If a cockroach walked by you right now…
would you step on it?
If so I get it but you should know cockroaches
are cooler than you might think.
Hey guys What’s up I’m Sapna here at DNews.
Today we’re answering a question that came
from our subreddit page r/dnews-- The user
“semihc” wants to know if cockroaches
have any benefit to nature?
Well yes they do, Semi!
Despite their bad reputation most roaches
play an important role in the natural world….and
we humans may even be able to learn a thing
or two from these resilient creepy creatures.
I know it’s tough to see cockroaches as
anything BUT AWFUL and no matter what we do
to try and get rid of them, they often outsmart
us.
For example, cockroaches eat pretty much anything-
your leftover steak, the soap scum in your
bathtub - even the glue on an envelope.
Which is actually pretty incredible.
Roach poison takes advantage of that, and
tastes sweet to the little buggers, they eat
it and die.
But, according to a recent study in the journal
Science, some cockroaches EVOLVED new body
chemistry so the poison no longer tastes good,
thus no snack and no death.
Most people think of cockroaches as household
pests, but there are actually about 4500 different
species of cockroach around the world, and
less than 1% of them are the freaky ones that
scatter when we turn on the lights.
Those in our homes are often covered in bacteria
and fecal matter- it sticks to them, they
ingest it and defecate everywhere.
And proteins in their feces, saliva, and eggs
are one of THE BIGGEST causes of allergies
and asthma for people living in urban environments.
Yuck.
And maybe that’s more than you wanted to
know about cockroach feces…
Beyond the cities where we live though, it
gets better!
Cockroach poop is actually beneficial to the
environment!
It plays a role in the earth’s nitrogen
cycle.
Forest roaches consume decaying organic matter
and release its nitrogen back into the soil
through their feces… so it can be used again
by plants.
Most cockroaches -99.7% of them- live far
away from people….
Mostly in wooded areas .. and they actually
do some good in the world.
In some environments, they serve as pollinators
for flowers.
And by consuming the decaying vegetation-
the microbes inside their gut break down plant
materials that are often indigestible by most
mammals which is why some experts call cockroaches
nature's janitors or decomposers.
Now, roaches are also an important source
of FOOD for some species- like centipedes,
lizards and birds.
And at least one species of wasp couldn't
live WITHOUT the cockroach.
I think this is really cool!
The parasitic emerald wasp stings a cockroach
and injects venom into a specific part of
its brain which blocks voluntary movement.
The wasp then leads this zombie roach back
to its burrow, lays an egg on it, and when
that egg hatches- the larva eats the roach
from the inside out and emerges as a mature
wasp . I know it’s kind of disgusting but
isn’t that awesome?
Cockroaches can help humans too, by the way.
Because they survive in the filthiest of conditions,
their central nervous system produces natural
antibiotics.
We've found that their natural defenses work
even against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
like staph aureas, also known as MRSA.
And scientists at Harvard's Biorobotics Laboratory
are studying the LEGS of cockroaches, too.
Cockroach legs are not only springy and flexible-but
they also work together seamlessly so the
insect can run at really fast speeds on uneven
ground.
By copying these evolutionary advantages,
scientists hope to design new prosthetics
and mechanical hands!
So there you go Semihc.
We love your question and yes cockroaches
really do play an important role in our ecosystem.
And….get this- engineers are actually turning
roaches into robots….
You can see how and why in this video
So what do you think about cockroaches now?
Tell me down in the comments section down
below
