The first bi-partisan hearing of the US House of Representative was very encouraging.

Let's hope that we may soon see a proper science-based, data-driven international investigation.

science.house.gov/hearings/princ…

Let's just remember that we have 4 mln official COVID-19 deaths, potentially 6mln+ with excess mortality.

On average 500 people have died per year in passenger place crashes over the last 10 years.

So that's about 10,000+ years of plane crashes and around 20,000+ planes lost.

Now unless someone tells me that should not investigate if 20,000 planes go down with everybody on board, I do believe that a proper investigation of the COVID-19 origins is an absolutely necessary step for our safety - wherever we live in the world.

Let's put the politics aside

When MH 370 disappeared with 239 people, years were spent trying to figure out what happened, with Australia, Malaysia, France working very hard and China asking for the case to be relentlessly pursued.

For sure we can do the same for 4 mln+ people.
time.com/18231/malaysia…

Going back to the bi-partisan hearing, @DavidRelman did a very good job explaining why we need to investigate, why it will definitely be beneficial, and why we may need to take a hard look at our own failures too.

I also really much liked the introduction too, with its description of the scientific process, the need to get back to data, to identify relevant hypotheses, test them, try to evaluate their probability, etc.

It also links back to engineering and risk.

Being an engineer, a data scientist and previously a risk manager, that certainly ticked all my boxes for a good introduction.

Thanks then Chairman Bill Foster (D-IL) @RepBillFoster

science.house.gov/download/cfost… @JamieMetzl

For my own take on the need to properly tackle the risk of the fast developing biotechnology age, see part 4 (Conclusion) of my review of previous SARS lab escapes:
gillesdemaneuf.medium.com/the-good-the-b…

I also addressed some of the institutional issues that may blind us to the risks involved in a paper on the origins last year.

To do so I quoted some findings of the investigation of the Challenger space shuttle accident by Richard Feynman (section 4).

researchgate.net/publication/34…

@threadreaderapp compile