Shi Zhengli ('Bat Woman') — Wuhan Institute of Virology
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The world's top bat-virus scientist ran her lab at the exact spot where COVID first exploded.
Who they are
Shi Zhengli, nicknamed 'Bat Woman,' who heads emerging-disease research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
What they do
She led long-running research on coronaviruses found in bats.
How it works
For years she worked with Ralph Baric at the University of North Carolina and the EcoHealth Alliance on US-funded grants, and was a partner on the 'DEFUSE' proposal. Her lab sat right at the center of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and its virus matched features described in that unfunded DEFUSE plan.
Why it matters
She sits at the crossroads of the lab-leak question, linking US research money, risky coronavirus work, and the city where the pandemic began.
The engine's record — word for word
Director of Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology. Long-running coronavirus + bat-virus research collaboration with Ralph Baric (UNC) + EcoHealth Alliance via NIH grants. DEFUSE proposal partner. Located at epicenter of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak — the laboratory whose genomic characteristics matched the unrejected DEFUSE blueprint.
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