Neuralink is facing a U.S. federal probe because of possible animal-welfare violations.
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Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition March 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. Musk answered a range of questions relating to SpaceX projects during his appearance at the conference.
Current and former Neuralink employees were the ones who complained about the alleged malpractices conducted by the neurotech company.
Musk's brain chip firm is making drastic efforts to develop advanced implantable brain-computer interfaces.
However, it seems like Neuralink is sacrificing the welfare of various animals to achieve its goals.
Neuralink Faces US Federal Probe
According to Global News' latest report, Elon Musk is expecting Neuralink's first human trials to happen in the next six months.
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This picture taken on May 23, 2020 shows laboratory monkeys with their babies sitting in their cage in the breeding centre for cynomolgus macaques (longtail macaques) at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Saraburi.
Also Read: Neuralink 'Show and Tell' Event is Coming on Nov. 30, Unknown Delay for Halloween Sched-Elon Musk
However, the latest federal probe against the company might affect the billionaire's plan.
Reuters reported that records showed that the neurotech company killed over 1,500 animals.
These include monkeys, pigs, and sheep. However, experts stated that animal deaths don't necessarily mean that Neuralink is violating animal-welfare laws.
It is not the only company that is using animals to test products. Experiments typically lead to animal deaths.
If this is the case, then why is Neuralink facing a U.S. federal probe?
Animal Deaths Higher Than Needs to Be
The federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) commonly excludes animals that are used for research.
AWA and other anti-cruelty laws are usually ineffective regarding animal experiments.
However, former and current Neuralink employees complained that animal deaths are higher than they should be.
Leaked documents and discussions revealed that human errors weakened Neuralink's experiments.
Because of this, multiple experiments were repeated, which led to more animal deaths.
Anonymous Neuralink staff further shared that the mistakes were made by a testing staff working in a "pressire-cooker" environment.
Aside from this, they also complained that the neurotech company is launching its tests in quick succession before fixing issues in the recent experiments.
If you want to learn more details about the latest issue of Neuralink, you can click this link.
Other Neuralink stories we wrote:
Elon Musk previously noticed a brain stimulation that helped with movement disorders.
Some people compared the Neuralink implants to a "Black Mirror" tech.
For more news updates about Neuralink and other brain innovations, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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