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House hearings into Covid origins are putting the heat on scientists

There can be few more emotive subjects among scientists and politicians alike than the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The former want to know what happened and understand it, while the latter never miss an opportunity for political point-scoring. 

Readers will be aware that some (often Republicans) have perpetuated the view that Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to the president, and Francis Collins, the former science adviser, sought to cover up certain aspects of the Covid outbreak—including how it began. Prominent researchers—and politicians of other stripes—dispute this.