Elon Musk's Brain Chip Company Under Federal Probe Over Possible Illegal Movement Of Hazardous Pathogens

The U.S. Department of Transportation is probing the Elon Musk co-founded brain chip company Neuralink for potentially illegal movement of hazardous pathogens.

What Happened: The investigation’s existence came to light after the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine, a non-profit research and advocacy group, wrote to Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday to alert him about records obtained, reported Reuters.

The advocacy group said it had obtained emails and other documents which point to unsafe packaging and movement of implants removed from the brains of monkeys, according to the report. 

These implants could reportedly be carrying infectious diseases — a violation of federal law, according to PCRM.

“We are conducting an investigation to ensure that Neuralink is in full compliance with federal regulations and keeping their workers and the public safe from potentially dangerous pathogens,” said a spokesperson for the Department, according to the report.

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Why It Matters: The letter, addressed to Buttigieg, indicates that pathogens such as antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus and herpes B virus may have been transported without adequate containment measures, reported Reuters.

The communication pointed out that these pathogens could cause serious health issues in humans.

The incidents reportedly date back to 2019, when Neuralink was carrying out experiments on primates via the University of California, Davis.

During the partnership between the University and Neuralink, the latter was not satisfied with the slow pace of animal testing, current and former employees told Reuters.

Musk’s pressure on employees to make progress led to mistakes affecting some experiments, according to Reuters.

Neuralink chips could be placed in humans in 6 months, Musk said in early December. However, the startup has been plagued by allegations of animal cruelty.

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