Raccoon Dogs: Pandemic Origin?

A new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, points to raccoon dogs sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China as the likely source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spillover from animals to humans. This research, conducted by a team of prominent scientists including Michael Worobey and Angela Rasmussen, provides unprecedented granularity, down to the individual market stall, showing the mingling of coronavirus-susceptible wildlife, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and human beings in a very specific part of the Wuhan market. The study's findings, however, have been met with criticism from some researchers who argue that a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a more likely source of the virus's spread.