Associated PressLONDON — Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source.
“For example, with the racoon dogs, we can show that the racoon dogs that were … were from a sub-species that circulates more in southern parts of China,” said Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona. Knowing that might help researchers understand where those animals came from and where they were sold. Scientists might then start sampling bats in the area, which are known to be the natural reservoirs of related coronaviruses like SARS.
“It’s a significant finding and this does shift the dial more in favor of an animal origin," Woolhouse, who was not connected to the research, said. “But it is not conclusive.”
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