Where did SARS-CoV-2 originate — from a laboratory or an animal source?

Here’s a summary of the main arguments and the authors’ conclusion from the attached editorial “SARS-CoV-2 origins: imperfect but clear evidence” from The Lancet Microbe (2025): The Lancet Microbe. SARS-CoV-2 origins: imperfect but clear evidence. Lancet Microbe. 2025;6(8):101209. doi:10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101209 Main Arguments: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) released a new report in June 2025, assessing what is currently known about how COVID-19 began. SAGO considered four major hypotheses for how SARS‑CoV‑2 emerged: Two hypotheses involving zoonotic spillover (e.g., direct bat-to-human transmission or via an intermediate host). Two hypotheses involving a laboratory accident. The report rules out one theory from each category due to a lack of evidence. Most of the scientific evidence supports a natural, animal-to-human (zoonotic) origin of the virus, although the complete transmission pathway has not yet been fully established. The “lab leak” hypothesis continues to be discussed not because of credible evidence, but largely because some governments,...