At least 1,500 animals were killed after being subjected to extreme suffering in Elon Musk’s Neuralink lab during the quest to create a chip that would allow humans to control devices with their minds
The horrific animal testing included drilling holes into monkeys’ heads and the filling them in with ‘bioglue’ after the procedure.
The revelations came this week just after Musk claimed to have successfully put a Neuralink implant into a human for the first time.
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The Mail Online reports: The documents released from the University of Davis, California, which partnered with Neuralink in tests for three years from 2017 to 2020, show that monkeys had operations on their skulls up to 10 times each before being put down.
Surgeons drilled into their heads and implants were attached to their brains but they did not fit properly – meaning they protruded outside, the dossier reveals.
Death reports reveal that monkeys had parts of their limbs amputated and were put down after repeatedly vomiting and having episodes of diarrhea.
All told, Neuralink has killed at least 1,500 animals including sheep and pigs during its quest for a chip which will allow people to control electronic devices with their minds.
The documents were obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a campaign group, which said that the monkeys endured ‘extreme suffering’ during a ‘systematic disregard’ for their lives.
PCRM said that the public should be skeptical about claims by Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX founder, who bragged this week: ‘Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.’
Last month he said Neuralink was looking at quadriplegics under 40 years old to take part in human trials, where a surgeon would remove part of their skull before a robot implanted 64 threads lined with electrodes on the brain.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, PCRM said that Musk had a ‘long track record of misleading the public about Neuralink’s supposed developments.’
The statement said: ‘Neuralink has a well-documented history of conducting unnecessary, sloppy experiments in monkeys, pigs, sheep, and other animals that raise serious concerns about the safety of its device.
‘As such, the public should continue to be skeptical of the safety and functionality of any device produced by Neuralink’.
The statement added that ‘Musk’s true intentions for Neuralink are disturbingly clear.’
It said: ‘He has repeatedly said the goal of the company is ”to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence” which is not necessarily in line with developing treatments for patients.’
