Mar 19 2020
Editors’ note, March 2020: We are aware that this story is being used as the basis for unverified theories that the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 was engineered. There is no evidence that this is true; scientists believe that an animal is the most likely source of the coronavirus.
See the original article here https://www.nature.com/news/engineered-bat-virus-stirs-debate-over-risky-research-1.18787 and make your own conclusions.