Elon Musk lied about Neuralink? It's about the deaths of monkeys in tests

Elon Musk claims that “no monkeys have died” as a result of Neuralink chip implantation. However, research documents indicate numerous complications and regular euthanasia of animals. The company is preparing tests on humans.

Recently, Elon Musk’s Neuralink company announced the first tests of a brain implant on humans. This is disturbing because the monkeys used in the company’s experiments suffered and were regularly put to sleep. However, the company’s boss does not seem to acknowledge the facts.

Elon Musk on Neuralink tests – reasons for the death of monkeys

“No monkey has died as a result of Neuralink implantation,” Elon Musk noted at the beginning of September. However, the latest documents indicate that the billionaire may have been mistaken.

Wired journalists obtained documents from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) regarding Neuralink experiments on macaques. The files describe numerous complications that occurred after the chips were implanted in monkeys. These include bloody diarrhea, partial paralysis and brain swelling. All difficulties resulted in the monkey being euthanized.

In 2020, there was a case where the implanted implant… simply came loose. For the macaque, it was once again a death sentence. The autopsy showed that “the problem was purely mechanical and not caused by infection.”

Another case from 2019 involved a failed surgery, where a piece of the implant broke off and caused an infection. Another monkey, called “Animal 15” in the notes, began “pressing its head to the ground for no apparent reason” after surgery. Her condition worsened for months, she lost coordination, and eventually she began having regular seizures and was put to sleep.

Musk’s claim therefore seems to be a pure lie, or at least a logical trick. The monkeys didn’t technically die because the scientists killed them themselves first. However, this does not fill us with optimism.

Neuralink is looking for people for tests – will they be interested in Musk’s chip?

As we wrote in Wprost.pl, Neuralink has just started recruiting candidates for its first clinical trials on humans. In an announcement, the neural interface company said the study will assess the safety of implants and surgical robots.

According to the initial announcement, the goal of the trial “is to give people the ability to control their computer cursor or keyboard with just their thoughts.” Neuralink adds that the study is aimed at people with quadriplegia due to a cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is a neuromuscular disease that gradually destroys the nervous system and makes muscle control difficult.