BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. politicians' claim that the novel coronavirus was created in a lab in Wuhan, China has drawn fierce rebuttal from scientists worldwide.

"If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what's out there now, (the scientific evidence) is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated..." Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic in an interview on May 4.

"Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that (this virus) evolved in nature and then jumped species," Fauci said.

Fauci's view has been supported by many specialists in the field of infectious diseases, microbiology and immunology. Read the infographics on top of the page to know more. ■