China's 'Batwoman' researcher continues to carry out hazardous coronavirus experiments despite concerns over lab leaks.

Chinese researcher Shi Zhengli, aged 60, remains actively engaged in studying bat coronaviruses in Wuhan. Leading virologists warn that her research could have a 'potentially catastrophic' effect as we approach five years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli

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Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli has allegedly earned the nickname 'batwoman' (file).

A Chinese scientist is still conducting "potentially catastrophic" research into coronaviruses five years on from the start of the Covid pandemic which claimed millions of lives worldwide, according to experts.

Shi Zhengli, 60, is one of the world's leading scientists working on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan. She has reportedly earned herself the nickname "Batwoman" as a result. She was thrown into the spotlight in late 2019 when a new form of coronavirus emerged in the region, with some scientists questioning whether Covid-19 leaked from a lab.

In December, a two-year congressional investigation into the pandemic concluded the "weight of the evidence" suggests a lab leak was responsible. US lawmakers said in the report: "More and more senior intelligence officials, politicians, science editors, and scientists increasingly have endorsed the hypothesis that Covid-19 emerged as the result of a laboratory or research related accident."

Shi Zhengli

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Her ongoing research has been labeled as 'potentially disastrous' (file).

Nevertheless, leading virologists assert that Zhengli's team is still engaged in potentially harmful coronavirus research in Wuhan. In a study released in Nature, she proudly highlighted her team's achievement in creating the first "tailored" coronavirus "receptors." This advancement could enable researchers to modify viruses, allowing them to infect various species, including humans.

Robert Redfield, the director of America's CDC during the pandemic, told The Sun: "It's potentially dangerous research. You are taking a non-pathogenic virus and changing it so that it could end up being dangerous to humans. You may have a pathogen that is restricted to pigs - but now you could totally change it so that it's highly infectious to other species too.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli

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An expert notes that Zhengli is 'experimenting with bat viruses and altering their receptors' (file).

"She is experimenting with bat viruses and altering their receptors, which could enable them to infect animals like cows or chickens. This is a risky move with potentially disastrous outcomes. It might lead to a new pandemic affecting either animals or humans."

Dr. Alina Chan, an expert in genetic engineering, stated that it seems Zhengli's team has now succeeded in "isolating" additional novel coronaviruses. She expressed concerns that this research is "risky" and prompts inquiries about the intentions of Zhengli's team regarding the handling of these new viruses once they cultivate them in the laboratory.