![]() ![]() Calhoun called this “the first death”… the death of the mind and soul. The societal breakdown or, “the behavioral sink,” (as Calhoun named it) was completely irreversible. Even when the population fell to a manageable level, the psychological damage to the mice prevented them from ever recovering. The experiment was repeated well over 100 times, and each time the same result occurred… total population extinction. All reproduction in the mice stopped when the population hit 2,200 (over twice the maximum comfortable occupancy). They separated themselves and resorted to their own coping mechanisms to deal with overcrowding. “The beautiful ones” and “the feral ones” behaved almost as though they had become two different races. But the main state of existence for “the feral ones” (when they weren’t killing, raping, or eating each other) was that of apathy. One of the most disturbing facts was that several mice resorted to infant cannibalism, despite their access to unlimited food. The dropouts and failures of the colony turned into listless mice that would congregate in the center of the universe, and would break into pointless waves of gang-like violence. Then… there were “the feral ones.” In these mice, rampant pansexuality (meaning not inhibited in sexual choice with regard to gender or activity), incest, and sporadic violence spread like a behavioral plague. These impotent narcissists were recognizable by their sleek, shiny coats and were dubbed “the beautiful ones.” These passive males stopped having sex with females and focused solely on grooming all day, eating, and sleeping. The non-dominant males became very passive and withdrew from society. Females themselves became highly aggressive as well. Females began to toss their young out before they were completely weened, resulting in the infant being attacked and killed by aggressive dominant males (who had mostly turned into rage-induced psychos). Males began to find it stressful to defend their territory, so they abandoned the behavior all together. As the population increased, there began to exist more mice than meaningful social roles. ![]() With space being the only limiting factor, population density hit a point where the stress of overcrowding became an existential crisis for the mice, and their complex social structures began to break down.Ĭalhoun observed many disturbing changes within the realms of Universe 25. You’re welcome.) Despite the slowdown in population growth, it continued to increase substantially. ![]() (There are actually mathematical ecology equations explaining this phenomenon, which I graciously will not bore you with. This in itself was interesting, considering that the pens were designed to house a maximum comfortable occupancy of 1000 mice. When the population hit 620, however, growth slowed. It took the mice around 104 days to acclimate to their new environment, but once they settled in, they were happy and everything went relatively smoothly. So here’s how the experiment went - it started with paradise and 4 breeding pairs of elite mice. With the unlimited access to resources, and a complete lack of disease and predators, Universe 25 (as it was subsequently named) was practically heaven on Earth for these mice… or so one would think. O’Brien, which was adapted into a 1982 animated film, The Secret of NIMH, which I believe was voted somewhere as being one of the top 10 most disturbing children’s movies of all time). Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. (On a side note, Calhoun’s experiments inspired the 1971 children’s book Mrs. The breeding mice were genetically superior specimens hand picked from the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIHM’s) breeding colony. The pen was cleaned often, and kept at a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Calhoun gave the mice unlimited access to nutritious food, clean water, and nesting materials. The spacious pen was connected by ramps and nesting burrows. He engineered this mouse paradise on the second floor of a barn, which also served as his office and laboratory. After studying rat and mice populations for many years, Calhoun decided to create a utopian universe for his furry minions. He was most known for his research in population density, and the related effects to behavior and social structure. He studied rats and mice alike for many decades. Calhoun was an American ethologist and behavioral researcher. ![]() The experiment was performed by a man named John B. If you existed in a world of unlimited resources to which all members of your species had equal access, would it in fact create a utopian existence? I’d heard about some interesting research a while back called the “mouse utopia experiment.” Being of a curious nature, I decided to look into it. I’ve got whole sketchbooks on these ideas from high school. Have you ever dreamed of your own utopian society? I know I have. ![]()
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