08/08/2025
The 'Universe 25' experiment is one of the most disturbing studies in the history of science, carried out by American scientist John Calhoun between 1958 & 1962.
Calhoun designed an ideal environment for rats, called "Mouse Paradise", with abundant food, water and space, in order to study the social dynamics of a growing population.
Initially, the colony prospered, but after 317 days, population growth began to stagnate. Upon reaching 600 mice, serious social problems arose: hierarchies were established, the strongest individuals began to attack others, and aggressive and maladaptive behaviors emerged, such as violence between females and a lack of reproductive interest in males.
As passive, non-reproductive (beautiful mice) males dominated, the birth rate plummeted, juvenile mortality reached 100%, and the colony collapsed into cannibalism and homosexuality.
The experiment was repeated 25 times, each time with similar results, and has been used to model the study of social collapse and urban sociology.
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