Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jane Qiu, PhD

@janeqiu.bsky.social

1K followers 820 following 250 posts

Globe-trotting, award-winning independent science writer in China | Words in @nature.com, @sciam.bsky.social, National Geographic and more | Writing a book on emerging diseases for @scribnerbooks.bsky.social | Ex: @ksjatmit.bsky.social, @nature.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 11

Wildlife trade acts as a vast global network of unregulated natural laboratories,with ample opportunities for viruses to circulate & evolve to become more dangerous

We can either turn a blind eye or try to understand & mitigate the risks

My latest in @nature.com

1/

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: Inside the thriving wild-animal markets that could start the next pandemic

Live-animal markets are a natural laboratory for viruses to evolve and spark deadly outbreaks, yet scientists lack support to study the risks they pose.

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Such misinformation can have grave consequences.

Hence I’d like to ask again: Could you please delete the three posts that contain the misinformation?👇

I trust in your decency and integrity.

Thanks you, @angierasmussen.bsky.social !

14/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Please bear that power imbalance in mind next time you accuse another award-winning woman journalist of colour—or anybody, for that matter—of lying for attention (the kind of attention you routinely receive) and other personal gains, simply because you disagree with her perspective.

13/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

In contrast, as a Chinese writer based in China and working in a second language, I face considerable barriers to being heard in the Western media

I’ve had to put in twice the effort to reach where I am today, at considerable personal costs

12/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

You are in a powerful and privileged position, and hold an enormous advantage over me.

You have a huge number of followers.

You are a media darling whose perspective receives lots of attention.

You regularly publish op-eds in leading media outlets.

11/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

I’ve received texts and emails from individuals requesting that I make my stance on this debate public

This info is irrelevant to my op-ed.

One doesn’t have to subscribe to lab-leak theories to be curious about why an increasing in number of people are drawn to them.

bsky.app/profile/jane...

10/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 27

If you really want to know my personal stance on the covid origins debate, the clue is in my recent feature in @Nature.com, especially the two paragraphs👇

bsky.app/profile/jane...

45/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

The latest @who.int SAGO report hasn’t moved the dial much, in my view.

It has always favoured natural origins, considering it the more likely scenario.

It didn’t assign the probability range.

It’s not even willing to say that natural origins is the much more likely scenario.

9/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Of course, many lab-leak supporters are conspiratorial thinkers, with extreme example being Li-Meng Yan, which the film Blame highlights.

Right-wingers have also exploited the controversy to the full.

But the debate is not a left-right issue at its core👇

bsky.app/profile/jane...

8/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 26

At its core, the controversy is not a left-right issue, but a symptom of deeply entrenched public distrust of science.

By framing it along the political divide—and by cherrypicking extreme examples to suit its narrative—the documentary does a disservice to the public interest.

5/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Even with a 10% probability of lab leak, it’s neither trivial nor insignificant.

We need to take this scenario seriously, rather than dismissing it or labelling anybody who take lab-leak hypotheses seriously as bad-faith actors, conspiracy theoriests, or victims of right-wing misinformation.

7/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Should such disagreements in data interpretation and probability estimates be allowed?

Should researchers be allowed to hold the view that the covid-origins debate is not completely settled—without being labeled as bad-faith actors and conspiracy theorists?

bsky.app/profile/jane...

6/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 26

The distrust has been further exacerbated by the behaviours of scientists.

Some scientists assert evidence supporting natural-origins hypotheses with
excessive confidence.

The intolerance toward dissenting voices is both staggering and disconcerting, leaving little room for questioning.

16/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

My judgement is also informed by conversations with people on the ground at disease-outbreak sites, including those in China, SE Asia, Africa, and Australia

Indeed, many consider natural origins being the much more likely scenario,with a probability range of 70-90%

Few would go higher than 90%

5/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

My judgement is informed by the insights of hundreds of researchers—from diverse disciplines such as virology, epidemiology, zoonosis, veterinary,ecology,evolutionary biology, anthropology, sci & tech studies—who have generously shared with me their expertise and perspectives over the past 5 yrs

4/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Since none of those statements is true, could you please delete the three posts that contain the misinformation?👇

x.com/angie_rasmus...

x.com/angie_rasmus...

3/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

These are serious accusations.

They mount to defamation.

Since none of those statements is true, could you please delete the three posts that contain the misinformation?👇

bsky.app/profile/angi...

2/

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Jun 25

Why? Well, Jane has a book coming out about virus origins. I suspect at some point, she decided there’s a bigger market for Viral 2 than for a book honestly interrogating the evidence or accurately representing the scientific method. So she’s laying the groundwork for marketing.

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jul 3

Research—including reading, travelling, interviewing,note-taking & journalism—is part of book-writing process

You jumped to the conclusion that I have a book coming out, that the book is Viral 2,that I’m laying groundwork for marketing, & that I’m lying to sell my book

bsky.app/profile/jane...

1/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 26

I felt I had to set the record straight.

Did I not have reservations about speaking out?

Of course, I did. I was terrified.

I gave careful thought to the consequences of speaking out, such as facing the kind of bully and smears👇

29/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

Please don’t put words in my month

Let me be clear: your feature is VERY uncritical of Frei’s treatment

It’s a luxury to have nearly 2400 words to write about Blame

I’m not talking about minor details you missed

I’m talking about serious flaws of the film you failed to address

shorturl.at/4nUld

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

bsky.app/profile/jane...

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

Even an ardent supporter of natural-origins theories thinks the film is shamelessly biased.

Yet you quote Frei saying “I am interested in the whole story”, without challenging him.

Cherry-picking extreme examples to fit a narrative hardly reflects a genuine interest in the whole story.

7/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

A friend asked me about the links to the articles:

This is Mark’s review on the new documentary Blame: observer.co.uk/culture/arti...

As a participant of the film, I published my take in an op-ed in @guardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

9/

Was it the bats all along? | The Observer

A new film about the origins of Covid-19 tells how rightwing conspiracy theorists pushed the lab-leak theory to their own ends, suppressing the work of r...

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

I don’t have a book coming out. I’m a compulsive over-researcher. I’m still at research phase.

I still have trips left to do. It will still be years before I can submit the first draft.

Would you please kindly consider deleting these two posts? 👇 Thank you!

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

It’s your evidence-free speculation that I have a book coming out, that I am laying the groundwork for marketing, and that I’m lying in order to sell my book👇

These are serious accusations.

They amount to defamation.

I’m afraid you are mistaken.

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

Please help keep @bsky.app a safe and civil place where people can freely express disagreements without fear of bullying and smear.

Let’s agree to disagree—respectfully and with civility.

Let’s try to be the better version of ourselves.

Thank you, @angierasmussen.bsky.social

5/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

I was bullied & smeared on both occasions, by people from opposing camps, each intolerant with perspectives different from their own

Even though the intention is not to shut down the debate, the silencing effect cannot be underestimated

My op-ed aims to highlight how this can undermine trust

4/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

I’m not doing anything different from what I did in this award-winning story👇, which you praised highly:

Shedding light on under-appreciated perspectives in the hope of changing how people view themselves, others, the relationships with one another, and the world around them

shorturl.at/W7PUf

3/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

One doesn’t need to subscribe to lab leak theories to be curious about why an increasing number of people are drawn to them.

Such questions are essential to uncovering the root cause of the crisis we find ourselves in.

They are bigger-picture questions that go beyond the covid-origins debate.

2/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

You seem to have misunderstood

My op-ed isn’t about covid origins per se, but rather examine the controversy thru sociological lens

I am curious not only about what people think but why they think what they think

Human cognition is complex & not only driven by facts👇

bsky.app/profile/jane...

1/

Jane Qiu, PhD @janeqiu.bsky.social · Jun 29

So, no, I don’t have any personal enmity toward Daszak.

It really is nothing personal.

It’s about critical thinking, fair-mindedness, professional integrity, and public interest.

6/