evidence: AsianScientist (Apr. 28, 2020) – Professor Tasuku Honjo, co-awardee of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has refuted any link to social media posts that claim the SARS-CoV-2 virus was ‘man-made’ or ‘invented’ in a laboratory. "In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am greatly saddened that my name and that of Kyoto University have been used to spread false accusations and misinformation," Honjo said in a statement released by Kyoto University today. While comparative analysis of genomic data has shown evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus, the notion that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was invented has continued to receive mileage on social media platforms.