Re post #21
That study has some pretty farfetched conclusions based solely on the authors' inability to imagine that the coronavirus glycoprotein's mutation is the most likely thing to change about a virus. That they say that the advent of GP120 could only be through a mad scientist experiment that escaped is fanciful, without evidence, and hardly helpful.
Viruses, and especially RNA viruses, change their proteins all the time. That’s why there are seven distinct human coronaviruses. The bulk of the RNA in a virus is used to regulate protein production. GP120 in HIV binds to receptors on the T4 cells, as I recall.
Like SARS, The Wuhan virus apparently* binds to ACE2 receptors on those cells which express that, which are found primarily deep in the lungs, the heart and kidneys. The presence or otherwise of GP120 does not seem to be a thing in allowing membrane fusion of the virus with any other kind of cell as evidenced in any papers that I have read.
Conspiracy theories aren’t helpful. Facebook and Twitter have adopted a policy if flagging these kinds of stories.