"Things like" encompasses similar sentiments and yes some of them expressed similar sentiments in private, even after publishing the paper.
I've read the logs. They didn't re-evaluate in light of new evidence and no science was being done. They steadily talked themselves into believing what they wanted to believe from the start, while ignoring all the facts that would point in the other direction.
But really - why do we care what virologists think, of all people? Of course they claimed it couldn't have been them, who wants to get the blame for COVID? Their "expertise" certainly can't be cited in their own defense. When the evidence is evaluated objectively - and there is so much of it - it becomes clear that the pandemic was man made.
TBH I've found this isn't controversial anywhere outside of HN. Most people seem to accept what happened. It's only here that people cling to the idea it was natural. Heck for most people "it emerged right next to the only lab in the world doing experiments on coronaviruses" is enough by itself.
I've read the logs. They didn't re-evaluate in light of new evidence and no science was being done. They steadily talked themselves into believing what they wanted to believe from the start, while ignoring all the facts that would point in the other direction.
But really - why do we care what virologists think, of all people? Of course they claimed it couldn't have been them, who wants to get the blame for COVID? Their "expertise" certainly can't be cited in their own defense. When the evidence is evaluated objectively - and there is so much of it - it becomes clear that the pandemic was man made.
TBH I've found this isn't controversial anywhere outside of HN. Most people seem to accept what happened. It's only here that people cling to the idea it was natural. Heck for most people "it emerged right next to the only lab in the world doing experiments on coronaviruses" is enough by itself.