Work on the huge international study, which was published today, saw researchers test samples of animals that were sold at market stalls in Wuhan, China, in the months before the coronavirus outbreak

While the research bolsters the case that COVID-19 emerged from animals, it does not resolve the debate over whether the virus instead emerged from a Chinese research lab

A team of scientists say it is "beyond reasonable doubt" the Covid pandemic started with infected animals.

The research points to the Wuhan "wet market" as the starting point of the pandemic, with genetic samples taken from animals sold there in 2019 showing traces of the virus in certain species.

Scientists discovered that, at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, where the first clusters of Covid-19 were detected, hundreds of samples taken from swabs of the walls, floors, and machines were scraped.

Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people.