The experiment was pretty fatally flawed.
The "utopia" just gave the mice what Calhoun thought they needed, the basic essentials. Nowhere to hide, no enrichment, etc. The equivalent of tossing people into an empty stadium with cots and expecting them to live full lives.
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Also, the species of mouse used in the most famous "Universe 25" experiment was naturally polygamous (harem-forming) with extremely territorial males that will kill other males' offspring. Combine that with nowhere for family groups to hide or escape and you get pretty nasty outcomes.
Basically, that study is a darling of pop science despite it being essentially an exhibition of animal cruelty by someone who apparently didn't bother to first gain the slightest understanding of the behavior or needs of the species he used for the study. It was basically just torture.
The US birth rate has been at an all-time low since the 2008 Great Recession, yet right-wing oligarchs refuse to admit their manipulations (and collapse) of the economy are vastly to blame.
Kids are expensive. Their bought-up policymakers don't know the value of a dollar. They can't fix this.
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"Why isn't this a utopia for rats??"
The "utopia" just gave the mice what Calhoun thought they needed, the basic essentials. Nowhere to hide, no enrichment, etc. The equivalent of tossing people into an empty stadium with cots and expecting them to live full lives.
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i hate it when this bunk study is trotted out - expected better tbh
Kids are expensive. Their bought-up policymakers don't know the value of a dollar. They can't fix this.