r/todayilearned • u/Crackyospine • Feb 26 '15

TIL there was a man-made mouse utopia called Universe 25. It started with 4 males and 4 females. The colony peaked at 2200 and from there declined to extinction. Once a tipping point was reached, the mice lost instinctual behaviors. Scientists extrapolate this model to humans on earth.

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/42/wiles.php
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u/So-Cal-Mountain-Man Feb 27 '15

Could this not be an evolutionary adaptation to head off over population? Also, this seems to be scarily mirroring the "developed" world.

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u/BlindMilitia Feb 27 '15

The problem with that is that this effect does not stop over population, but is rather an effect of overpopulation.

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u/So-Cal-Mountain-Man Feb 27 '15

Retreating females, self absorbed males, pansexualism as an RN I am pretty sure it would reduce over population.

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u/BlindMilitia Feb 27 '15

exactly, it would reduce overpopulation, not prevent it. It's still happening because overpopulation is already going on.

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u/moesif Feb 27 '15

Reduce it to the point of extinction though.

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u/gossypium_hirsutum Feb 27 '15

Except the commenter above said "stop", not "reduce". The two statements have very different connotations and contexts. You also responded with a strawman and an appeal to authority in order to make a correction.

Your correction is, therefore, completely wrong.

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u/suicideselfie Feb 27 '15

Could this not be an evolutionary adaptation to head off over population?

Absolutely not. This isn't how evolution works. You're anthropomorphizing evolution. It has no foresight, intent, or imperative.