There Is Finally An Answer To Why Cockroaches Can Survive A Nuclear Blast & End Of The World
Multiple factors contribute to roaches being so hard to kill, despite their look making so many people want to step on them.
Cockroaches are some of the worst pests you can encounter in your home. They¡¯re icky, they scurry around so fast, and multiply like crazy. But worst of all, they¡¯re so goddamn resilient. If you want to kill one, you¡¯d better have a heavy shoe around and some good force behind your hand.
(Opening photo by Jared Belson)
In a new study published this week, researchers attempt to piece together just why these non-consensual housemates are so hardy. The Chinese researchers sequenced the genome of the American cockroach and compared it to the genomes of two other related species, the Australian cockroach and the smokybrown cockroach. They also compared the genetic data to that obtained from cousin insects like termites and the German cockroach.
What the team found is that the American cockroach has one of the largest genomes among any insects we¡¯ve ever seen, second only to the common locust. Certain subsections of those genes have, over time, widened in scope, particularly those associated with chemoreception and detoxification.
Chemoreception is basically an animal¡¯s ability to smell and taste its environment. In the case of the American cockroach, it¡¯s got a massive haul of genes with bitter taste receptors, which is probably what helps the bug eat pretty much anything to survive, including its own shedded skin in a pinch. Detoxification genes, on the other hand, help the roaches survive chemical attacks (your bug spray), and even evolve a resistance to them over time. They¡¯re not the only insect to have developed this ability, but it combines with everything else roaches can do to make the creature that much more resilient.
Another set of genes found also point to a cockroach¡¯s ability to quickly regrow limbs at various points in its life, as well as other genes that help the roach influence how quickly it grows at any time based on how much food is available.
It¡¯s not just an ode to the housemate you can never fully be rid of, this research hopes to be able to figure out how to better combat the pest. However, another possibility from studying the cockroach is learning how its spreads diseases and causes allergies.
Most importantly however, the researchers want to further study the genes that allow the cockroaches to regenerate limbs, an often quoted reason for the insect being ground up and used in Chinese medicine to heal wounds.
Mmm...crunchy.
