First COVID-19 case could have emerged in China in Oct 2019 - study

15 Sept 04:10 Key points summarised by AI

A new study from Britain's University of Kent estimates SARS-CoV-2 began spreading in China as early as October 2019, two months prior to the first identified case.
Researchers pinpoint November 17, 2019, as the most likely emergence date, suggesting the virus had already spread globally by January 2020, predating the official December 2019 Wuhan outbreak.
Recovered deleted sequencing data from early cases indicates Huanan market samples were not representative, implying an earlier, circulating progenitor virus and raising concerns over data deletion by Chinese investigators.
Another study found the virus was highly adapted to human receptors upon emergence, while acknowledging the lab leak hypothesis cannot be definitively ruled out.

Uthenthawai students and alumni declare truce with Pathumwan rivals

Yesterday 20:34 Key points summarised by AI

Uthenthawai students and alumni have pledged to cease violent clashes with Pathumwan Institute rivals, coinciding with their campus's reopening after a 90-day closure.
The Minister of Higher Education is mediating the long-running conflict, while the campus closure has significantly disrupted in-person classes and laboratory work for over 1,000 students.
Uthenthawai resists relocation from its current site, citing a historical land grant from King Rama VI, despite Chulalongkorn University's plans to reclaim the land for an educational hub.
Concerns are mounting over the legality of the campus closure, its detrimental impact on uninvolved students, and the potential commercial development of the land, which critics argue contradicts the late King Rama VI's intentions.