Neuralink is now under federal investigation after allegedly transporting hazardous devices taken from monkey brains it used for its past studies on their technology. The concern centers on a nonprofit organization's letter to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) claiming that the transport contained contaminated devices.
Whether the experiment succeeded or not, this removal of devices from the monkey's skull still needs to be treated as a biohazard, as it could endanger the public's health and risk another epidemic.
Neuralink Allegedly Transported Hazardous Brain Chips
(Photo : Neuralink via YouTube Screenshot)
Elon Musk's brain chip company, Neuralink, shows a monkey implanted with its device to be playing a game in its demonstration of the technology.
In a letter sent by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to the USDOT, Neuralink is allegedly mishandling its transport of contaminated brain chips from monkeys. It is now asking for a federal investigation against the company, which the Transport authorities will soon investigate, should there be any violations.
PCRM wants the probe to look into what happened, as there are alleged violations against the law, and wants Neuralink to pay for its actions.
According to the letter, Neuralink's recent alleged transport brought pathogen-laced materials out, and "its actions may pose a serious and ongoing public health risk."
Federal Investigation Against Neuralink
According to a report by The Verge, a USDOT spokesperson said that they are taking these allegations seriously and are already looking into the said transport by Neuralink.
There are no results yet in the investigation, and the alleged mishandling of the company in the hazardous brain implant devices is not yet proven to be true. Still, it causes great concern for the people around this experiment and its transport, as it could greatly cause infection to the public, and maybe a national health concern.
Neuralink's Brain Experiments
There are certain organizations which already look into Neuralink's experiments regarding its brain chips, particularly as it centers on animal applications to test its effectiveness. The same organization which filed a complaint against Elon Musk's brain company last year is the same one that launched this complaint against them in the present.
However, PCRM's complaint last year centers on animal abuse behind closed doors, which the company refuted.
Its application on animals is one step towards its future human trials which the public has been anticipating from the company. There were several claims that there are already plans towards this, one of which a previous job listing from the company hinted, as it looked for a clinical trials director.
The company is not yet finding its big break regarding its brain implant that can help in improving the grey matter's capacity, as well as help those with impairments or disabilities with their devices. Yet, it is met with multiple controversies which put a bad name on the company, especially with their alleged mishandling of animals, even after the experiments.
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