https://fas.org/ncov/#1582123671460-149570fc-d24c [quote]Unsubstantiated theories about the COVID-19 novel coronavirus being created in a lab were fanned when a study (posted online and later retracted) implied that four parts of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, could have been engineered into the COVID-19 virus. On Friday, February 14th, a group of researchers published a paper that adds to the scientific evidence debunking the conspiracy theory. The researchers confirmed earlier scientific reports that the COVID-19 virus is most closely related (96% identical) to a coronavirus that was previously identified in bats. It further provided evidence for why parts of HIV-1 were not incorporated into the COVID-19 virus. The researchers show that the COVID-19 virus most likely evolved from bat coronaviruses, and that it has not been engineered with 4 parts of HIV-1. First, three out of the four COVID-19 virus parts in question are found in three other coronaviruses that had been previously isolated from bats, suggesting an evolutionary linkage. Second, when these four DNA parts are compared to the DNA of other species, researchers found that these DNA parts are also found in the DNA of mammals, insects, bacteria, and other coronaviruses. That means these DNA elements are found throughout the evolutionary tree and are not unique to HIV-1. Currently scientists are working around the clock to determine which animal was the original host of COVID-19 and which mutations the virus obtained that enabled it to infect humans.[/quote]