What makes cockroaches immune to radiation

The extraordinary abilities of roaches have inspired scientists to develop rescue robots that could be used to locate survivors in confined spaces in the event of a natural calamity like earthquakes or manmade disasters.

Click here to join our channel indianexpress and stay updated with the latest headlines. Home Parenting Learning A science teacher explains: Are cockroaches resistant to nuclear radiation? A science teacher explains: Are cockroaches resistant to nuclear radiation? Extensive research has proved that roaches have a remarkable ability to endure radiations!

By Rachna Arora A cockroach is undoubtedly one of the toughest and most resilient creatures planet earth has ever known. The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.

Origins of the myth In the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb, early reports emerged that cockroaches were the only thing to survive — they were seen roaming through the rubble. Cockroaches and radiation As it turns out, cockroaches can withstand a huge amount of radiation — which is why many survived the blasts.

Different species, different results While the Mythbusters test was carried out on German cockroaches, other species will have varying radiation resistance levels. Do Fleas Die Without a Host? Do Mice Truly Love Cheese? They found that, though cockroaches were able to survive radiation doses 10 times higher than those that would be lethal to humans, the flour beetles actually fared far better than the cockroaches.

In the team's estimation, this myth was busted. Still, there are about 4, different species of cockroaches, and billions of them out there.

With so many cockroaches all over the world, it's possible that a few might survive a global nuclear holocaust, depending largely on their radiation exposure. But the ones that did would have plenty of company. Tags: environment , pseudoscience. Email ABC Science. By clicking 'Send to a friend' you agree ABC Online is not responsible for the content contained in your email message.

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