What's the evidence against SARS-CoV-2 being engineered by humans?

Imagine you're playing with building blocks, some are red, some are blue, and they all fit together nicely. That’s kind of what scientists saw when they looked at SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

If someone made the virus in a lab, you’d probably expect to see some special parts, like a “signature” from the person who built it. But when scientists looked closely at SARS-CoV-2, they didn’t find any of those special clues.

It’s like if your friend used only the blocks you both have at home, nothing fancy or new. That means the virus probably came from nature, not a lab. It also had some “flaws”, like tiny mistakes in its structure, kind of like when you draw a picture and it doesn’t look perfect.

If something was engineered by humans, it would be more like a brand-new toy with all the bells and whistles. But SARS-CoV-2 is more like something you’d find in your backpack, familiar, not too complicated, and definitely not magical. Imagine you're playing with building blocks, some are red, some are blue, and they all fit together nicely. That’s kind of what scientists saw when they looked at SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

If someone made the virus in a lab, you’d probably expect to see some special parts, like a “signature” from the person who built it. But when scientists looked closely at SARS-CoV-2, they didn’t find any of those special clues.

It’s like if your friend used only the blocks you both have at home, nothing fancy or new. That means the virus probably came from nature, not a lab. It also had some “flaws”, like tiny mistakes in its structure, kind of like when you draw a picture and it doesn’t look perfect.