Elon Musk's Neuralink company, popular for its futuristic brain chip development, faces a complaint from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. The organization alleged that the company abused the animals during the gruesome experiments while testing Neuralink's brain chips.
Neuralink Allegedly Subjected Monkeys to 'Extreme Suffering'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L) is seen as he uses his mobile device in the car arriving to the construction site for the new plant, the so-called "Giga Factory", of US electric carmaker Tesla, in Gruenheide near Berlin, northeastern Germany. - The site still has only provisional construction permits, but Tesla has been authorised by local officials to begin work at its own risk. Tesla is aiming to produce 500,000 electric vehicles a year at the plant, which will also be home to "the largest battery factory in the world", according to group boss Elon Musk.
Elon Musk claims that Neuralink's brain chips will make humans super smart and enable paralyzed individuals walk again. The chips were implanted in monkeys' brains during a series of tests from 2017 to 2020 at the University of California, Davis. However, the subjects allegedly experienced "extreme suffering" during the experiment.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a complaint against Elon Musk's company Neuralink with the US Department of Agriculture on Thursday, New York Post reported.
The complaint obtained by the outlet cited numerous cases of alleged abuse against the subjects. In one case, a monkey had missing fingers and toes "possibly from self-mutilation or some other unspecified trauma." It was later killed during a "terminal procedure," the document read.
Another monkey had to be euthanized after it developed a bloody skin infection following the electrode implantation. The third case involved a female macaque monkey who was also euthanized after it collapsed due to exhaustion or fatigue days after the electrodes were implanted on her brain, according to the researchers. The autopsy revealed that the monkey suffered from a brain hemorrhage.
A total of 23 monkeys were involved in the experiment. However, at least 15 died or were euthanized in 2020, according to the group, based on the records released through California's open records law.
"Pretty much every single monkey that had had implants put in their head suffered from pretty debilitating health effects," Jeremy Beckham, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's research advocacy director, told The Post. "They were, frankly, maiming and killing the animals."
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine accuses Neuralink and UC Davis of violating nine federal Animal Welfare Acts following the invasive experiment. According to the group, the experiment involved drilling holes on the animals' skulls, leading to recurring infections that compromised their health.
It also sued UC Davis in an attempt to force them to release more photos, videos and information about the monkeys under California's public records laws.
UC Davis Addresses Complaint
UC Davis spokesperson released a statement to address the issue. According to the university's representative, its work with Neuralink had already ended in 2020.
Also, during their partnership, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee "thoroughly reviewed and approved" its project with Neuralink. Furthermore, the spokesperson insisted that they strive to provide the animals in their charge the best possible care.
"Animal research is strictly regulated, and UC Davis follows all applicable laws and regulations, including those of the U.S. Department of Agriculture," the spokesperson added.
Monkey Plays MindPong After Neuralink Brain Chip Implantation
The abuse complaint against Elon Musk's company was in stark contrast to the video Neuralink shared on YouTube in April 2021. The 3-minute clip features Pager, a nine-year-old macaque who is amazingly good at playing MindPong, after a neuralink chip was implanted on both sides of his brain. He also knows how to interact with the computer.
Pager looked healthy and the fur on his head had already started growing.
Meanwhile, Neuralink is eyeing to start implanting its chips for human trials this year, Science Times previously reported. Elon Musk said during a live broadcast interview at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit in December that they are only waiting for FDA's approval. The neuralink chips aim to help people with spinal-cord injuries regain mobility.
Watch Pager play MindPong below.
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