Scholarly Comments on Academic Economics

An Article in Science on Covid Origins Contains a Fundamental Error

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Abstract

An influential paper by Pekar et al. published in Science in 2022 claimed that Bayesian analysis of the molecular phylogeny of early SARS-CoV-2 cases indicated that the likelihood that two successful introductions to humans had occurred was greater than the likelihood that just one had occurred. After correcting a fundamental error in Bayesian reasoning, the results presented in that paper imply larger likelihood for a single introduction. That correction reduces the compatibility of the results with the wet-market zoonosis account.

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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19643245

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Volume (Issue)
Pages
46–68
Published
JEL classification
I18, I38
Keywords
Bayesian methods, likelihood ratios, epidemiology, random mutations, SARS-CoV-2 origins, statistics education
Downloads
2,503 article downloads
1,125 complete issue downloads
Total: 3,628

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