Many theories exist concerning the origins of the HIV/AIDS virus. Jakob Segal, Wangari Maathai, Alan Cantwell, and others are among those that theorize that the origins of this disease can be traced in a laboratory in America. According to their theories, the HIV/AIDS virus originally occurred in an experiment to combine the viruses Visna and HTLV-1. This virus was then tested on prisoners, which subsequently contributed to the virus' spreading in the normal population (Knight, P., 2003). However, there has not been any scientific evidence from their peers to support their claims. In fact, those that have attempted to speak of the origins of the virus itself have published very little in academic journals. Much of the discussion about the origins of the virus centers around current experiments on the history of particular individuals with the virus. Most of the historical information that is included, briefly mentions initial discovery of the virus to have surfaced during cases in the late 70's.