Animals have long been exposed to humankind’s thirst to advance. Monkeys, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs are some of the animals that are tested upon for cosmetics and medical trials, most of which are bordering on animal cruelty. Shockingly, a well-regarded animal rights group has accused Elon Musk’s brain-computer company Neuralink of subjecting monkeys to ‘extreme suffering.’ The group also revealed that early experiments have used 23 monkeys, out of which only 8 survived.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nonprofit that emphases on saving and betterment of human and animal lives, filed the complaint with the US Department of Agriculture. Moreover, it claimed to have proof that the monkeys went through “extreme suffering as a result of inadequate animal care and the highly invasive experimental head implants during the experiments.”
The PCRM said that it was in possession of over 600-page documents proving all the charges it made against Neuralink. Apparently, these documents had been acquired through a public-record request to the university UC Davis, which was collaborating with Musk’s company.
Image: Norarsikin Maakim/Wikimedia Commons
The complaint indicated that macaque monkeys used in the experiment were caged in isolation, with steel posts screwed to their skulls, endured facial trauma, seizures after brain implants, and had intermittent infections at implant sites. Moreover, UC Davis staff was unsuccessful in providing dying monkeys with adequate care, used an unapproved substance called “Bioglue” that killed the animals by damaging parts of their brains.
Neuralink is currently working on a brain chip that can enhance brain functions when embedded in mammals. It does have significant implications once installed. For instance, it can support and help with motor functions for people with paralysis, performing everyday tasks, using computers, and more.
In April 2021, the company released a video of a monkey playing pong with its mind using a Neuralink chip. The company also said that soon the chip will enter its human trial phase.
Even if Neuralink succeeds in a safe function of the chip in humans, what lengths will it go to achieve that goal? How many animals will have to endure torture and lose their lives for humans to advance? Besides, if the current animal cruelty allegations prove to be true, it raises numerous questions about the further plans of Neuralink, putting the company’s future in jeopardy.
Via: New York Post