copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2024-04-25): Releasing sterilized male insects to combat pests is a proven scientific technique, but using it to control invasive mosquitoes is relatively new. [...] Mosquito control experts tout sterilization for being environmentally friendly because it doesn’t involve spraying chemicals, and it may have a longer-lasting effectiveness than pesticides. It can also be done now. Other methods involving genetically modified mosquitoes and ones infected with bacteria are stuck in an approval process that spans federal and state agencies. One technique, involving the bacteria Wolbachia was recently approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and is now heading to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to review, said Jeremy Wittie, general manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. [...] Vector control experts hope the fact that the sterilization technique doesn’t involve genetic modification will tamp down conspiracy theories that have cropped up around mosquito releases. One erroneous claim is that a Bill Gates-backed effort to release mosquitoes was tied to malaria cases in Florida and Texas. Reputable outlets debunked the conspiracy theory, pointing out that Gates’ foundation didn’t fund the Florida project and that the type of mosquito released (Aedes) does not transmit malaria.
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2023-07-18): The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports research into fighting malaria, including funding a company that releases genetically modified mosquitoes that are incapable of carrying the disease. But reports of locally acquired cases of malaria in the U.S. have sparked social media posts that baselessly suggest Gates was behind the recent outbreak. [...] The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds efforts to fight the spread of malaria, and it has provided funding to a British biotech company, Oxitec, to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Africa that are incapable of carrying the disease. [...] Social media posts implied that Gates-funded research involving genetically modified mosquitoes is linked to the U.S. malaria cases, though they offered no evidence. In any case, Oxitec mosquitoes couldn’t be responsible for the recent outbreak: They’re incapable of transmitting disease.
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2023-07-13): For example, one video on Facebook stated "Bill Gates has been releasing GMO mosquitoes in Florida and Texas and now, those two states, coincidentally, have malaria", while another claimed that "Bill Gates wants you to experience malaria". However, this claim is baseless, as we show below. Contrary to what was implied on social media, the release of genetically modified mosquitoes isn’t Bill Gates’ doing. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded grants to the biotechnology company Oxitec, which has been working on the control of insect populations through genetic technology. [...] In summary, the release of genetically modified mosquitoes by Oxitec isn’t responsible for the malaria outbreak of 2023 in the U.S.. Oxitec’s mosquitoes belong to a genus that cannot transmit the parasite responsible for malaria. Though rare, malaria cases aren’t unheard of in the U.S. Scientific research forecasts that the global rise in the world’s temperature will favor the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes in temperate areas. A rise in outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria in North America over the next decades can thus be expected[2-6].
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2023-07-03): The social media posts point to financial support the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave to the biotechnology company Oxitec for its malaria program. The posts claim this money helped Oxitec release genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S., which led to the recent malaria cases in Florida and Texas. [...] Social media posts claimed Gates’ financial support of mosquito programs led to the five recent cases of malaria in the U.S. [...] The Associated Press, "A Bill Gates-tied mosquito project is not responsible for recent US malaria cases," June 30, 2023
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2017-11-28): Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates released a swarm of mosquitoes on an unsuspecting audience at a TED conference in 2009. [...] Gates was making the compelling point that, even if an issue like malaria doesn't directly affect you, you should still care. At that time, he noted, more money had been invested into researching hair loss drugs because, when it comes to baldness, "rich men are afflicted." [...] Since 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made real progress in its fight against malaria. Gates wrote a blog post in 2016 highlighting the impact of their philanthropic efforts. Citing a report from The New England Journal of Medicine, he said, "The malaria death rate in sub-Saharan Africa has declined by a stunning 57 percent since 2000."
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2022-03-12): A British biotech firm this week got the green light from U.S. regulators to release over 2 million genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and California as part of an expanded effort to combat transmission of diseases like Zika, dengue fever and canine heartworm. The experimental public health effort, which still requires final approval from state regulators, follows the 2021 release of 144,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys by British biotech firm Oxitec. [...] In its letter approving Oxitec's plan, the EPA approved the release of up to 2.4 million of the genetically modified adult male mosquitoes and eggs in Monroe County, Florida; and Stanislaus, Fresno, Tulare, and San Bernardino counties in California.
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2023-07-01): When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert about finding four malaria cases in Florida and one malaria case in Texas, it created quite a buzz. After all, these were the first reported cases of people actually catching malaria in the U.S. since 2003. Finding these five cases has raised questions about whether malaria may return to the U.S. after being largely absent for many years and whether climate change may be opening the gates for Anopheles mosquitoes to spread in the U.S. That would kind of suck since the females of certain Anopheles mosquito species can carry and transmit malaria-causing parasites. This news also opened the gates in another way—allowing a flood of even more conspiracy theories about billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to be spread across social media. This included claims that Gates was somehow responsible for these new malaria cases via a project that has released genetically-modified mosquitoes in the U.S. However, such claims really provided zzzzzero supporting evidence and, in fact, detracted from what’s really happened. For example, Liz Churchill, who even calls herself a "conspiracy theorist" on her Twitter bio, sent out a tweet that hit the fan and spread with over 23.5K re-tweets. Her tweet said, "It must be a coincidence that from 2003-2023 there wasn’t one case of Malaria spread by mosquitos…and along comes a company funded by Bill Gates…to solve a problem that didn’t exist…and suddenly in the exact places where he releases mosquitos…there’s an outbreak of Malaria?"
Claim: Bill Gates-funded company released genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S. and caused a malaria outbreak (Facebook Users, 2023-07-05)
Evidence (2008-09-25): Bill Gates Announces $168 Million to Develop Next-Generation Malaria Vaccine
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2020-04-16): Genomic analyses of the novel coronavirus show that it was not engineered. In addition, the claim that its genome contains inserted HIV sequences is based on a now-withdrawn preprint of a study that contained significant flaws in design and execution. The so-called “HIV insertions” identified by the authors are in fact gene sequences that can also be found in many other organisms besides HIV.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2023-04-04): Numerous articles published in April 2020 report that Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier claimed that "SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China" and that "Indian researchers have already tried to publish the results of the analyses that showed that this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus)." The claim that SARS-CoV-2 contains "HIV insertions" began circulating in January 2020, and was propagated by outlets such as Zero Hedge and Infowars. Health Feedback covered this claim in early February 2020, and found it to be inaccurate. [...] This has also been independently confirmed in another published analysis[5]. In other words, these sequences are not insertions, but are rather common sequences found in numerous other organisms such as bacteria and parasites. Therefore, the existence of these sequences in SARS-CoV-2 does not provide evidence of a link to HIV, nor that scientists purposely inserted HIV sequences into the SARS-CoV-2 genome. [...] The author of this article by European Scientist also compared the genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and found "no significant similarity", explaining that "In plain English, SARS-CoV-2 is not made of the bat coronavirus and small bits of the HIV virus." Readers who wish to verify the level of sequence identity between the two viruses for themselves are welcome to follow the steps listed in the article.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2020-01-13): Get rapid access to Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) sequence data from the current outbreak as it becomes available. We will continue to update the page with newly released data. The complete annotated genome sequence of the novel coronavirus associated with the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China is now available from GenBank for free and easy access by the global biomedical community. Figure 1 shows the relationship of the Wuhan virus to selected coronaviruses. [...] According to the CDC, as of January 11, Chinese health authorities say they’ve identified more than 40 human infections as part of this outbreak that was first reported on December 31. The World Health Organization announced the preliminary identification of the novel coronavirus on January 9. The GenBank record of Wuhan-Hu-1 includes sequence data, annotation and metadata from this virus isolated approximately two weeks ago from a patient believed to have contracted the disease in a Hubei province seafood market.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2021-12-08): Tan, W. et al. A novel coronavirus genome identified in a cluster of pneumonia cases - Wuhan, China 2019–2020. China CDC Weekly2, 61–62 (2020). Genomic sequencing of the novel coronavirus, initially named after nCoV-19. [...] Oude Munnink, B. B. et al. Rapid SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing and analysis for informed public health decision-making in the Netherlands. Nat. Med.26, 1405–1410 (2020). [...] Simmonds, P. Rampant C→U hypermutation in the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses: causes and consequences for their short- and long-term evolutionary trajectories. mSphere5, e00408-20 (2020).
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2020-12-10): These findings highlight the high diversity of RBD sequences in coronavirus isolates from bats, which may provide a genetic pool for recombination that drives the evolution of coronaviruses in general and SARS-CoV-2 specifically. [...] Woo, P. C. et al. Characterization and complete genome sequence of a novel coronavirus, coronavirus HKU1, from patients with pneumonia. J. Virol.79, 884–895 (2005). [...] Lau, S. K. et al. Complete genome sequence of bat coronavirus HKU2 from Chinese horseshoe bats revealed a much smaller spike gene with a different evolutionary lineage from the rest of the genome. Virology367, 428–439 (2007).
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2021-05-11): In early 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, scientists were able to sequence the full genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 infection. While many of its genes were already known at that point, the full complement of protein-coding genes was unresolved. [...] The SARS-CoV-2 genome consists of nearly 30,000 RNA bases. Scientists have identified several regions known to encode protein-coding genes, based on their similarity to protein-coding genes found in related viruses. A few other regions were suspected to encode proteins, but they had not been definitively classified as protein-coding genes. To nail down which parts of the SARS-CoV-2 genome actually contain genes, the researchers performed a type of study known as comparative genomics, in which they compare the genomes of similar viruses. The SARS-CoV-2 virus belongs to a subgenus of viruses called Sarbecovirus, most of which infect bats. The researchers performed their analysis on SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV (which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak), and 42 strains of bat sarbecoviruses.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2022-01-01): Overview of SARS-CoV-2 genome-encoded proteins - PMID: 34387838 - PMCID: PMC8362648 - DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-1964-4 Overview of SARS-CoV-2 genome-encoded proteins [...] Sequence Analysis and Structure Prediction of SARS-CoV-2 Accessory Proteins 9b and ORF14: Evolutionary Analysis Indicates Close Relatedness to Bat Coronavirus.Biomed Res Int. 2020 Oct 20;2020:7234961. doi: 10.1155/2020/7234961. eCollection 2020. Biomed Res Int. 2020. PMID: 33102591 Free PMC article.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2022-08-19): Vaccination with a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine revealed HIV hiding in immune cells in blood from people with HIV, according to lab research led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings, published Aug. 19 in Nature Communications, identify new tools for evaluating treatment approaches in development aimed at curing HIV. [...] For their research, the investigators, including co-first authors Eva Stevenson, Sandra Terry and Dennis Copertino, members of Dr. Jones’ lab, treated blood from individuals with HIV who were unvaccinated and had never had COVID-19 to the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in test tubes. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produced a greater release of HIV RNA.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2009-08-09): Structure of the HIV-1 NL4-3 genome. [...] Leitner, T. et al. HIV Sequence Compendium (Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, 2005) [...] Aerial view of the HIV genome
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2020-04-20): Genomic analyses of the novel coronavirus show that it was not engineered. In addition, the claim that its genome contains inserted HIV sequences is based on a now-withdrawn preprint of a study that contained significant flaws in design and execution. The so-called "HIV insertions" identified by the authors are in fact gene sequences that can also be found in many other organisms besides HIV. [...] Numerous articles published in April 2020 report that Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier claimed that "SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China" and that "Indian researchers have already tried to publish the results of the analyses that showed that this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus)." The claim that SARS-CoV-2 contains "HIV insertions" began circulating in January 2020, and was propagated by outlets such as Zero Hedge and Infowars. Health Feedback covered this claim in early February 2020, and found it to be inaccurate. [...] The author of this article by European Scientist also compared the genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and found "no significant similarity", explaining that "In plain English, SARS-CoV-2 is not made of the bat coronavirus and small bits of the HIV virus." Readers who wish to verify the level of sequence identity between the two viruses for themselves are welcome to follow the steps listed in the article.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2021-11-12): Indirect contact with someone who is infected, such as through respiratory droplets from a person who is coughing or sneezing.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2019-05-27): The coronaviral genome encodes four major structural proteins: the spike (S) protein, nucleocapsid (N) protein, membrane (M) protein, and the envelope (E) protein, all of which are required to produce a structurally complete viral particle [29, 37, 38]. More recently, however, it has become clear that some CoVs do not require the full ensemble of structural proteins to form a complete, infectious virion, suggesting that some structural proteins might be dispensable or that these CoVs might encode additional proteins with overlapping compensatory functions [35, 37, 39,40,41,42]. Individually, each protein primarily plays a role in the structure of the virus particle, but they are also involved in other aspects of the replication cycle. The S protein mediates attachment of the virus to the host cell surface receptors and subsequent fusion between the viral and host cell membranes to facilitate viral entry into the host cell [42,43,44]. In some CoVs, the expression of S at the cell membrane can also mediate cell-cell fusion between infected and adjacent, uninfected cells. This formation of giant, multinucleated cells, or syncytia, has been proposed as a strategy to allow direct spreading of the virus between cells, subverting virus-neutralising antibodies [45,46,47]. [...] de Haan CA, Rottier PJ. Molecular interactions in the assembly of coronaviruses. Adv Virus Res. 2005;64:165–230. [...] Nguyen V-P, Hogue BG. Protein interactions during coronavirus assembly. J Virol. 1997;71(12):9278–84.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2020-03-18): A team of scientists from Tulane, Scripps Research Institute, Columbia University, University of Edinburgh and University of Sydney analyzed the genome sequence of the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan, China, last year and found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered. "We determined that SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes by comparing the genetic sequences and protein structures of other coronaviruses to those of new virus that causes COVID-19," said study senior author Robert F. Garry, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine. "It is very close to a bat virus. The adaptations that the virus has made to affect humans are actually very different than what you would expect if you were designing it using computational models in biological engineering." [...] Shortly after the outbreak began, Chinese scientists sequenced the genome of the novel coronavirus and made the data available to researchers worldwide. The resulting data has shown that the epidemic has been expanding because of human-to-human transmission after an initial introduction into the human population. Researchers used this sequencing data to explore the origins and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by focusing in on several telltale features of the virus.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2024-06-06): The genome sequence of a virus is the sequence or order of bases or letters that make up a virus’s genetic material, or its genome. If you were to write down thegenome sequence of a particular coronavirus, it would be a series of about 30,000 letters. The key is to get them in just the right order that you find them in a particular virus. [...] Genome sequencing is how scientists found this new human coronavirus soon after it popped up in people. At first, what they knew was that people in China were suddenly getting sick with respiratory symptoms. So scientists sequenced the genome of a viral sample from a person who worked at a market where they thought it might have come from. By comparing the RNA sequence to other viral genome sequences they had from earlier studies, they could tell right away that it was a coronavirus they hadn’t seen in people before. [...] They knew the spike would be important for the virus to infect our cells. They also knew it could be a useful target for vaccines or other treatments. They knew all of this soon after discovering the coronavirus because they could sequence its genome and compare the genome to other viral genomes.
Claim: this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus […] the HIV virus (AIDS virus) (Luc Montagnier, 2020-04-16)
Evidence (2024-04-04): Studies of viruses, including other coronaviruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); advances in general vaccine technology; and the breakthrough in using fatty, oil-like particles called lipid nanoparticles to deliver vaccines to cells were just some of the efforts that made the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines possible. For decades, NIH has supported the research that led to these vaccines — and this timeline provides some of the best examples. [...] NIH launches the HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks. The flexibility and rapid-response design of these networks acts as a framework for future responses to other viruses and infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2. [...] Chinese scientists share the first genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 with the NIH database GenBank. Scientists from NIH and Moderna quickly pivot from studies of other viral vaccines to focus on a vaccine candidate for COVID-19, mRNA-1273, to respond to the outbreak. Source 1, Source 2