Originally Posted by
Excargodog
For that matter, there are places in the world that are sparsely settled that pose far less danger of inadvertent spread in the event of accidental release than a lab in the middle of a city of 11 million people. The Gobi desert, for instance, has a population density of three people per square mile.
Sure, but how do you get competent people to live in a place like that?
Bio-hazard safety protocols can be tightened... this isn't the 5th century, we absolutely have the technology to contain a virus in a lab, it just takes discipline on management's part. Fund the right equipment, staffing, and protocols and that will mean lower productivity for a given funding level. Maintain worker discipline and a safety culture.
I think the lab theory gets so much traction because it's more entertaining... something out of a science-fiction novel as opposed to just boring bio-science.
Also the bug was not engineered in any way... that kind of hacking leaves obvious genetic markers, and was ruled out very early on by simple inspection of the virus genome. It would be hypothetically possible to use selective breeding to try and achieve specific characteristics without any genetic engineering but if you're trying to make a virus more dangerous and contagious in humans, you'd have to use human hosts... LOTS of human hosts, possibly millions. Not even remotely practical.