After an atomic war, only cockroaches and rats will survive. Myth: only cockroaches will survive after a nuclear war What could the complete disappearance of cockroaches lead to

Incredible Facts

A nuclear war can bring destruction and mass death, and therefore it is better for people to learn how to get along with each other.

But if such an event suddenly happened, and the earth was irradiated and plunged into nuclear winter, what would happen to life on our planet?

Would everyone die or would someone survive? Here are some of the most resilient creatures in the world.

1. Amoeba

The amoeba, being perhaps the simplest form of life and perhaps the basis of all subsequent ones, will certainly survive. Amoebas have the ability enter sleep mode, wrapped in a protective layer, and remain in this state for an indefinite period of time.

They are resistant to radiation, and as a single-celled organism, they have no mutation problem during reproduction. Amoebas reproduce on their own very quickly, they can be found all over the world in huge numbers, and they are very small, so the probability of their survival is very high.

2. Cockroaches

The cockroach is perhaps the most well-known of all animals with great potential for survival. Cockroaches are able to withstand a moderate amount of radiation, and have been able to survive being 300 meters from the site where the Hiroshima bomb went off.

Of course, modern weapons are much more powerful, and cockroaches would hardly survive the current nuclear explosion. The "Mythbusters" in their tests demonstrated that 10 percent of cockroaches survived 10,000 rads of radiation. The Hiroshima bomb emitted 10,000 rads, so cockroaches might have survived far from the epicenter of the radiation.

On the contrary, people exposed to 10,000 rads of radiation would instantly suffer from a coma, and very soon this would lead to death. The ability of cockroaches to survive is due to their slow growth rate. Them cells reproduce every 48 hours which reduces the risk of mutations.

3. Scorpions

Everyone who has seen scorpions living in captivity knows that they are capable of withstand ultraviolet radiation. In addition, they have a chance to survive in the event of a nuclear explosion.

Scorpions live on every continent except Antarctica, and they can be frozen and brought back to life, which would help them in the event of a nuclear winter.

They are often found in burrows and crevices, giving them some physical protection from radiation and fallout. Scorpions are very persistent and remained virtually unchanged throughout evolution due to the ideal form.

4 Braconid Wasps

Scientists have found that these wasps can withstand up to 180,000 rads of radiation, making them one of the most resilient animals in the world.

The only problem is whether they can find a prey to lay their eggs, but maybe they will. In addition, braconids can be taught to smell harmful and explosive substances like dogs.

5. Lingulata

Lingulata belongs to the class of brachiopods or animals with valvular shells. The name of these animals is translated from Latin as "tongue" because of the shape of their shells.

There have been five mass extinctions in Earth's history when most of life was wiped out. Lingulata survived all the mass extinctions, perhaps due to the ability to burrow deep into the ground during difficult periods and reappear later.

Despite their survival skills, scientists still don't know how they do it, but they probably also have a good chance of surviving a nuclear war.

6. Fruit flies

Fruit flies or Drosophila can survive at high doses radiation up to 64,000 rad.

Many insects are able to withstand radiation due to slow cell division and very rapid reproduction, as is the case with fruit flies. The ability to reproduce means that they can mutate very quickly with any change.

The small size of fruit flies also works in their favor, since fewer cells are exposed to radiation and a smaller surface absorbs it.

7. People

Surprisingly, but quite maybe people can survive in a nuclear war. First, the number of nuclear weapons in the world is decreasing. And although existing bombs can wipe everything off the face of the Earth, this is unlikely, since people are scattered all over the world.

Now the bombs are 1000 times more powerful than the one that was dropped on Hiroshima, but this does not mean that 1000 times more people will die.

Given the dispersion of people in different parts of the world and in the presence of anti-nuclear shelters, it is likely that enough people can survive to maintain a viable population. Fortunately, we are endowed with intelligence to find a way out of many situations, which is primarily worth using in order not to drop atomic bombs.

8. Fundulus

Fundulus, no matter how strange its name sounds, is an ordinary fish. Fish usually do not survive as well and any changes in salt composition, water temperature and pollution can lead to their death.

Fundulus is a special fish because it can live in almost any environment. She lives in the most polluted areas of the sea with the strongest chemical spills.

Also this the only fish to have been in space. Several fish were launched into the Skylab orbital station in 1973 in plastic aquarium bags, and tests showed that they were able to swim in space, and their descendants were born the same as before.

The ability to survive is related to their ability to turn genes on and off on demand. The fish can even rearrange some body parts to adapt to the new environment.

9 Tardigrades

Tardigrades or "little water bears" refer to extremophiles. This means that they are able to withstand extreme environmental conditions. They can be boiled, crushed, frozen, they survive in space, without water, they can be revived a decade after they were practically clinically dead.

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.

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. Supporters of this theory see the reason for the disappearance in the 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. Indeed, the elimination of garbage chutes, hermetic and durable plastic food packaging, 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?

The centenarians of the planet Earth, who for many years shared a “table and shelter” with a person, suddenly disappeared from Russian apartments. The observed uncompensated depopulation of cockroaches in Russia and other countries of the post-Soviet space is widely discussed in various information sources. Despite the growing interest in the problem, it has not yet been possible to come to a common point of view. They try to explain the phenomenal event with the help of various hypotheses and assumptions.

The action of chemicals

wave radiation

It is hard to imagine a modern apartment without several mobile phones, a TV, a Wi-Fi-enabled computer, a microwave oven and other equipment that spreads high-frequency electromagnetic radiation. It has a powerful penetrating ability, so the apartment building is a kind of radio trap.

Interesting!

After the installation of masts of mobile communication repeaters, cockroaches disappeared from the apartments of neighboring residential complexes.

On a note!

It has been established that there are fewer cockroaches in the apartments of those regions of the Russian Federation where the standards of digital cellular communication systems GPRS and GMS are supported.

Bad ecology

The ecological situation in Moscow and other large industrial cities of the Russian Federation is, for the most part, far from ideal. Emissions into the atmosphere and water bodies of toxic waste adversely affect human health. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that cockroaches in apartments have disappeared due to human activities, despite the fact that they are more resistant to radiation and chemical effects than mammals.

Entomologists argue that environmental degradation has contributed to the emergence of certain types of fungi and bacteria, leading to the death of red Prussians. The infection affects the cover of cockroaches from chitin, which is covered with brown and dark brown spots, the limbs break off, and mold appears on the abdomen. One of the types of mushrooms does not allow females to bear the due date of ootheca and produce offspring. As a result, the population of insects living in houses and apartments is decreasing.

Genetically modified products

People in food massively use preservatives, GMOs, synthetic additives, so cockroaches have disappeared from the homes of Russia. Potentially hazardous substances include:

• modified starch;
• bakery products;
• sausages and other products.

The version that there were no cockroaches due to a change in the composition of human food has the right to exist. The constant use of genetically modified products affects the structure of DNA, provokes various diseases, leads to mutations, the birth of dead offspring. Most likely, cockroaches turned out to be more vulnerable - a change in hereditary traits led to the appearance of a weak generation that is not capable of reproduction.

Synthetic materials for household items and decoration

The "culprits" of the fact that there are no cockroaches in houses and apartments are the people themselves. The design of modern apartments is fundamentally different from the design used 20-30 years ago. Eco-friendly paper wallpapers have been replaced with synthetic vinyl counterparts or plastic panels; linoleum, stone, brick tiles are most often used as flooring. Wooden windows are replaced with plastic double-glazed windows. The furniture is made of chipboard, which contains the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde.

Modern building materials have the following characteristics:

• affordable price;
• species diversity;
• attractive appearance;
• durability.

However, in terms of environmental friendliness, they are not always safe, as evidenced by the persistent specific smell in the apartment after repair.

On a note!

Budget "European-quality repair" is unsafe not only for humans, it contributes to the fact that cockroaches are forced to leave the apartment themselves from the abundance of synthetic materials.

Biological factors - competition with ants, etc.

Entomologists know that in the 60s of the 20th century they disappeared from the apartments. They were forced out by the red-haired brothers, who ruthlessly destroyed the offspring of the Russian old-timer. The Prusak began to actively breed in apartments, he feels especially at ease in the “Khrushchevs”, where there is a ventilation and electrical wiring system that is convenient for moving cockroaches.

There is an assumption that they won a “victory” over red cockroaches in a biologically severe confrontation. It is difficult to say where they went from warm, food-rich apartments, but no one observed the coexistence of insects.

High cleanliness of premises

The depopulation of cockroaches, according to scientists, was influenced by the increased welfare of the population of the Russian Federation. The better the financial situation, the more money a person can spend on the improvement of his apartment and its sanitary condition, purchase goods for the proper storage of food. The elimination of garbage chutes and special plastic bags for household waste has significantly limited cockroaches' access to food. However, it should be borne in mind that the old 30 days are 70.

Interesting!

It is believed that the cockroaches left the apartments of the Russians due to the active use of aggressive cleaning, disinfection, and laundry products by the hostesses.

Global changes on the planet and mystical causes

The following global problems have a great impact on the environment and on the population of cockroaches:

• climate change;
• increased levels of radiation;
• destruction of the ozone layer;
• displacement of magnetic poles and other phenomena.

As a result of the influence of these factors in cockroaches, the biological rhythm fails. In turn, ufologists and psychics tend to believe that insects are endowed with the gift of predicting catastrophes and cataclysms. These facts were recorded before the start of the Second World War, the earthquake in China, when the Prussians disappeared from the apartments.

Interesting!

An assumption from the realm of fantasy is the assertion that cockroaches are among the space aliens that collect information about the life of planet Earth. Today their mission is over and they have returned to their "homeland".

What can lead to the complete disappearance of cockroaches

Violate the comfortable existence of people,. It should be borne in mind that in nature everything is interconnected and the disappearance of cockroaches will lead to significant disturbances in the global ecosystem. If the problem concerns the whole species, then in nature the resistant chain - the food chain - collapses. The loss of at least one link from it will hit the number of birds, mice, rats and other representatives of the fauna.

Destroying the Prussians, a person does not think about the fact that the insect has been preserved unchanged from the Carboniferous period, which means it is perfect and necessary. Their ability to penetrate into the most inaccessible places was the reason for the use of cockroaches to search for people under the rubble.

Are there really fewer cockroaches?

The above theories and assumptions are not in themselves a complete explanation of why and whether cockroaches have left cities forever. The disappearance of insects should not cause much concern among suspicious inhabitants. The wave-like fluctuation in the number of Prussians is a natural process. They went to the most favorable places for existence - basements, warehouses, sewer manholes, hostels, shops and other premises.

When asked where the cockroaches have gone, SES workers answer that insects feel at ease in cities. Especially a lot of them in cluttered, dysfunctional apartments. Cockroaches annoy catering workers with their presence, there are still a lot of them in hospitals and enterprises. A new generation of insecticides has given its result, but the ability to mutate and adapt to poisons will one day allow cockroaches to return to apartments. Individual factors of the new "invasion" are already registered by the population.