The Atlantic reported on Thursday that a fresh analysis of samples taken from a Wuhan seafood market suggests for the first time a clear link between some of the illegally marketed wild animals and the genesis of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The investigation indicated that raccoon dogs were likely carrying and shedding the virus toward the end of 2019. The research was conducted by an international team of virologists, genomicists, and evolutionary biologists, according to The Atlantic, and while it is not 100 percent conclusive proof, it is “a really strong indication that animals at the market were infected,” according to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist who participated in the investigation. There is no alternative explanation that makes sense.

The magazine’s research arrives just days after an Economist/YouGov survey revealed that roughly two-thirds of Americans prefer the lab leak theory over the natural occurrence idea. The U.S. Energy Department decided, albeit with “low confidence,” that the virus likely originated in a laboratory, as was revealed last month. Intelligence agencies and other specialists are still divided.