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It's and become a vital part of 
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Hey welcome back to the Elon 
Musk podcast in today's episode,

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we dive into the developing 
story about neurolink. 

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Elon musk's ambitious, brain 
implant Venture a recent reports

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by Reuters have raised concerns 
about the company's animal 

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research oversight board 
highlighting potential conflicts

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of interest, that may compromise
research Integrity now is 

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neurolink conducts, critical 
animal experiments to gain 

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regulatory approval. 
Human trials, explore the 

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implications of these 
allegations and how they could 

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impact the future of this 
groundbreaking technology. 

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Now neural link has been in 
development for a while now and 

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Elon musk's neurolink has 
reportedly filled its animal 

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research oversight board with 
company insiders, who stand to 

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benefit financially as a firm 
reaches developmental goals. 

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Now, according to the company 
documents interviews with six 

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current, And former employees. 
And according to Reuters, this 

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raises questions about potential
violations of conflict of 

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interest regulations, aimed at 
protecting research Integrity, a

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Federal Law requires 
organizations experimenting. 

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On certain types of animals to 
establish oversight boards known

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as institutional Animal Care and
use committee, the iacuc S and 

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aec. 
You see these are responsible 

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for ensuring proper Animal Care,
High research, standards, and 

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the reliability. 
Lady of data that helps 

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Regulators decide whether drugs 
or medical devices are safe for 

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human testing. 
Now as of late twenty twenty 

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two, nineteen of never links 
iacuc. 

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These 22 members were company 
employees according to a company

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document reviewed by Reuters. 
Now the oversight boards chair 

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was a neurolink executive who 
led the company's Animal Care 

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Program and at least eleven 
other members were employees 

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directly involved with animal 
care. 

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Or research. 
Now, details of the panel's 

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membership. 
In its potential conflicts have 

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not been previously reported the
animal research and bioethics 

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expert said, it's rare for 
iacuc, these to include 

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employees with such direct 
Financial stakes in the research

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outcome. 
This is a particular problem at 

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startups, like neurolink because
they tend to focus on a single 

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breakthrough product. 
And commonly reward employees 

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with volatile company. 
Shares now neurolink staffer is 

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typically Salary and stock based
incentives, according to five 

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current and former employees and
knurling job ads reviewed by 

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Reuters said the same. 
Now some senior level employees 

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stand to make millions of 
dollars, if the company secures 

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critical regulatory approvals in
the future now. 

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Dr. Miguel nicolelis is a 
neuroscientist and physician who

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has conducted brain implant 
research at Duke University for 

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nearly 30 years, said the iacuc.
Is overseeing his animal 

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experiments never had any role 
in the research. 

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The independence of such boards 
is critical to protecting the 

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Integrity of animal research 
that could impact humans in the 

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future, clinical trials. 
He said it's an obvious conflict

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of interest. 
Now many companies Outsource 

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animal testing and oversight 
University is a research 

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institutes with stricter rules 
to prevent such conflicts of 

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interest. 
Now, neurolink originally 

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partnered with the University of
California Davis Help conducted 

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oversee, its animal tests. 
However, the company later 

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abandoned the partnership after 
a dispute viewing, the 

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University's processes is too 
slow and bureaucratic according 

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to one current, and one former 
neurolink staffer a neuro-link, 

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then brought the research and 
oversight in-house, UC Davis 

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declined, to comment, 
underlings, new oversight board,

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but said in a statement, that 
it's conflict of interest rules 

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prohibit, quote, interested 
parties for voting or quote, 

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Influencing decisions on such 
panels. 

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The US Department of 
Agriculture. 

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The USDA is the lead agency 
enforcing Animal Welfare 

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regulations and the animal 
research experts interviewed by 

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Reuters included, two former 
top. 

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USDA officials describe the 
agency's overall enforcement's 

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of conflict of interest rules as
lakhs. 

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Now, the USDA has interpreted 
the rule narrowly allowing a 

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range of potential conflicts 
that would never be permitted. 

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In human trials, conflicts such 
as As those under links, iacuc 

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are typically prohibited or 
avoided, an animal Trails, by 

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universities research 
institutes, and many companies, 

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now, in response to this inquiry
from Reuters, the USDA said it 

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had found no conflicts of 
interest underlings board. 

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When the department inspected, 
its animal research operations 

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during 10 inspections since 
2022. 

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And the company has passed all 
inspections with no citations 

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according to public records and 
a person with knowledge of the 

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examinations of the usda's 
office. 

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Of Inspector General is 
currently investigating 

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potential Animal, Welfare 
violations by neurolink and 

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allegedly slipshod Animal. 
Welfare act enforcement by the 

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USDA itself in a joint probe 
with the US Department of 

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Justice. 
Now, the USDA and justice 

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department declined to comment 
on this investigation. 

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And the USDA Inspector General 
didn't risk. 

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Respond to requests for comment 
as well. 

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The joint probe is examining the
company or the agency's 

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oversight of neural link and of 
Animal Welfare. 

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More broadly in the 
investigation follows a long 

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history of USDA. 
Oig reports including three 

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since 2014. 
Criticizing the animals, the 

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agency's Animal, Welfare 
enforcement as ineffective. 

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Now, one issue is a stretch 
staff. 

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The USDA and plays 122 
inspectors to inspect almost 

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12,000 Silat. 
He's ranging from zoos and 

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breeders to Labs, according to a
congressional research service 

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report last July and the USDA 
enforcement of conflict of 

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interest rules are pretty rare 
and more than 11,000 USDA 

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inspections over the past, 
decade the agency issued, eight 

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citations for conflicts and 
research Labs, none of which 

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resulted in a penalty. 
According to a review of the 

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Records who by somebody, who 
oversees the animal law and 

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policy Institute at the Vermont 
law in graduate school. 

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Now, the lack of enforcement. 
They said poses serious risk. 

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That conflicted iacuc members 
will put their own interests 

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before those of the animals. 
Now, the same person is Winters 

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said USD is really only 
inspecting paperwork and not 

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looking under the hood. 
The overly narrow 

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interpretation, that USDA is 
giving to the conflict of 

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interest. 
It's, is it illustrates a 

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problem? 
Now, between September of 2017 

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and December of twenty, twenty 
neurolink partnered with the 

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University of California Davis 
relying on the school's 

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federally, funded Primate, 
Research lab, and it's 

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established iacuc. 
U.s. 

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Davis received more than one 
point, nine million dollars from

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neural, link for experiments 
before the partnership ended. 

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No, neurolink surgeons and other
staffers continued to work 

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directly on the experiments in 
consultation with the university

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and a u.s. 
Davis or UC Davis spokesperson 

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told. 
Reuters, that the university is 

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monitoring of neurolink. 
Experiments detected, an animal 

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welfare incident in 2019, 
prompting the University's iacuc

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to mandate changes, in Darlings,
research, protocols and 

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training. 
And that spokesperson said the 

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incident didn't involve UC Davis
staff, but declined to comment 

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further. 
Now, amid tensions neurolink 

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canceled, his partnership was UC
Davis in 2020, then build its 

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own animal testing facilities 
and created its own iacuc. 

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The company is rushed and at 
times botched experiments 

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especially after it brought 
animal experiments fully in 

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house according than neurolink 
staffers and Company records. 

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Now, the company's iacuc allowed
neural link to accelerate animal

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experiments in line with musk's 
demands three sources familiar 

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with the panel's decisions, told
Reuters, now in 2021 and 2022. 

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The company killed about two 
hundred and fifty sheep pigs and

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primates. 
He's now in one instance in 

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2021, the company implanted, 20 
out of 60 pigs with the wrong 

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size devices. 
A neuro-link employees said, the

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error could have been avoided 
with better prep. 

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Preparation, several animal 
research experts called the role

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00:09:19,100 --> 00:09:22,600
of board chair Autumn sorel's. 
Also the executive heading 

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neural Links Animal Care problem
program, a particularly 

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00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,800
troubling conflict. 
So rails didn't respond to 

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requests for comment asset. 
Of the 22 iacuc members also 

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report to surrounds in their 
neurolink jobs, separate from 

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the board according to an 
internal documents and to 

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knurling sources with knowledge 
of the, committee's operation of

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00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:48,600
this Dynamic discourages those 
members from dissenting and 

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board matters. 
One of the sources said, now I 

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00:09:51,708 --> 00:09:53,900
want to say thank you for 
listening to the Elon Musk 

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And I hope you enjoyed this 
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Take care of yourselves and each

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