kristian G. Andersen
Andrew Rambaut
Ian Lipkin
Edward C. Holmes
Robert F. Garry
2. Thanks to @newboxer007 for forwarding the link to the research by an Australian in Taiwan (not on
3. K.Andersen didn't mention "competing interests"
Only Garry listed Zalgen Labs, which we will look at later.
In acknowledgements, Michael Farzan, Wellcome Trust, NIH, ERC & ARC are mentioned.
Author affiliations listed as usual.
Note the 328 Citations!
https://t.co/nmOeohM89Q
4. Kristian Andersen (1)
Andersen worked with USAMRIID & Fort Detrick scientists on research, with Robert Garry, Jens Kuhn & Sina Bavari among
5. Kristian Andersen (2)
Works at Scripps Research Institute, which WAS in serious financial trouble, haemorrhaging 20 million $ a year.
But just when the first virus cases were emerging, they received great news.
They issued a press release dated November 27, 2019:
https://t.co/VUYbsKGncx
Kristian G. Andersen
Andrew Rambaut
Ian Lipkin
Edward C. Holmes
Robert F. Garry
2. Thanks to @newboxer007 for forwarding the link to the research by an Australian in Taiwan (not on
3. K.Andersen didn't mention "competing interests"
Only Garry listed Zalgen Labs, which we will look at later.
In acknowledgements, Michael Farzan, Wellcome Trust, NIH, ERC & ARC are mentioned.
Author affiliations listed as usual.
Note the 328 Citations!
https://t.co/nmOeohM89Q
4. Kristian Andersen (1)
Andersen worked with USAMRIID & Fort Detrick scientists on research, with Robert Garry, Jens Kuhn & Sina Bavari among
Our Hans Kristian Andersen working with Jens H. Kuhn, Sina Bavari, Robert F. Garry, Stuart T. Nichol,Gustavo Palacios, Sheli R. Radoshitzky from USAMRIID and Fort Detrick to tell more fairy tales? Full emails listed for queries...https://t.co/kLRoQTxiGD pic.twitter.com/uHNuGraPP2
— Billy Bostickson \U0001f3f4\U0001f441&\U0001f441 \U0001f193 (@BillyBostickson) August 26, 2020
5. Kristian Andersen (2)
Works at Scripps Research Institute, which WAS in serious financial trouble, haemorrhaging 20 million $ a year.
But just when the first virus cases were emerging, they received great news.
They issued a press release dated November 27, 2019:
More from All
How can we use language supervision to learn better visual representations for robotics?
Introducing Voltron: Language-Driven Representation Learning for Robotics!
Paper: https://t.co/gIsRPtSjKz
Models: https://t.co/NOB3cpATYG
Evaluation: https://t.co/aOzQu95J8z
🧵👇(1 / 12)
Videos of humans performing everyday tasks (Something-Something-v2, Ego4D) offer a rich and diverse resource for learning representations for robotic manipulation.
Yet, an underused part of these datasets are the rich, natural language annotations accompanying each video. (2/12)
The Voltron framework offers a simple way to use language supervision to shape representation learning, building off of prior work in representations for robotics like MVP (https://t.co/Pb0mk9hb4i) and R3M (https://t.co/o2Fkc3fP0e).
The secret is *balance* (3/12)
Starting with a masked autoencoder over frames from these video clips, make a choice:
1) Condition on language and improve our ability to reconstruct the scene.
2) Generate language given the visual representation and improve our ability to describe what's happening. (4/12)
By trading off *conditioning* and *generation* we show that we can learn 1) better representations than prior methods, and 2) explicitly shape the balance of low and high-level features captured.
Why is the ability to shape this balance important? (5/12)
Introducing Voltron: Language-Driven Representation Learning for Robotics!
Paper: https://t.co/gIsRPtSjKz
Models: https://t.co/NOB3cpATYG
Evaluation: https://t.co/aOzQu95J8z
🧵👇(1 / 12)
Videos of humans performing everyday tasks (Something-Something-v2, Ego4D) offer a rich and diverse resource for learning representations for robotic manipulation.
Yet, an underused part of these datasets are the rich, natural language annotations accompanying each video. (2/12)
The Voltron framework offers a simple way to use language supervision to shape representation learning, building off of prior work in representations for robotics like MVP (https://t.co/Pb0mk9hb4i) and R3M (https://t.co/o2Fkc3fP0e).
The secret is *balance* (3/12)
Starting with a masked autoencoder over frames from these video clips, make a choice:
1) Condition on language and improve our ability to reconstruct the scene.
2) Generate language given the visual representation and improve our ability to describe what's happening. (4/12)
By trading off *conditioning* and *generation* we show that we can learn 1) better representations than prior methods, and 2) explicitly shape the balance of low and high-level features captured.
Why is the ability to shape this balance important? (5/12)
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2/ So what is Brew?
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(we’re still working on the pitch)
3/ So, why be so transparent? Two words: launch strategy.
jk 😅 a) I loooove doing something consistently for a long period of time b) limited downside and infinite upside (feedback, accountability, reach).
cc @altimor, @pmarca
4/ https://t.co/GOQJ7LjQ2t domain 🍻
It started with a cold email. Guess what? He was using BuyMeACoffee on his blog, and was excited to hear about what we're building next. Within 2w, we signed the deal at @Escrowcom's SF office. You’re a pleasure to work with @MichaelCyger!
5/ @ycombinator's invite for the in-person interview arrived that evening. Quite a day!
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