Blew the poor animal’s brain: Musk’s neurochip experiments go beyond the pale
For several years, Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has been working on a brain implant that should help paralyzed people start communicating again and much more. Scientists have already tested the brain chip on animals and announced the recruitment of volunteers for human trials, but documents and testimonies from former employees reveal disturbing things.
The investigation revealed that the tests conducted by Neuralink scientists at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at the University of California, Davis, went beyond the bounds of reason. An autopsy showed that the implantation of the chip into the brain of a 7-year-old female macaque led to severe brain swelling, which eventually deformed and ruptured the brain.
The journalists got access to the documents of the study and autopsy, which say that scientists assessed the severity of the monkey’s brain swelling and realized that it was in a fatal stage. However, the trial leaders did not alleviate the animal’s suffering, but insisted that the recipient be kept alive for another day.
The records show that the last 24 hours of the animal’s life were horrible and painful. The documents show that the monkey was vomiting, lost control of its right leg and was shaking uncontrollably. The animal also had respiratory problems, scratching its throat and choking.
After the animal’s death, scientists conducted an autopsy and discovered the extent of the damage. The glue leaked from the implant, which caused inflammation of the part of the brain that secretes cerebrospinal fluid. The effect was so severe that the back of the monkey’s brain simply protruded from the skull, but it is still unclear how the cavity was formed and how much the skull was deformed.
As a result, ethics groups, including the Physicians Committee, sued the University of California, Davis, and insisted on publishing hundreds of photos documenting Neuralink’s brain implantation experiments.
It should be noted that the question of whether animals should be made to suffer for the sake of research that may one day benefit humans is often a haunting one in biomedical research. This problem is not only a concern for Elon Musk’s company, but ethics groups insist that such research should be legal and transparent.
