美研究机构报告病毒起源于自然 后失去联邦拨款

21 日，《纽约时报》发文称，77 名诺奖获得者联名上书美国国家卫生研究院，就研究机构 " 美国生态联盟 " 失去联邦拨款发起谴责。该机构曾在今年 4 月报告称，" 新冠病毒起源于自然，并从动物传播到人类 "，随后该机构失去联邦拨款。

美国政府解释称，撤回拨款是因为该研究 " 不符合联邦的优先需求。" 对此，77 位诺奖获得者联名上书，直指美国将新冠疫情 " 政治化 "、" 太荒谬 "，并树立了一个非常危险的先例，即对于有价值的科学研究，联邦政府可无缘无故随意撤回拨款。

A group of 77 Nobel laureates has jointly sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health calling for an "immediate reconsideration" over the cancellation of a federal grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a research group that suggested "coronavirus originates from the nature." According to Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, the New York-based research group had its funding revoked after it reported in April that the coronavirus highly likely jumped from animals to human.

As explained by the NIH, the research into the source of pandemics was not in line with "federal priorities." In response, the Nobel laureates described the NIH's move as "preposterous," calling for an investigation into the grant cancellation.

As said in the letter, "the decision sets a dangerous precedent" because it offered no "justifiable rationale" for "revoking a grant that was awarded based upon scientific merit."