Fresh allegations of potential securities fraud are swirling around Elon Musk, this time concerning statements he made regarding primate deaths during research at Neuralink, his biotech startup. A medical ethics group has called on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate Musk’s assertion that the monkeys died due to terminal illness and not Neuralink implants, alleging that veterinary records tell a different story.
Musk’s acknowledgment of the macaque deaths in September sparked the controversy. He claimed none of the deaths resulted from Neuralink implants, emphasizing that the subjects were already “close to death” before the trials. However, documents obtained by WIRED reveal a grim picture of suffering endured by some of Neuralink’s primate subjects, leading to euthanization.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit advocating against live animal testing, sent letters to the SEC, accusing Musk of misleading statements that he knew to be false. They argue that investors deserve to know the truth about the safety and marketability of Neuralink’s product.
The controversy comes as Neuralink, with its goal of releasing the first commercially available brain-computer interface for humans, faces multiple federal investigations. The SEC has jurisdiction over securities sales, even for privately held companies like Neuralink, which has raised over $280 million from outside investors.
UC Davis veterinary records detail complications following surgeries involving brain-chip implants in monkeys, including bloody diarrhea, paralysis, and brain swelling. These records, along with interviews with former Neuralink employees, raise questions about the accuracy of Musk’s claims regarding the monkeys’ health.
The SEC’s potential investigation into Musk’s comments would add to the federal probes already linked to Neuralink’s animal testing. These investigations highlight the challenges and controversies surrounding the development of brain-computer interfaces and the ethics of animal testing in the field of neurotechnology.
As Neuralink moves forward with human trials, the ethical and regulatory questions surrounding its technology continue to attract attention, raising important discussions about the future of brain-machine interfaces.
Fresh allegations of potential securities fraud are swirling around Elon Musk, this time concerning statements he made regarding primate deaths during research at Neuralink, his biotech startup. A medical ethics group has called on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate Musk’s assertion that the monkeys died due to terminal illness and not Neuralink implants, alleging that veterinary records tell a different story.
Musk’s acknowledgment of the macaque deaths in September sparked the controversy. He claimed none of the deaths resulted from Neuralink implants, emphasizing that the subjects were already “close to death” before the trials. However, documents obtained by WIRED reveal a grim picture of suffering endured by some of Neuralink’s primate subjects, leading to euthanization.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit advocating against live animal testing, sent letters to the SEC, accusing Musk of misleading statements that he knew to be false. They argue that investors deserve to know the truth about the safety and marketability of Neuralink’s product.
The controversy comes as Neuralink, with its goal of releasing the first commercially available brain-computer interface for humans, faces multiple federal investigations. The SEC has jurisdiction over securities sales, even for privately held companies like Neuralink, which has raised over $280 million from outside investors.
UC Davis veterinary records detail complications following surgeries involving brain-chip implants in monkeys, including bloody diarrhea, paralysis, and brain swelling. These records, along with interviews with former Neuralink employees, raise questions about the accuracy of Musk’s claims regarding the monkeys’ health.
The SEC’s potential investigation into Musk’s comments would add to the federal probes already linked to Neuralink’s animal testing. These investigations highlight the challenges and controversies surrounding the development of brain-computer interfaces and the ethics of animal testing in the field of neurotechnology.
As Neuralink moves forward with human trials, the ethical and regulatory questions surrounding its technology continue to attract attention, raising important discussions about the future of brain-machine interfaces.