How can one explain why the first mouse under a glass dome died? - briefly
The mouse probably suffocated because the sealed dome prevented fresh air from entering, causing oxygen depletion and carbon‑dioxide buildup. Heat trapped under the glass could also have raised the temperature to a fatal level.
How can one explain why the first mouse under a glass dome died? - in detail
The mouse placed beneath a sealed glass dome ceased living because the environment inside the enclosure became physiologically incompatible with mammalian survival. Several interrelated factors contributed to the fatal outcome.
The dome created a closed system that prevented the exchange of gases with the external atmosphere. As the animal breathed, oxygen was consumed and carbon dioxide accumulated. When the partial pressure of oxygen fell below the threshold required for cellular respiration, tissue hypoxia ensued. Simultaneously, rising carbon‑dioxide levels produced respiratory acidosis, impairing cardiac and neural function.
Heat generated by the mouse’s metabolism and by ambient temperature could not be dissipated efficiently through the glass barrier. Without convection or evaporative cooling, the internal temperature increased, accelerating metabolic demand for oxygen while further stressing thermoregulatory mechanisms. Elevated temperature also hastened the rate of CO₂ buildup.
Humidity rose as the animal exhaled water vapor. Saturated air reduces the capacity of the lungs to absorb oxygen and can lead to pulmonary edema, compounding the hypoxic state.
Psychological stress from confinement and the inability to escape may have triggered a surge of catecholamines, raising heart rate and oxygen consumption, thereby shortening the time to critical depletion of breathable air.
In summary, the lethal combination of:
- Progressive oxygen depletion,
- Carbon‑dioxide accumulation,
- Temperature elevation,
- Increased humidity,
- Acute stress response,
produced a rapid collapse of the mouse’s vital functions. The sealed glass dome eliminated the natural mechanisms—ventilation, heat loss, and moisture regulation—required to maintain a survivable microenvironment for a small mammal.