you might not want to think about this
but over 3,500 species of cockroaches
live on this planet the good news only
about 30 of those species have adapted
to live around humans the bad news 30
species of cockroaches can live around
us roaches are one of the most common
pests in the u.s. so it's no surprise
that humans are always trying to kill
them but no matter how many times we
stomp them squash them and bomb them
with toxic chemicals these pesky pests
always seem to pop up time and time
again so what's going on
let's take a closer look at the roach
you probably know better than you'd like
Perry Planeta
Americana aka the American cockroach but
this name is misleading this guy's
actually from Africa not America it made
its way to the US by infesting boats in
the 16th century and it's been spreading
to almost every corner in the world ever
since turns out it's one of the largest
species of cockroach around but that's
not the only big thing about it new
research has revealed that it has a
massive genome one of the largest of any
studied insect and many of these genes
are exactly what makes this roach a
master survivor let's start with the
genes associated with something called
chemo reception
that's how roaches smell and taste their
environment turns out they're actually
way better at sniffing out and eating
food than most other insects the
american roach has a hundred and fifty
four olfactory receptors for smell and
five hundred and forty four gustatory
receptors for taste more than any other
insect on the planet as a result these
cockroaches are not Vicki eaters sure
they like cheese meat and sugar like the
rest of us but they'll also go for
things like cardboard book bindings
human toenails rotting meat blood
excrete and even each other that's right
these roaches have been known to eat
other dead or crippled cockroaches all
in the name of survival it sounds gross
but this diverse diet makes it easy to
find a meal just about anywhere even if
it's poisonous to most animals this
roach has a bunch of genes called
cytochrome p450s which help it withstand
poisonous chemicals like peppermint
these genes code for detoxification
enzymes which keep the insects safe on
top of that this roach has a super
strong immune system that seeks out and
kills harmful microbes and fungi making
the most unsanitary environment look
like a five-star hotel to the American
cockroach not gross enough yet well
consider this cockroaches can live
nearly a week without their heads yeah
that's not a myth
they don't have a highly pressurized
network of blood vessels like humans so
they don't bleed out instead their necks
actually seal off the opening they can't
regenerate a whole head but roaches do
have an impressive set of regenerative
superpowers for up to the first two
years of its life the American Roach
goes through a series of regenerative
molt's as it matures into an adult
during a single molt stage it can
replace lost limbs and over a series of
molt it can regrow on 10i and even its
eyes roaches may be hard to kill but
there's an easy way to keep them clear
of your kitchen cleanliness a roach
won't just survive in unsanitary
conditions it actually enjoys it it's
heightened senses mean it actually
relishes rotting food so store food in
airtight containers cover trash bins and
keep your basement dry it might also be
smart to plug holes in your walls unused
electrical outlets and especially drains
since get this roaches can use your
plumbing to climb up from sewers into
your bathroom sink it might not
eliminate the risk entirely but it can't
hurt and it will certainly make you feel
better however we can't promise it will
keep them out of your nightmares
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