A virus called Wuhan-400 causes outbreak … in a Dean Koontz thriller from 1981.

Discussion in 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) News' started by Pollycy, Feb 19, 2020.

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  1. Ddyad

    Ddyad Well-Known Member

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    It will not even generate a snot bubble here. ;-)
     
  2. Mrlucky

    Mrlucky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There a few writers that were also known as futurists. Arthur C. Clarke comes to mind, Michael Creighton and even the guy who wrote Blade Runner. They have all made predictions. Some of what they knew or predicted, 50% or more was dead on and is now reality. They were writing fiction not as conspiracy theory but what they wrote was based on probability and their knowledge of science and possible other factual intelligence not known to the public at large.

    Some people who has or had inside knowledge of China very likely knew that conditions and politics of the country makes it good candidate for where a new virus (manufactured or otherwise) or other large disaster would likely occur. It might seem too coincidental, more if one doesn't know the geography and demographics of China. Wuhan is and has been a very large industrial city in China. It's not entirely off limits to foreigners but not a tourist destination. It may be near where the only level 4 bio hazard lab is currently located but other research labs have probably existed in the area prior to the news of this site.
    China is a country we trade with (more than we should). The Chinese Communist Party is not our friend and never will be. We should wise up, soon.
     
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  3. jay runner

    jay runner Banned

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    Don't know how it is now but squatting was fairly common in Southeast Asia away from the tourist traps.

    I can still manage it in the woods. Just take your poncho off first because accidents happen and there's usually no good solution to the problem that haunts you.
     
  4. HonestJoe

    HonestJoe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    One-in-one by definition. I don’t think it is quite as unlikely as you’re making out when you consider all the actual variations between what is reported about the novel and reality but even if it was highly unlikely by chance, the fact it happened doesn’t really justify anything beyond an “oh, that’s odd”. The problem is that making anything more out of it, even if it isn’t your intention, is going to get picked up by kooks and opportunists and who knows where they might run with it.

    As I gather, the story doesn’t happen in Wuhan, that is just the location the virus in the story originates. I’ve also read that later printings actually changed that to Russia. I think the “curb appeal” to 1980 US audiences of making China or Russia responsible should be obvious. There were bio labs in that area in the 1980s so it was a perfectly rational choice of location for an author who did reasonable research.

    Apparently the virus depicted in the story isn’t much like the current coronavirus outbreak, describing something highly fatal and limited to human victims.

    None of the initial reports about this coincidence make any reference to the date matching up too, and earlier you claimed December 2019 yet the image you linked here says 2020. Given that section of text has no surrounding context (unlike the page on the left), I think it’d need validating before it’s considered. We all know how these things get spun up with fact and fiction massed together.
     
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  5. TurnerAshby

    TurnerAshby Well-Known Member

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    No you should have I find this immensely interesting
     

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