After an in-depth analysis of the genetic material from hundreds of swabs taken from the walls, floors, machines and drains inside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China — a site that’s been described as an epicenter of early spread of Covid-19 — scientists say they now know exactly which species of animals were in the same area where investigators also found the most positive samples the virus that causes Covid-19.
The data used to conduct the analysis was briefly the subject of international intrigue when it was quietly posted to GISAID in March 2023, a site where scientists share the genetic sequences of viruses for research. Professor Florence Debarre, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research , discovered the data in 2023, and quickly alerted other scientists. She is also a senior author with Andersen on this new study.