‘They reported there were 8 deaths but strong rumors say there were 15 lives floating around. Anyone dare to use this Neuralink technology? '
Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company, Neuralink, has reportedly caused the deaths of 8 Macaque monkeys used as experimental subjects of a project that involved implanting chips into the brain.
A few weeks ago, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) had criticized the Neuralink project by saying it was carried out ‘without proper animal care’ resulting in several monkeys, which were used as experimental subjects to die.
Later, the filing by PCRM to the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) added that the project had caused 'extreme suffering' to its test materials, causing 'defects in the brain and then suffered and were left to die.'
However, a project underway at the University of California’s Davis Primate Center has refuted the allegations.
According to a statement from Neuralink, they have conducted the study with ‘respect and non-cruelty’ of any animals throughout the course of the project, although there were 8 deaths of experimental material reported.
In the statement, it also said that the workers who run the project take care of animals in the ‘most humane and ethical’ way, where they prioritize the needs of animals through scientific research instead of using typical strategies such as building equipment for human convenience.
In addition, Neuralink also said the PCRM allegations were ‘misleading’ because they had obtained ‘approval and met federal mandate standards’.
In a nutshell for anyone who doesn’t know about Neuralink, it’s an Elon Musk -owned company that focuses on implanting a chip into the brain to allow humans to control the device using their brains.
The project, which started in 2016, has successfully proven its effectiveness in 2021 by showing a video of a monkey successfully controlling a computer using its brain.
Neuralink expects to begin similar trials on humans later this year.
