John Bumpass Calhoun's rodent experiments, initially designed as a utopian environment, quickly descended into chaos, transforming into what could be described as a "mouse hell." Lee Alan Dugatkin's narrative delves into Calhoun's unique blend of ecology, psychology, and futurism, highlighting his rise to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. As Calhoun’s work on rodent cities gained attention, it resonated with various cultural figures, from city planners to writers like Tom Wolfe and in works such as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. His research on social behavior and overcrowding was seen as groundbreaking, earning him invitations to high-profile meetings, including with the Royal Society and the Pope. Calhoun’s visionary ideas, such as the concept of a worldwide cybernetic brain, anticipated technological developments like the internet by a decade.

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