According to public records obtained by Gizmodo, Elon Musk has a secret startup called Neuralink who hopes to one day develop a brain-computer interface that would make it possible for people to communicate with computers using their thoughts. And, to get that ball rolling, Neuralink is now funding primate research at a California university (I hate animal testing).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHwVnIz5Vk
“An agreement between Neuralink and the board of regents of the University of California, obtained in response to a public records request, outlines the terms of the deal and the scope of the research to be conducted. Neuralink will pay $796,006 for research conducted at UC Davis’s National Primate Center, one of seven centers nationwide dedicated to the study of health and disease on primates.
‘Research performed at the Facility and other National Primate Research Centers provides necessary information before proceeding to clinical trials in humans, leading to new drugs, therapies and surgical procedures that benefit human health and quality of life,’ the contract states.”1
The Davis research facility houses most of the primates used for research in the state of California; according to data from 2016, there were 3,596 primates available for research in the state and Davis housed 2,530 of them (most being rhesus macaques although they also have about 100 titi monkeys).
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Before releasing the document, UC Davis heavily redacted its agreement with Neuralink citing exemptions to the California Public Records Act designed to protect “unpublished academic research.” However, under the agreement, Neuralink employees can work side-by-side with academic researchers at Davis and “Davis researchers are allowed to publish their findings based on Neuralink-funded research, provided that they allow Neuralink to review the work prior to publication for confidential information.”1
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I’m not sure how “a brain-computer interface” would benefit us and normally I’m all on board with Elon Musk but I hate animal testing. Time will tell. We will update you if more info becomes available.
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