We interpret the various SlimeMoldTimeMold blog posts (INSERT LINK TO SUBSTACK WHEN READY) as suggesting that increased levels of atmospheric CO2 may cause obesity. We propose a small-mammal study to test this.

Procedure

• Rats and/or mice, a cohort of dozens of similar individuals
  • I do not have the domain experience in stewarding rat colonies to determine whether single-sex colonies or mixed-sex colonies are better, or if individuals should be sterilized to prevent reproduction.
  • Even a change of 0.1 Standard Deviations would be meaningful enough to justify public concern.
  • Sexual-dimorphism based weight differences would be controlled for.
• Set up three habitats. Using a CO2 scrubber, one habitat is kept at around 200 PPM of CO2 (roughly the historical minimum). The second habitat is kept at around 400 PPM (current atmospheric levels). The third habitat is kept at around 1000 PPM (comparable to certain indoor conditions).
• The habitats are kept in an airlock, free from humans. Food and water enter through an airlock, are dispersed by robots. Similarly, waste material is removed through an airlock.
  • As an alternative, one of the habitats could be kept in a "SeaLab" - an underwater human habitat with different atmospheric composition.
• Food availability is similar, however there is freedom for food consumption to be different. Food is presented on a regular schedule in specified quantities, and for a fixed period of time.
• Scales are built into the habitat; ideally data points of animal weight can be collected automatically multiple times per day.