Not just cockroaches: ten creatures that will survive a nuclear war. Myth: Only cockroaches will survive a nuclear war Biological reasons
Many are sure that in the event of a large-scale nuclear war, there will be nothing alive on Earth. However, at least 10 species of living beings have a fairly high chance of surviving. These creatures have been listed by the portal Toptenz.
Amoeba. One of the simplest forms of life may become the basis for the emergence of new species of living beings in the post-nuclear world. The amoeba will definitely survive, experts say. For the winter, it is able to fall into a kind of hibernation, in addition, there are a great many of these microorganisms in the world, they multiply rapidly and are not sensitive to radiation. So they have every chance.
Cockroach. This insect has a very high chance of survival. They are able to survive in the most severe conditions: in particular, they managed to escape within a radius of 300 meters from the epicenter of the nuclear bomb explosion in Hiroshima. The current weapons are much more powerful than this bomb, but compared to humans, cockroaches still have more chances to survive. So, at a radiation dose of 10,000 rads, 10% of cockroaches will survive (this was shown, in particular, by an experiment conducted in the MythBusters program). For a person, this dose is lethal: the irradiated person will die within a few hours or days.
Scorpion. This creature is able to tolerate powerful ultraviolet radiation, therefore, it is possible to cope with radioactive. In addition, they can fall into suspended animation, so they are not afraid of low temperatures.
Lingulata. This marine brachial creature appeared in the Cambrian period and survived many cataclysms, including those that destroyed the dinosaurs. Under unfavorable conditions, lingulata is able to burrow deeply and for a long time into the ground, and then reappear. How they do this is not clear, but since they survived 99% of the species ever existing, it is likely that they will be saved after a nuclear explosion, the author of the rating notes.
Drosophila flies. Fruit flies are also very resistant to radiation, like other insects. Such resistance appeared in them due to the slow division of cells in their organisms. The advantage of fruit flies is that they reproduce extremely quickly, which means that this species is able to quickly adapt to new conditions.
Human. Oddly enough, a person is also able to survive in conditions of radioactive contamination. People live in vast areas, so those who are far from the explosions will survive. In addition, people have special shelters and, if necessary, humanity will probably invent new ways to protect against radiation.
fundulus(Fundulus heteroclitus) is a small fish that can survive anywhere. As a rule, fish are very sensitive to environmental changes, but not this one. They are able to exist in the most polluted areas, in addition, they are the only fish that have been in space and even gave quite viable offspring there. The secret of these fish is the ability to quickly adapt to changing conditions.
tardigrade. This microscopic invertebrate impresses with its endurance. It is able to survive at extremely low and high temperatures, is resistant to radiation, and can be in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide for quite a long time. In addition, experiments have shown that tardigrades are able to return to life after 10 days in outer space.
Bacterium Deinococcus Radioduran. It is the most resistant to ionizing radiation. "In many ways, it surpasses the practically indestructible tardigrade," the author of the rating noted. This bacterium is able to repair damaged DNA, and quite quickly. Due to this property, the bacterium is used to clean up radioactive waste.
Why did ancient insects disappear so quickly, which arose 350 million years ago, survived, unlike dinosaurs, all natural disasters, are especially resistant to chemicals and perfectly adapted to warm human habitation, in which there is always?
An exhaustive answer has not yet been found. There are, however, a number of assumptions.
Human factor
Electromagnetic waves.
Indeed, the urban environment is oversaturated with a variety of electromagnetic radiation: at standard GSM and GPRS mobile communication frequencies in the range of 900 and 1800 MHz, in the range of television channels from 50 to 230 MHz, at a microwave oven frequency of 2450 MHz, in the computer range of 20 Hz-1000 MHz.
It would seem that a very suitable explanation of where they go. There were even coincidences in time and place, when after the installation, for example, of the masts of mobile communication repeaters, insects disappeared from the surrounding houses.
However, none laboratory test did not confirm that electromagnetic radiation somehow harm cockroaches.
GMOs and preservatives in food. The Prussians have been eating crumbs from the human table for centuries - and in this menu, unfortunately, potentially dangerous, but widely used substances have appeared. The list is headed by: modified starch, pyrophosphates (preservatives and baking powder), modified soy.
Data of laboratory researches are ambiguous. There is information that pyrophosphates can reduce the ability to, and the consumption of GMO products can change hereditary traits. Nevertheless, such causes are clearly not enough for the mass simultaneous death of perfectly adapted insects.
Radiation or chemical background of cities. Maybe this is the real reason why the cockroaches disappeared in the apartments? The ecological situation in large industrial centers is far from ideal. At the same time, it is difficult to imagine such pollution of the environment in which people could live, but mustachioed neighbors could not.
The endurance of insects to chemical and radiation effects is much higher than that of mammals. Red mustachioed six-legged creatures, in particular, are excellent candidates for repopulating a planet after a nuclear war.
REFERENCE! Why would cockroaches survive a nuclear bomb? The lethal dose of radiation for them is 20 times higher than the human one.
Infrasonic and acoustic impact. Proponents of this theory see the reason for the disappearance in low-frequency vibrations that accompany technological processes at industrial enterprises and even in the bell ringing of many built and restored temples.
Infrasound, of course, is unpleasant for many living beings, and the alarm has been a remedy against evil spirits since ancient times.
It is only unclear why red cockroaches are selectively affected.
Synthetic materials in everyday life. Popular and massive renovation- these are, most often, plastic coatings and claddings, synthetic wallpaper, linoleum and chemically impregnated carpet. Such a “tasteless” filling of the premises could well have been not to the liking of insects - but they also disappeared in those apartments where no repairs were made.
Sanitation. In fact, the elimination of garbage chutes, hermetic and durable plastic packaging for products, plastic bags for storing food waste have seriously reduced the cockroach nutritional base. In addition, household food stocks have become much smaller.
However, it is not so easy to starve cockroaches - they can go 40 days without food and digest, thanks to the bacterial microflora of the intestine, completely inedible paper.
Causes of a biological nature
Perhaps it is biological factors that are to blame for why the cockroaches disappeared from the apartments?
There is an assumption that the red cockroach could not compete with who willingly settle in a warm and satisfying human housing. After all, in the same way, insects survived in their time in the harsh biological warfare.
However, no one has yet observed the simultaneous existence of cockroaches and ants indoors or the settlement of ants in cockroach territories. Red cockroaches always disappear first, and only then, after a noticeable time, the vacated ecological niche can be occupied by yellow pharaoh ants.
global changes
The reasons for the mass disappearance of cockroaches are also called:
- Ozone depletion, climate change, magnetic pole shift. As a result, the leading biorhythms of cockroaches go astray. It is not clear, then, why the same fate does not befall the entire terrestrial biosphere.
- The supernatural sense of these insects on coming cataclysms and disasters: economic crisis, major wars, large-scale catastrophes. At the same time, the “great exodus” of cockroaches is already 8-10 years old, and the end of the world has not yet come.
Apparently, none of the theories given by itself explains the apparent absence of cockroaches in major cities. Perhaps several factors are working together, or perhaps these geniuses of adaptation, survival and endurance have not disappeared anywhere.
What if red cockroaches simply migrated to more suitable places for themselves? Maybe you should ask not why, but where did the cockroaches from the apartments disappear? Basements, manholes, old high-rise buildings, hostels and prisons?
Quietly and unhurriedly, generation after generation, they mutate, adapt, and one day, strengthened, hardened and persistent, they will return as massively as they left. Will the citizens be happy with them?
15.01.2016
Cockroaches are ubiquitous creatures that, as it seems to those who have encountered them, are not afraid of anything.. However, this feeling is deceptive. Unable to maintain their own body temperature, constantly in need of water, sensitive to a number of chemicals. These insects have a number of vulnerabilities. About what cockroaches are afraid of, and will be discussed in this article.
Cockroaches and their preferences
Cockroaches are insects that have long lived next to humans. Everything suits them in our dwellings - it is warm here, there is always food and secluded places for creating a colony. Some have lost the ability to live independently in the wild and currently live exclusively next to humans, which is why they are called synanthropic.
Cockroaches willingly settle in trains and planes, where conditions for a normal life are created.
The ubiquitous insects can cause phobias in humans. So, the fear of cockroaches is called blattophobia and is quite common among the urban population.
What are the most favorable conditions for their life? The most important are the following:
- Constant temperature in the range from +12 to 25 0 С;
- Access to water and sufficient humidity;
- Lack of light.
Thanks to the special microorganisms - gregarins, living in the intestines, cockroaches easily tolerate the lack of free food waste. They are able to digest inedible materials such as cardboard, paper, glue, shavings, which allows them to survive in non-residential premises for a long time. However, this symbiosis sometimes plays a cruel joke with insects. Drugs that kill gregarines also kill cockroaches, which, without symbionts, are unable to feed on their own.
Favorite places of cockroaches are dark secluded corners of human habitation, located near a water source. These can be places near sinks and toilets, water and sewer pipes, behind wallpaper, radiators, and rarely moved kitchen furniture. Sometimes they settle inside old electrical appliances - radios, tape recorders, televisions. They are attracted here by protection from insecticidal preparations and a suitable temperature.
In areas where access to water is limited, cockroaches often settle near flower pots with earth, which serve as a source of water for them. In this case, edema is often found inside the pot - this is how the females try to provide their offspring with sufficient moisture for proper growth.
What are cockroaches afraid of?
Inside human dwellings, cockroaches have no natural enemies. In nature, they are birds, insectivorous animals, as well as predatory arthropods (for example, ticks). However, there are some important environmental parameters that a person can well regulate, depriving these insects of the opportunity to live and reproduce normally.
In nature, prolonged and severe droughts rarely occur, completely destroying insects. Most often, they always manage to find wet cracks and cracks in the ground in order to wait out the heat and lack of moisture.
Temperature
Cockroaches are able to live and breed comfortably at temperatures from +2 to +28 ° C. In winter, temperatures below -5 ° C cause the death of these insects within half an hour. This is due to the fact that they are unable to maintain a constant body temperature, as they are cold-blooded animals. Even stable ootheca do not save cockroach offspring from frost.
A similar situation develops in rooms whose temperature is above +28 ° C. At this temperature, the humidity decreases and, in the absence of water sources, cockroaches first stop breeding, then die. The females are the last to die, shedding their ootheca. These devices do a good job of saving future nymphs from drying out in the heat, as they are covered with a dense cover that retains water inside.
Such folk traditions as freezing and boiling water are based on the knowledge of these features. They involve the destruction of cockroaches in the house with the help of prolonged exposure to low temperatures in winter and the treatment of their habitats with boiling water.
Ultrasound
There are many theories why cockroaches are afraid of ultrasound. Here are the most common versions:
- Cockroaches react to ultrasound as a danger signal;
- Ultrasound negatively affects their metabolism, which makes them avoid rooms where it is;
- Ultrasound knocks down the communication settings of insects.
In fact, there have been no serious studies of the effect of ultrasound on cockroaches in our country. Abroad, such repellers are often used in public places and most effectively repel mosquitoes. Their effect on different types of insects most likely depends on the frequency used and the power of the device.
By increasing the intensity of the ultrasonic signal, they will inevitably feel its effect on themselves. The consequences will be headache, nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbances.
It is not surprising that cockroaches leave the apartment where such a device works. However, you can turn it on only when no one is at home and if there are no pets in it.
Bright light
The fact that when the lights are turned on at night, the insects begin to scatter in different directions, makes some people think that cockroaches are afraid of the light. However, their reaction to light is more of a way to avoid potential danger. The fact that colonies never settle in the world is also no proof of this thesis. Dark places usually offer sufficient levels of humidity and protection from major hazards.
Studies in which cockroaches were exposed to light of varying frequencies and intensities showed that, in fact, these insects do not change their behavior when the light changes. Therefore, the effect observed in the kitchen is related to their reaction to the sounds of an approaching person and his smell.
Drought
Cockroaches are even more afraid of the lack of water than the lack of food. That is why insecticidal treatment of premises is always carried out after all wet places in the house are isolated. Control of this parameter allows you to avoid the appearance of a colony in a new apartment. Low humidity (less than 65%), combined with high air temperature (more than 28 ° C) slows down the metabolism of these insects, reduces the hatchability of eggs and, with prolonged exposure, completely destroys cockroaches in the house.
Chemical substances
Over the long history of the neighborhood, a person has studied well what smells cockroaches are afraid of. This knowledge allows you to effectively destroy and scare them away from our apartments.
Among the effective substances are ammonia, phenol, benzene, kerosene and others. It should be noted that most of them are very toxic to warm-blooded animals and humans, so they cannot be used in residential areas. An exception is ammonia - its addition to water for wet cleaning has long been used as an effective deterrent.
2014-11-24
Cockroaches withstand the intensity of ionizing radiation by about an order of magnitude greater than humans. However, the explosion will significantly affect the ability of cockroaches to reproduce, which, obviously, will still lead to death.
The data showed that at an exposure level of about 64 Gy, about 94 percent of young cockroaches would die, and at around 100 Gy, adults would no longer survive. While this is an excellent result compared to humans (for humans, 10 Gy in 10 minutes is fatal), it's clearly nothing, by insect standards; most insects can survive in much worse conditions.
So what are the real living beings that will inherit the earth after a worldwide nuclear war? Closes the rating of fruit flies with a dose of about 640 Gy. A more impressive result is in Khrushchak beetles, which can withstand up to 1000 Gr. Equestrian wasps from 1800 Gr. show even better results. But they all lose to the microbe Deinococcus radiodurans. This bacterium can withstand radiation of about 15,000 Gy at normal temperature and almost 30,000 Gy in cold weather.
The origin of the myth is not entirely clear. Perhaps its spread was facilitated by the anti-nuclear activist movement in the 1960s, which often used cockroaches in their slogans and campaigns. The second hypothesis refers to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when rumors began to circulate that the only signs of life remaining between the two cities were cockroaches scurrying among the ruins.
What is the reason for the resistance of cockroaches to ionizing radiation? The reason for the stability in the division of the cells of the body of these insects. Cells are most susceptible to ionizing radiation damage when they are dividing. The typical cockroach only molts once a week, and its cells only divide for about 48 hours during that week, it makes sense that 3/4 of adult cockroaches should be less affected. In humans, the process of division goes on all the time. For the same reason, radiation is effective, at such low doses, in killing cancer cells. Cancer cells divide much faster than most other cells in the human body. The essence of the treatment is to kill cancer cells faster than healthy cells. If successful, all cancer cells die, and enough healthy cells to continue living more or less as before.
Despite the fact that cockroaches cannot survive in a global nuclear war, these small pests are extremely hardy, the proof is their almost 300 million history. Cockroaches can live without a head, do without oxygen for 45 minutes, eat practically inedible things (for example, glue or cellulose). So if you really want to get rid of cockroaches at home, get ready for a long and unsuccessful struggle.
Of course, I recognized the brown-red beauties right away. Yes, it was them that the participants of the very first "Last Hero" ate alive. There is a brief inscription on the plate: "Boar cockroach (Madagascar island)". There are two hundred of them here, behind glass, no less! Entomologist Natalya NOVIKOVA, an employee of the "Zoo of Living Insects" and the Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, lifts the glass lid and turns over the corroded pieces of wood on which these cockroaches sit - a finger long, but two fingers thick! Insects immediately come to life from hibernation, begin to randomly crawl over each other and over the larvae that were hiding under the planks. The sight is not for the faint of heart. Natalya Vasilievna calmly chooses one of the giants, shows closer: "I'm not afraid of these, but I'm afraid of ours, I won't take them in my hands."
I came here, to the "Zoo of Living Insects", because the domestic cockroaches "got me".
I noticed that they are different: large red-brown, long, black - smaller, rounder and shiny, and there are also very small ...
More than 3,600 species of cockroaches are known (from 4 mm to 10 cm), they live in the tropics, says Natalya Vasilievna. - But there are also rare species in the North, in Primorsky Krai. In our apartments there are only two types: Prussian (red) and black, which are accustomed to humans. In nature, they do not live, only in houses. Black people used to come to people, in Russia it was believed that cockroaches in the house are for good luck, for wealth: if you move to a new place, you must take it with you. And in the 18th century, soldiers brought redheads from Germany - they were called "Prussians". But the Germans believe that the Russians brought these cockroaches to them - even earlier, when they came to Germany to work in glass factories.
Our tropical cockroaches will not survive without special care - they need warmth and humidity, otherwise they will freeze or blow them away. And ours have adapted to temperature extremes.
So that's why it's hard to deal with cockroaches - they adapt quickly?
Of course! Scientists believe that only cockroaches and rats will survive after a nuclear war. They are very ancient - they lived on the young Earth, when there was a different radiation background. And they still live ... In evolution, the one who conquers space wins. If not for man, insects (including cockroaches) could conquer the world - and would reign on the planet. There are still a lot of undiscovered insect species unknown to science.
You yourself have noticed: they are interesting to watch. An elderly woman called. She says: don't think I'm crazy! She lives alone - and began to watch cockroaches as pets. She feeds them, takes care of them (they love rice, apples, compote), plays with them...
Is it true that cockroaches can't live without water?
Without food, they can live for more than a month, they will gnaw a piece of paper, wallpaper, a piece of wood, but they cannot live without water. But they will always find moisture - it accumulates on the pipes. Or they run away to drink at the neighbors - and will return to you again if they like your smells. Our cockroaches are omnivores, and tropical ones have a sweet tooth. For green flying cockroaches from South America, we breed honey and give jam.
In our homes, cockroaches have their own world, they walk from apartment to apartment. I have a girlfriend who is clean: in the new apartment, they removed the wallpaper to the plaster, smeared it with gels, disinfected it, but cockroaches still live with them! ..
And who are the enemies of cockroaches?
A friend has an Asian Shepherd - so she eats cockroaches, and sometimes bees. And my cat won't eat. The husband is joking: at least what use it would be! .. They write that the Madagascar cockroach eats our Prusak. But I didn’t try: you can’t bring cockroaches from the house here, they are all etched there - museum exhibits may die. Therefore, here we have only sticky traps, no chemistry! ..
The real enemies of cockroaches are spiders. These ashy cockroaches from the Canary Islands we breed for spider food. Once a young couple bought a tarantula from us, they also took ashy cockroaches to feed the spider. One cockroach was launched to the spider in the aquarium - and he does not eat it, for a month already! They ask: maybe they became friends? When the hostess climbs to change the water, the cockroach hides from her - not under a snag, but under a spider! Here's a cockroach show...
Not all cockroaches are destroyed - some observe, others breed them. Let's say, to arrange cockroach races ...
It is known that tropical cockroaches run at speeds up to 4 km / h, our Prussians - up to 1 km / h. Black ones are slower, but they get into any cracks.
There are lovers today: Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has been collecting cockroaches for 10 years. But he was forced to part with her when he married Vanessa Paradis. A recent fashion in the West: a medallion with a live cockroach (it is worn in a cone). And in London, a restaurant has opened where you can taste dishes from exotic insects: locusts, cockroaches, beetles, centipedes - for every taste. In the tropics, spiders and cockroaches are considered a delicacy by the locals. They are even eaten alive. Fried female spiders with eggs are in special demand - exotic scrambled eggs are obtained!
P.S. I called on the ad "Professional extermination of cockroaches, insects and rodents" (I plucked it off a pole). The old woman answers, calls the amount - 750 rubles for the entire apartment. Promises complete destruction - and a 2-year warranty! "And if they appear?" - "So, dear, it depends on how you will behave ..." - "How do your funds differ from store ones?" - "Duck with us they will be stronger!" - "Isn't it harmful for children?" - "There will be no harm to humans or animals. Here I have a dog myself - and nothing, it lives ... These funds only work on cockroaches!"
It can be seen that the salvation of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. With the help of "folk" means - branded deodorant, gel, traps - we brought out cockroaches. Not completely, individual specimens occasionally crawl out.