evidence: The genetic evidence, the new report contends, supports the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 emerged in the same way that SARS-CoV-1 — which sickened people in 2002-2003 but was extinguished before it could cause a full-blown pandemic — is widely believed to have started, from animals sold in a market. The authors contend the world needs to take more aggressive action to shut down the illegal trade in wildlife to lower the risk of another catastrophic pandemic. [...] The natural spillover hypothesis has been challenged by proponents of the "lab leak theory," an umbrella term for a suite of scenarios, many of them involving the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The sprawling institute conducted extensive research on coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1. Proponents of the lab leak theory argue the institute conducted research with lax biosafety protocols. [...] A report from Senate Republicans in 2022 said a "research-related accident" was the "most likely" origin of the pandemic, although it did not rule out a natural origin. "Critical corroborating evidence of a natural zoonotic spillover is missing," the report said.