What does Elon Musk's brain chip company Neuralink do?
Neuralink, the Elon Musk company that Reuters reported on Monday is the target of a federal investigation over its animal trial program, has been trying to develop a brain chip that would enable the paralyzed to walk and the blind to see.
Here is more on what Neuralink does.
WHAT IS NEURALINK DEVELOPING?
Founded in 2016 by Musk and a group of engineers, Neuralink is building a brain chip interface that can be implanted within the skull, which it says could eventually help disabled patients to move and communicate again, and also restore vision.
Neuralink's device has a chip that processes and transmits neural signals that could be transmitted to devices like a computer or a phone.
The company hopes that a person would potentially be able to control a mouse, keyboard or other computer functions like text messaging with their thoughts.
"First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs," Musk said in April 2021.
Neuralink also believes its device will eventually be able to restore neural activity inside the body, allowing those with spinal cord injuries to move limbs. The San Francisco and Austin-based company also aspires to cure neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
WHAT PROGRESS HAS NEURALINK MADE?
Neuralink has produced several examples of testing aspects of its technology successfully on animals, including a video in 2021 that showed a macaque playing a simple videogame after being implanted with a brain chip. In a presentation webcast last week, the company showcased improvements in the speed and capabilities of the chip.
Neuralink has yet to secure U.S. regulatory approval to move to human trials - unlike competitor Synchron, which has less ambitious goals for its medical advances. Neuralink has missed Musk's publicly stated deadlines to start human trials and this year submitted its application to the Food and Drug Administration to begin them. Musk said last week he believes Neuralink can start human clinical trials in six months.
(Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Rachael Levy in Washington; editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Rosalba O'Brien)
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Woman detained in Syria says Ottawa is forcing her to make agonizing choice in order to get her kids to Canada
A woman held in a detention camp in Syria, along with her three Canadian children, says the federal government is forcing her to make an agonizing choice: relinquish custody of her kids so they can be repatriated to Canada, or keep them in the camp where the conditions are dire. Her children are eligible for repatriation but she is not a Canadian citizen.
Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows 'flat' pricing 'wherever possible'
Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat 'wherever possible.'
opinion
opinion | Don Martin: Trudeau meets the moment – and ducks for cover
Based on Justin Trudeau's first-day fail in the House of Commons, 'meeting the moment' is destined to become the most laughable slogan since the elder Pierre Trudeau’s disastrous campaign rallying cry in 1972, which insisted 'the land is strong' just as the economy tanked.
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote First Nation community in Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
How did a radioactive capsule go missing in Australia and how dangerous is it?
Australian authorities are mounting an extensive search for a tiny radioactive capsule believed to have fallen out of a road train that travelled 1,400 km in Western Australia. Here's what you need to know:
As B.C. decriminalizes hard drugs, users still face months-long waits for treatment
As the B.C. government decriminalizes small amounts of hard drugs, critics note there are still not enough treatment resources for the users seeking them.
Monkeys taken from Dallas Zoo in latest suspicious incident
Two monkeys were taken from the Dallas Zoo on Monday, police said, the latest in a string of odd incidents at the attraction being investigated -- including fences being cut and the suspicious death of an endangered vulture in the past few weeks.
Driver in California cliff crash that injured 4 is charged
The driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in northern California, seriously injuring himself, his wife and their two young children, was charged Monday with attempted murder.
Russian business offers cash bounties to destroy Western tanks in Ukraine
A Russian company said it will offer five million roubles (US$72,000) in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture western-made tanks in Ukraine, after the Kremlin vowed Russian forces would wipe out any Western tanks shipped to Ukraine.
Canada
-
Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows 'flat' pricing 'wherever possible'
Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat 'wherever possible.'
-
Woman detained in Syria says Ottawa is forcing her to make agonizing choice in order to get her kids to Canada
A woman held in a detention camp in Syria, along with her three Canadian children, says the federal government is forcing her to make an agonizing choice: relinquish custody of her kids so they can be repatriated to Canada, or keep them in the camp where the conditions are dire. Her children are eligible for repatriation but she is not a Canadian citizen.
-
911 issues fixed in the Maritimes following Tuesday morning outage
911 emergency calling in all three Maritime provinces has been fixed following service issues Tuesday morning.
-
Manitoba First Nation to sign child welfare agreement with Ottawa, province
Peguis First Nation is set to become the first Indigenous group in Manitoba to take control of child welfare under federal legislation that came into effect three years ago.
-
Federal agency targeting illegal wildlife trade through financial intelligence
Canada's financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket.
-
Canada Post honours Chloe Cooley with stamp in time for Black History Month
A young Black woman who resisted her own enslavement in Queenston, Upper Canada, in the late 18th century is being honoured by Canada Post.
World
-
Tyre Nichols case shows officers still fail to intervene
More disciplinary action may be coming now that the harrowing video of Tyre Nichols' treatment has been released. The Memphis police department is among many U.S. law enforcement agencies with 'duty to intervene' policies. Memphis police relieved two other officers of duty Monday and say the department is still investigating what happened.
-
Driver in California cliff crash that injured 4 is charged
The driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in northern California, seriously injuring himself, his wife and their two young children, was charged Monday with attempted murder.
-
After tank pledges, Ukraine seeks Western fighter jets
Ukraine is pushing its Western allies to provide it with fighter jets, a week after winning pledges of sophisticated modern tanks to help it beat back Russia's invasion force after almost a year of fighting.
-
How did a radioactive capsule go missing in Australia and how dangerous is it?
Australian authorities are mounting an extensive search for a tiny radioactive capsule believed to have fallen out of a road train that travelled 1,400 km in Western Australia. Here's what you need to know:
-
Pakistan blames 'security lapse' for mosque blast; 100 dead
Pakistani authorities scrambled Tuesday to determine how a suicide bomber was able to carry out one of the country's deadliest militant attacks in years, unleashing an explosion in a crowded mosque inside a highly secured police compound in the city of Peshawar. The death toll from the blast climbed to 100.
-
Australian police ask court to ban protest at Cardinal Pell's funeral
Australian police plan to ask a judge to ban gay rights protesters from demonstrating outside the funeral of Cardinal George Pell in Sydney on Thursday due to public safety concerns. Pell, who was once considered the third-highest-ranking cleric in the Vatican and spent more than a year in prison before his child abuse convictions were squashed in 2020, died in Rome this month at age 81.
Politics
-
Time is of the essence to bring in and enforce new long-term care standards: authors
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is talking to provinces and territories about new standards for the quality, design and operations of long-term care homes in Canada.
-
Hybrid Parliament should be here to stay, say MPs in new report
The hybrid sitting structure and electronic voting system should become permanent features of the House of Commons, according to a new report from MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
-
Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
Health
-
Time is of the essence to bring in and enforce new long-term care standards: authors
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is talking to provinces and territories about new standards for the quality, design and operations of long-term care homes in Canada.
-
Tightness in back and joints? Here are some mobility stretches
Personal fitness instructor Andrea Tam says, as people age they experience tight joints and muscles, but performing mobility exercises for 10 minutes each day can help increase flexibility and prevent injury.
-
As B.C. decriminalizes hard drugs, users still face months-long waits for treatment
As the B.C. government decriminalizes small amounts of hard drugs, critics note there are still not enough treatment resources for the users seeking them.
Sci-Tech
-
China accuses Washington of wanting 'technological hegemony'
China's government accused Washington on Tuesday of pursuing 'technology hegemony' following news reports the United States might step up pressure on tech giant Huawei by blocking all access to American suppliers.
-
China's Baidu to launch ChatGPT-style bot in March: source
Chinese internet search major Baidu Inc is planning to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
-
TikTok CEO to testify before U.S. Congress over security concerns
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew will appear before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee in March, as lawmakers scrutinize the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
Entertainment
-
Priscilla Presley is contesting validity of Lisa Marie Presley's will
Priscilla Presley is challenging the validity of her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley's will.
-
Deadline nears for Alec Baldwin in deadly movie set shooting
Prosecutors planned to file felony charges of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of a Western movie in 2021.
-
Why everyone's debating Riseborough's best actress Oscar nod
Nothing -- not Tom Cruise's snub nor Austin Butler's lingering Elvis Presley inflections -- has caused quite as much a stir around this year's Oscars as the best-actress nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough.
Business
-
China accuses Washington of wanting 'technological hegemony'
China's government accused Washington on Tuesday of pursuing 'technology hegemony' following news reports the United States might step up pressure on tech giant Huawei by blocking all access to American suppliers.
-
Imperial Oil reports $1.73-billion Q4 profit, up from $813 million a year earlier
Imperial Oil Ltd. says its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled compared with a year earlier, helped by a strong operating performance across all of its business.
-
Stocks rise on Wall Street, adding to its strong January
Stocks are ticking higher on Wall Street Tuesday ahead of what many investors hope will be one of the Federal Reserve's last economy-shaking hikes to interest rates for a while.
Lifestyle
-
Tightness in back and joints? Here are some mobility stretches
Personal fitness instructor Andrea Tam says, as people age they experience tight joints and muscles, but performing mobility exercises for 10 minutes each day can help increase flexibility and prevent injury.
-
'Father of Peeps' marshmallow candies Bob Born dies at 98
Ira 'Bob' Born, a candy company executive known as the 'Father of Peeps' for mechanizing the process to make marshmallow chicks, has died. He was 98. Just Born Quality Confections, the 100-year-old family-owned company Born led for much of his life, said Monday that he had died peacefully on Sunday.
-
Marie Kondo is focusing on what's important--and that means letting the tidying slide
Queen of clean Marie Kondo admits that tidying up is no longer top of her to-do list. Posting on her website shortly after the birth of her third child in 2021, the Japanese organization expert reflected on motherhood, saying she had 'eased up on herself' when it comes to tidying.
Sports
-
Apology issued after Chelsea player Mudryk's N-word video
An apology has been issued on behalf of Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudryk after he appeared to use the N-word in a video posted on social media.
-
Gymnastics Canada CEO faces questions from MPs on handling of two disgraced coaches
Gymnastics Canada chief executive officer Ian Moss was on the hot seat at the status of women hearings on safety of women in sport on Monday. Moss was repeatedly questioned by MPs about Gymnastics Canada's handling of coaches Ian Bard and Scott McFarlane amid accusations he knew of complaints from athletes.
-
'Just incredible': Winnipegger and former teammate remembers Bobby Hull
Without Bobby Hull, the Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t be in the NHL right now. That’s how one of his former teammates feels about the late Jets forward.
Autos
-
Tesla gets Justice Department subpoena for self-driving cars
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla Inc. related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
-
Will Europe's ban on Russian diesel hike global fuel prices?
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
-
Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Canada not affected by U.S. theft issue, automakers say
Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold in Canada do not have the same anti-theft issue as those in the United States because of Canadian regulations, the automakers say.
