UNC was not peripheral
Its researchers were world leaders in assembling and modifying coronaviruses and collaborated for years with EcoHealth Alliance and scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Independent public-interest project
A NORTH CAROLINA QUESTION WITH GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES
UNC should investigate.
The public deserves answers.
Serious questions remain about coronavirus research connected to Chapel Hill, the origins of COVID-19, and records withheld from public view. We are asking for an independent, transparent investigation—wherever the evidence leads.
This project does not presume a conclusion. It asks UNC to apply the same standard it has articulated elsewhere: if something went wrong, find out—and fix it.
“If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it. If something needs to be fixed, we will be sure to fix it.”
— UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, July 30, 2026
WHY AN INVESTIGATION
The question is not whether you accept a theory. It is whether the evidence should be examined.
Relevant records exist
Laboratory records, virus sequences, grant files, transfer agreements, shipping documents, and communications could resolve central factual disputes.
Transparency has fallen short
Thousands of potentially relevant records remain unavailable despite sustained public requests for their release.
FOLLOW THE RECORD
A timeline built from documents, not speculation.
Fourteen sourced events trace the research, policies, safety reporting, federal oversight, and public calls for an independent review.
Explore the full timeline2015Published work on engineered SARS-like coronaviruses
2018DEFUSE proposal describes adding novel cleavage sites
2020COVID-19 emerges; crucial origin questions begin
2026Calls intensify for records and independent review
DOCUMENT LIBRARY
Read the evidence yourself.
Primary records, correspondence, research papers, hearing materials, and careful explanatory guides—presented with sources and context.
SENATE RECORD
Statement submitted to the U.S. Senate
A concise account of the unresolved questions and records Congress can obtain.
Open evidence library ↗PUBLIC RECORDS
The documents UNC has withheld
A guide to the requests and records still outside public view.
Open evidence library ↗RESEARCH TIMELINE
Coronavirus research, 2015–2020
The collaborations, proposals, experiments, and disclosures in chronological order.
Open evidence library ↗AN OPEN LETTER TO CHANCELLOR LEE ROBERTS
Apply UNC’s own standard: find out what happened—and fix what needs to be fixed.
Dear Chancellor Roberts: We respectfully ask you to authorize a genuinely independent investigation with full access to the relevant records, and to release the evidence necessary for the public to assess these matters. Scientific integrity and public trust require nothing less.
Read the complete letter →