Professor Peter Palese
Professor Peter Palese
Microbiology expert
Icahn School of Medicine, New York
What they told MailOnline: ‘I believe a thorough investigation about the origin of the Covid-19 virus is needed.
‘A lot of disturbing information has surfaced since the Lancet letter I signed, so I want to see answers covering all questions.’
Asked how he was originally approached to sign the letter and what new information had come to light specifically, Professor Palese declined to comment.
Dr Jeremy Farrar
Dr Jeremy Farrar
Tropical medicine expert
The Wellcome Trust, London
What they told MailOnline: ‘The origins of Sars-Cov-2 are not yet certain — it is possible the origin will never be fully established — but nature is a powerful force and, in my view, the most likely scenario is that the virus crossed from animals to humans and then evolved in humans.
‘The best scientific evidence available to date points to this. It is most likely it crossed the species barrier to infect and then adapt to humans at some point in 2019, but there are other possibilities which cannot be completely ruled out and retaining an open mind is critical.
‘There is no place for unsubstantiated rumour, or conspiracy theories often fuelled for political purposes.
‘Understanding the origins of this disease, and any zoonotic infection, is absolutely critical to successfully preventing future outbreaks and protecting lives globally.
‘The answers can only be found in robust scientific evidence, with full transparency from all involved.
‘There has been too much conjecture and theory without data or evidence, although still there is not enough transparency.’
Professor Leo Poon
Public health expert
University of Hong Kong
What they told MailOnline: ‘I have no interest to discuss non-scientific issues.’
Dr Peter Daszak
Dr Peter Daszak
Zoologist
EcoHealth Alliance, New York
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Charles Calisher
Microbiolgy expert
Colorado State University
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Dennis Carroll
Infectious disease expert
Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Texas
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Rita Colwell
Microbiology expert
University of Maryland
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Ronald Corley
Microbiology expert
NEIDL Institute, Boston
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Christian Drosten
Professor Christian Drosten
Virology expert
Charité – Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Luis Enjuanes
Chemistry expert
National Center of Biotechnology, Madrid
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Hume Field
Veterinary sciences expert
EcoHealth Alliance, New York
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Christian Drosten
Dr Josie Golding
Epidemics lead
The Wellcome Trust, London
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Alexander Gorbalenya
Virology expert
Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Bart Haagmans
Virology expert
Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor James Hughes
Infectious disease and public health expert
Emory University, Atlanta
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr William Karesh
Infectious disease expert
EcoHealth Alliance, New York
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Gerald Keusch
Medicine and international health expert
Boston University
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Lam Sai Kit
Infectious viral disease expert
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Juan Lubroth
Veterinary science expert
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor John Mackenzie
Tropical infectious diseases expert
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Dr Larry Madoff
Infectious disease and public health expert
Massachusetts Medical School
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Jonna Mazet
Epidemiology expert
University of California at Davis
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Stanley Perlman
Microbiology expert
University of Iowa
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Bernard Roizman
Microbiology expert
University of Chicago
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Linda Saif
Microbiology expert
The Ohio State University
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Kanta Subbarao
Virology expert
The University of Melbourne, Australia
What they told MailOnline: No response.
Professor Mike Turner
Parasitology expert
The University of Glasgow (formerly The Wellcome Trust, London)
What they told MailOnline: No response.