The global narrative on the origins of COVID-19 has constantly been evolving, with new evidence and theories being put forward by experts. In the early days of the pandemic, the initial hypothesis was that the virus originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China. It was believed that the virus was introduced into bats, and was later spread to humans. However, as more research has been conducted, some scientists have raised questions about the possibility of a laboratory origin, leading to a significant change in the global narrative.
In the realm of science and the scientific method, it is not uncommon for researchers to often change their views given new information that has surfaced. In the case of COVID-19, further information was popping up every week which, naturally, led to confusion throughout the science community. So, it wasn’t that these scientists were having “changes of heart,” but instead it was just the introduction of new knowledge.
In Holmes’s article, he states “I’ve absolutely no problem with people knowing that my views on this issue have evolved as more data have appeared. That’s science… [W]e set up an hypothesis and then tested it… [W]e are only guilty of the proper scientific method.” It is common for scientific understanding to change over time as new information comes to light. Scientists strive to pursue scientific truth and make revisions to their findings based on new evidence. In the case of COVID-19, with so much still unknown about the virus and its origin, it is likely that the narrative will continue to change as new information is discovered.