The US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General is reportedly looking into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink Corporation, according to Reuters.
The company has been accused of causing needless suffering and deaths amid pressure from its CEO: billionaire and Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Neuralink is a neurotechnology company that aims to create cranial computers to treat diseases and merge new advanced software abilities with the human brain. In addition to potentially treating brain diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s, the implanted device would also act as a sort of “digital layer” that merges human grey matter with advanced technological tools.
To date, around 1,500 animals - including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys - have died as a result of Neuralink tests since 2018, according to company estimates reviewed by Reuters. Neuralink has also conducted research using rats and mice.
The rate of deaths does not necessarily mean...