"According to the paper, three viruses, named BANAL-103, BANAL-236 and BANAL-52, have genomic similarities to pandemic-causing SARS-CoV-2, especially in a "key domain of the spike protein that enables the virus to bind to host cells."" via RT The discovery backs up the theory that Covid-19 may have originated in bats, researchers say Three new SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses, which "could represent a risk for human health," have been discovered in Laos bats. The scientists, from the Institut Pasteur du Laos and the National University of Laos, believe that their findings, which were published on Wednesday in Nature magazine, add weight to the theory of an animal origin of Covid-19. According to the paper, three viruses, named BANAL-103, BANAL-236 and BANAL-52, have genomic similarities to pandemic-causing SARS-CoV-2, especially in a "key domain of the spike protein that enables the virus to bind to host cells." Using various techniques, including crystallography and computational