COVID-19 traced back to Wuhan raccoon dogs in genetic analysis.

Researchers from Europe, North America, and Australia have analyzed data gathered at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, in January and February 2020, and published their findings in a report this week. The report provides the strongest evidence yet on the pandemic's natural origins and suggests that an animal, possibly a raccoon dog, may have started the pandemic. The genetic material of raccoon dogs found in the mix matters because it suggests that the virus may have jumped from animals to humans.