Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Research #COVID19
The pandemic virus is slowly mutating. But is it getting more dangerous?
Early in the pandemic, the genome of SARS-CoV-2 made a single mutation which has since spread around the world. Six months have passed and virologists are unsure if the virus would evolve to become more virulent or benign. They also question if it was already well adapted to humans when it first broke out in late 2019.
On average, the coronavirus accumulates about two changes per month in its genome. SARS-CoV-2 changes more slowly than most other viruses, giving virologists fewer mutations to study. Its sequencing helps them follow how it spreads. Most changes do not affect its behaviour but a few may change the disease's transmissibility or severity.
One of the earliest changes was the deletion of 382 base pairs in a gene called ORF8, whose function is unknown. This was first reported in Singapore and then in Taiwan. A deletion in the same gene occurred in the 2003 SARS outbreak; experiments later showed that the variant replicated less efficiently than its parent, suggesting the mutation may have slowed the SARS epidemic. This mutation does not have the same benign effect in SARS-CoV-2 but it may cause milder symptoms in patients.
A specific mutation that changes the virus' spike (i.e. its surface protein that attaches to human cells) changed the amino acid at position 614 of the spike from an aspartic acid (abbreviated D) to a glycine (G), giving its name, G614. G614 has become more common while D614 is virtually gone. This may be a sign that D614 was outcompeted by G614, or simply, a very common coincidence in biology. The COVID-19 Genomics Consortium in the UK estimated that the lineages carrying the G614 mutation grew 1.22 times faster than the D614 but the statistical significance was low. The G614 variant also appeared to be about 3-10 times more efficient at entering cells in experiments. However, this does not mean the mutation has an effect in the real world. An increased ability to infect a laboratory cell line may not translate to the billions of diverse cells in a human body. Whether G614 is more transmissible or not, it has become the dominant strain and the world is living with it.
Likely because of insufficient selection pressure from the millions of immunologically receptive people, there are fewer mutations that affect the virus' behaviour. However, this could change with the advent of vaccines or new therapies, forcing it to evolve. However, it could also indicate that the virus has been around for longer and was spreading before the first known cases in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. There is suspicion that a version of the virus may have circulated earlier in humans in southern Asia but avoided detection because it did not cause severe disease.
Source:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/pandemic-virus-slowly-mutating-it-getting-more-dangerous
The pandemic virus is slowly mutating. But is it getting more dangerous?
Early in the pandemic, the genome of SARS-CoV-2 made a single mutation which has since spread around the world. Six months have passed and virologists are unsure if the virus would evolve to become more virulent or benign. They also question if it was already well adapted to humans when it first broke out in late 2019.
On average, the coronavirus accumulates about two changes per month in its genome. SARS-CoV-2 changes more slowly than most other viruses, giving virologists fewer mutations to study. Its sequencing helps them follow how it spreads. Most changes do not affect its behaviour but a few may change the disease's transmissibility or severity.
One of the earliest changes was the deletion of 382 base pairs in a gene called ORF8, whose function is unknown. This was first reported in Singapore and then in Taiwan. A deletion in the same gene occurred in the 2003 SARS outbreak; experiments later showed that the variant replicated less efficiently than its parent, suggesting the mutation may have slowed the SARS epidemic. This mutation does not have the same benign effect in SARS-CoV-2 but it may cause milder symptoms in patients.
A specific mutation that changes the virus' spike (i.e. its surface protein that attaches to human cells) changed the amino acid at position 614 of the spike from an aspartic acid (abbreviated D) to a glycine (G), giving its name, G614. G614 has become more common while D614 is virtually gone. This may be a sign that D614 was outcompeted by G614, or simply, a very common coincidence in biology. The COVID-19 Genomics Consortium in the UK estimated that the lineages carrying the G614 mutation grew 1.22 times faster than the D614 but the statistical significance was low. The G614 variant also appeared to be about 3-10 times more efficient at entering cells in experiments. However, this does not mean the mutation has an effect in the real world. An increased ability to infect a laboratory cell line may not translate to the billions of diverse cells in a human body. Whether G614 is more transmissible or not, it has become the dominant strain and the world is living with it.
Likely because of insufficient selection pressure from the millions of immunologically receptive people, there are fewer mutations that affect the virus' behaviour. However, this could change with the advent of vaccines or new therapies, forcing it to evolve. However, it could also indicate that the virus has been around for longer and was spreading before the first known cases in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. There is suspicion that a version of the virus may have circulated earlier in humans in southern Asia but avoided detection because it did not cause severe disease.
Source:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/pandemic-virus-slowly-mutating-it-getting-more-dangerous
www.science.org
The pandemic virus is slowly mutating. But is it getting more dangerous?
Determining whether genetic changes have increased transmission of COVID-19 is surprisingly hard
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
China's Thousand Talents Plan targets research information from overseas universities
According to Australian Strategic Institute, the Chinese Talents Plan recruits leading Australian scientists for secret researches. Similar situations can be found in Australia and the US, with some receiving AUD$50000/month to work with the Chinese, without coming clean with their home universities.
One of the possible motivation for the Chinese government in doing this is to gather information regarding coronavirus vaccine researches for their own benefit, according to Michael Shoebridge from the Australian Strategic Policy Institution.
#Australia #Vaccine #research
#ThousandTalentsPlan #AustralianStrategicPolicyInstitution
Source: Sky News Australia #Aug24
https://youtu.be/j7eBKIFCteY
According to Australian Strategic Institute, the Chinese Talents Plan recruits leading Australian scientists for secret researches. Similar situations can be found in Australia and the US, with some receiving AUD$50000/month to work with the Chinese, without coming clean with their home universities.
One of the possible motivation for the Chinese government in doing this is to gather information regarding coronavirus vaccine researches for their own benefit, according to Michael Shoebridge from the Australian Strategic Policy Institution.
#Australia #Vaccine #research
#ThousandTalentsPlan #AustralianStrategicPolicyInstitution
Source: Sky News Australia #Aug24
https://youtu.be/j7eBKIFCteY
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Medicine Professor Faces Five Years in Jail for Smuggling Research from US to China
Zheng Guosong, a Chinese American professor at the Ohio State University in the US, has been prosecuted for smuggling research funded by an American subsidy to China. He plead guilty at a court on Thursday, 12 November and faces up to five years in prison. The US Department of Justice accuses him of engaging in “a sophisticated medical research grant fraud”.
Zheng, 58, and his research team received over a fund of over 4.3 million US dollars (about 33 million HK dollars) from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for rheumatism and immunology research while concealing a second fund they had received from China’s National Natural Science Foundation. Zheng admitted that he had lied when applying for the American fund, which he intended to use to support China’s research on rheumatism and immunology. He also admitted that he had made false statements to federal investigators.
Source: Apple Daily #Nov13
#US #China #NIH #OhioStateUniversity #OhioState #OSU #Research #Espionage
https://bit.ly/3qeTdUz
Zheng Guosong, a Chinese American professor at the Ohio State University in the US, has been prosecuted for smuggling research funded by an American subsidy to China. He plead guilty at a court on Thursday, 12 November and faces up to five years in prison. The US Department of Justice accuses him of engaging in “a sophisticated medical research grant fraud”.
Zheng, 58, and his research team received over a fund of over 4.3 million US dollars (about 33 million HK dollars) from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for rheumatism and immunology research while concealing a second fund they had received from China’s National Natural Science Foundation. Zheng admitted that he had lied when applying for the American fund, which he intended to use to support China’s research on rheumatism and immunology. He also admitted that he had made false statements to federal investigators.
Source: Apple Daily #Nov13
#US #China #NIH #OhioStateUniversity #OhioState #OSU #Research #Espionage
https://bit.ly/3qeTdUz
Forwarded from 國際文宣組 IFC
A new policy proposed to have a database of high risks individuals, as well as increasing the transparency of research funding and partnership to prevent CCP invasion!
#ccp #china #IPtheft #IP #intellectualpropertise #research #academics #academia #AI #semiconductor #PLA #military #espionage #meme #bonk #diyms
#ccp #china #IPtheft #IP #intellectualpropertise #research #academics #academia #AI #semiconductor #PLA #military #espionage #meme #bonk #diyms
Forwarded from 國際文宣組 IFC
In the annual threat assessment report, ASIO, #Australia's intelligence organization warned that foreign spies are after “intelligence about Australia’s key export, technology and research industries”, particularly wanting to understand how the country diversifies its trade away from #China.
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#CCP #ASIO #espionage #spy #agriculture #technology #export #research #intelligence #english #diyms
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#CCP #ASIO #espionage #spy #agriculture #technology #export #research #intelligence #english #diyms
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Across 19 countries, more people see the U.S. than China favorably – but more see China’s influence growing
//In 19 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring, people see the United States and President #JoeBiden more favorably than China and its president, Xi Jinping. But when it comes to perceptions of each country’s relative influence in the world, much larger shares in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the U.S.
The five key findings comparing international attitudes toward the two countries are:
1. The U.S. is generally seen more positively than China.
2. Views of Biden remain much more positive than views of #XiJinPing.
3. A median of 66% across 19 countries say China’s influence on the world stage is getting stronger, while just 32% say the same about the U.S.
4. In many countries, younger people tend to feel more positively about China than older people.
5. People on the right of the ideological spectrum are more likely than those on the left to view the U.S. favorably, but there are no strong ideological patterns in views of China.//
Read the full report:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/29/across-19-countries-more-people-see-the-u-s-than-china-favorably-but-more-see-chinas-influence-growing/
Source: Pew Research Center #Jun29
#Research #Survey #PewResearch #US #China
//In 19 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring, people see the United States and President #JoeBiden more favorably than China and its president, Xi Jinping. But when it comes to perceptions of each country’s relative influence in the world, much larger shares in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the U.S.
The five key findings comparing international attitudes toward the two countries are:
1. The U.S. is generally seen more positively than China.
2. Views of Biden remain much more positive than views of #XiJinPing.
3. A median of 66% across 19 countries say China’s influence on the world stage is getting stronger, while just 32% say the same about the U.S.
4. In many countries, younger people tend to feel more positively about China than older people.
5. People on the right of the ideological spectrum are more likely than those on the left to view the U.S. favorably, but there are no strong ideological patterns in views of China.//
Read the full report:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/29/across-19-countries-more-people-see-the-u-s-than-china-favorably-but-more-see-chinas-influence-growing/
Source: Pew Research Center #Jun29
#Research #Survey #PewResearch #US #China
Pew Research Center
Across 19 countries, more people see the U.S. than China favorably – but more see China’s influence growing
Much larger shares of people in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the United States.