Elon Musk Wants To Test Brain Implant In People: Neuralink, a maker of medical devices, is reportedly the subject of a federal investigation after employees claimed that Elon Musk’s pressure to deliver results caused barbaric and unsuccessful surgeries on monkeys, sheep, and pigs used in scientific experiments.
According to Reuters, Neuralink, which is working to develop a brain implant that would restore limb function to paraplegic people and treat neurological diseases, has murdered almost 1,500 test animals since 2018. According to the news source, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Agriculture launched an inquiry recently under the Animal Welfare Act.
A request for response from Neuralink representatives was not answered. The Office of Inspector General received inquiries from the Agriculture Department. The agency “neither confirms nor denies the existence of any such investigation.” according to Amy Lowenthal, the assistant counsel to the inspector general, in an email.
In its article, Reuters cited examinations of internal documents, discussions with persons familiar with the company’s activities, and conversations with individuals with knowledge of the probe. The existence of an investigation or the number of animals killed has not been confirmed by The Washington Post.
Due to his recent purchase of Twitter, Musk is already mired in controversy. He fired half of the platform’s staff soon after buying the company for $44 billion, and after pledging to impose a “hardcore” workplace, hundreds more employees left. Days later, following their earlier suspensions, he allowed former president Donald Trump and the leaders of hate groups back onto the platform.
A Tesla employee has also filed a complaint against the electric car manufacturer, alleging widespread sexual harassment due to Musk’s laser-like concentration on productivity and laissez-faire attitude toward corporate culture. Tesla refuted the allegations.
Workers at Neuralink told Reuters that Musk pushed researchers to complete their job more quickly, which caused some of them to hurry tests on the animals they were caring for.
“In general, we are simply not moving fast enough. It is driving me nuts!” Musk wrote in a February email obtained by the news service.
Medical research organizations frequently test it on animals to ensure the technology is adequately safe for human trials. Animals are commonly put to death following those treatments, so researchers can do autopsies and assess the technique.
However, animal experiments are strictly governed by federal legislation to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering. Employees claimed to Reuters that the unnecessary animal deaths were caused by employee mistakes brought on by Musk’s demands, including one incident in which 86 pigs and two monkeys perished due to failed tests.
In 2022, a worker complained to coworkers in a furious message about surgeries that were “hack jobs,” according to Reuters. An animal rights organization complained to federal authorities in February about procedures that killed six monkeys. Keep yourself updated with all the latest news from our website Newswatchlist.com and get all the recent updates.
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