The conspiracy theory that Covid-19 started in a Wuhan laboratory has been doing the rounds for some time, with many people providing input as to whether or not this could be true.
In the latest development, a team of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) - who are leading an investigation into the origins of the virus - have said that there is no evidence to support this idea.
The team have been given unrestricted access with no opposition from the Chinese authorities in order to find out how the pandemic began, with plans to report on the matter later this week.
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British zoologist Peter Daszak told CNN that the group have submitted a number of places to visit and people to speak to, adding that the evidence they have found is being 'pieced together'.
He said: "We are not running rogue here, we are talking to our hosts. We are in a foreign country, we are guests of China right now.
"This is a good, collaborative, scientific approach to understanding more about the origins of Covid."
On the topic of whether it's possible the virus was created in the lab in question - Wuhan's Institute of Virology facility - he said: "There's no evidence of that at all - but it's something that we talked about with people at Wuhan lab.
"We got really good and honest and frank, informative answers too because they themselves brought this up - conspiracies around lab leaks that they feel strongly have no grounds.
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"What we are trying to do right now is keep an open mind to every possibility. It was good to see the lab and you confirm your suspicions - it is an incredibly well-built, well-designed and well-managed lab."
Here's hoping the ongoing investigation will shed some light on how Covid-19, which has killed more than 2.3 million people worldwide, came to be.
Now that the team has finished visiting the sites it needed to, the WHO researchers will spend the next few days going through the information while consulting with Chinese experts.
They'll be presenting their findings at a news briefing on Wednesday 10 February, so keep your eyes peeled.
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As it stands, it is believed to have started at a live food market in Wuhan, although this is yet to be confirmed.
"We are still piecing together evidence, so we are looking at the animal evidence, what was sold on the market and where did it come from, what types of animals are they," added Daszak.
Discussing the theory that the virus came from a lab in Wuhan, Dr. David Nabarro - a Special Envoy on Covid-19 for WHO - said: "The thing about theories is you have to have them as a way to set up the reason why things might be occurring in a particular way.
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"I can't rule anything out and I know the team on the spot, as well as those they're talking to in China, they're not ruling anything out either.
"All options are on the table and everything will be looked at."
Numerous people have denied the possibility of the virus coming from the lab, including Wuhan Institute of Virology director Wang Yanyi, who told state media that the first sample of the virus came to them on 30 December.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Pandemic, Investigation, Coronavirus, China