Neuralink, the biotechnology company co-founded by Elon Musk is under federal investigation in the United States for potential animal welfare violations.

The company has tested its brain-implant technology in animals including monkeys, sheep and pigs and allege it has killed about 1,500 animals since 2018.

Neuralink has admirable goals, which include curing paralysis, blindness and depression. But utilitarians and deontologists question whether the expected benefits are great enough to outweigh the significant harms to animals.

Developing a more comprehensive set of principles for animal research will help to effectively balance scientific benefit against harms to research animals.

Image: Image: Shutterstock: kckate16

Produced By: Tamar Pilobisian

Featured In Story: Dr. Julian Koplin, Lecturer in Bioethics, Monash University

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 21 December 2022