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MIT Severs Ties To Company Promoting Fatal Brain Uploading (technologyreview.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the unethical-practices dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: The MIT Media Lab will sever ties with a brain-embalming company that promoted euthanasia to people hoping for digital immortality through "brain uploads." The startup, called Nectome, had raised more than $200,000 in deposits from people hoping to have their brains stored in an end-of-life procedure similar to physician-assisted suicide. MIT's connection to the company came into question after MIT Technology Review detailed Nectome's promotion of its "100 percent fatal" technology. Under a subcontract, MIT was receiving approximately $300,000 from a federal grant won by Nectome to develop methods of brain preservation and analysis. According to an April 2 statement, MIT will terminate the research contract with Media Lab professor and neuroscientist Edward Boyden. Boyden said he didn't have a financial stake or other personal involvement with Nectome. MIT's connection to the company drew sharp criticism from some neuroscientists, who say brain uploading isn't possible.

2 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. 100 percent fatal by Camel+Pilot · · Score: 1, Informative

    100 percent fatal? is that different than 90 percent fatal? Fatal is sort of a binary thing.

  2. The summary is wrong. by sonoronos · · Score: 5, Informative

    The summary reads "MIT will terminate the research contract with Media Lab professor and neuroscientist Edward Boyden."

    This statement is false. If you read the article, you will see the following statement: "Professor Boyden has no personal affiliation -- financial, operational, or contractual -- with the company Nectome."

    Boyden's adviser, Deisseroth, developed CLARITY. One part of Boyden's ressearch, among many other things, involves using his adviser's CLARITY method to perform imaging of neurobiological samples (that is, expansion microscopy.)

    What the article DOES say is "MIT is party to a subcontract under an NIMH small business grant awarded to Nectome, with the Boyden group working on an academic research project to combine aspects of Nectome's chemistry with the Boyden group's invention, expansion microscopy," What this means is that someone on Boyden's team was doing research with Nectome's chemistry along with Boyden's expansion microscopy method.

    Therefore, the correct summary is, "MIT will terminate the research contract with Nectome." full stop.

    These are respectable researchers and I feel we have to make a strong effort to make sure the correct story is told.