Elon Musk’s Neuralink confirms monkeys died during experiments, deny animal cruelty allegations

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News
Fri, February 18, 2022

Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a startup dedicated to linking computers and brains through chip implants, acknowledged that monkeys have died during experiments and tests, but pushed back on the allegations of abuse recently brought by a nonprofit group.

The brain-computer interface company responded in a blog post this week to the claims recently raised by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It alleged Neuralink, along with researchers at the University of California, Davis Primate Center mistreated and harmed animals by anchoring an implant “approximately the size of a quarter” on their skulls.

More than 20 macaque monkeys at the UC Davis Primate Center were used for research from 2017 to 2020.

Pager, a 9-year-old primate, had a Neuralink chip placed on each side of his brain which allowed him to play the game, Pong, using just his brainwaves. Musk has previously said he hopes the tech will be able to help treat and cure debilitating brain disorders with its chips.

“Recent articles have raised questions around Neuralink’s use of research animals at the University of California, Davis Primate Center,” Neuralink said. “It is important to note that these accusations come from people who oppose any use of animals in research.”

The startup also noted “all novel medical devices and treatments must be tested in animals before they can be ethically trialed in humans” and that it has yet to receive a single citation from the Food and Drug Administration over its treatment of animals.

In a document spanning more than 700 pages, the PCRM said Neuralink’s experiments reflect a “pattern of extreme suffering and staff negligence,” citing hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents released after the committee filed an initial public records lawsuit in 2021.

In another public records lawsuit filed last week, the committee has requested the university release videos and photographs of the monkeys, CNN reported. PCRM further alleges in the court documents that university staff “removed pieces of the skulls of rhesus macaque monkeys and inserted electrodes into the animals’ brains.”

It further claimed the animals went without veterinary care and that the monkeys were subjects for an “unapproved substance” known as BioGlue that “killed monkeys by destroying portions of their brains.”