In response to allegations that animal research is being hurried to produce findings despite missing many deadlines, Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a medical device business, is under investigation by the federal government for possible violations of animal welfare rules.
This occurs just days after the richest man in the world declared that he feels at ease having a Neuralink brain chip implanted in himself. Neuralink Corp. is working on a brain implant that it hopes will restore movement to paralyzed patients and treat other neurological conditions.
The investigation also comes amid rising discontent among Neuralink staff members, who assert that Elon Musk’s urge to hasten production has led to failed tests that have led to even more animal suffering and death, according to Reuters. Although it is unclear if the investigation’s complete scope includes the same alleged issues with animal experimentation that Neuralink staff members cited.
According to data seen by Reuters, the corporation has killed over 1,500 animals overall, including more than 280 lambs, pigs, rats, mice, and monkeys after trials since 2018. The organization does not keep accurate statistics on the number of samples tested as well as killed, according to the sources, who described that number as a reasonable approximation.
Neuralink Not Violating Laws
The overall number of animals killed does not necessarily mean that Neuralink is doing its study in violation of laws or best practices. Numerous businesses routinely employ animals in research to better human health care, when they’re under financial pressure to launch treatments as soon as possible. When tests are finished, the animals are usually put to death, frequently so that they can be dissected for study purposes after death.
However, in this instance, some Neuralink staff have raised the alarm that there have been more animal fatalities than necessary as a result of Elon Musk’s requests to “accelerate research.”
Four Automated Experiments
Recent years have seen four research involving 86 pigs and two monkeys ruined by human error. According to Reuters, the errors reduced the research value of the tests and necessitated their repetition, which resulted in the death of additional animals. Even after failed experiments, Neuralink continues to run tests without resolving the problems or coming to a conclusion, which leads to more animal deaths.
Such issues might prevent the business from attempting to begin human trials, something Musk has stated the business hopes to undertake within the next six months. More than a year ago, Neuralink showed a monkey with a brain chip using only its thoughts to play a computer game.
