On the origins and the specious: the SARS-CoV-2 lab-leak theory

The suggestion that the virus first emerged from a Chinese laboratory has proved stubbornly persistent; as calls mount for more investigation, it has become a potent epidemiological and political idea. Latin America’s strict lockdowns have had the expected calamitous economic effects. We look at the region’s prospects for recovery. And the tricky business of artificially inseminating a shark.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer