1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hi brain Stuff. 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and this this is a classic 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: episode from our archives. I like insects as a general rule, 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: but I have to admit that even I've had my 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: moments where I've wished that particularly annoying ones like mosquitoes 6 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: or cockroaches would just quietly vanish from this planet. But 7 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: what would really happen if there were suddenly no cockroaches? 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: Hi brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bomb. Here, what if there 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,279 Speaker 1: were no cockroaches? The question sounds like it's straight out 10 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: of the marketing materials from Paradise. Cockroaches spread bacteria like salmonella, 11 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,959 Speaker 1: they leave droppings behind everywhere they walk, and they can 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,919 Speaker 1: exacerbate allergies and asthma. All our good reasons to squash 13 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: them all, but not so fast. Only a few species 14 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: of roaches out of an estimated five to ten thousand, 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: are commonly found infesting homes. Most cockroaches live in warm, 16 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: tropical climates, happily minding their own business and staying out 17 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: of humans business. Some are even beautiful, no really, and 18 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: glow in the dark. But if you are still determined 19 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: to play this game out, then would better take a 20 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: look at what would happen if they all disappeared. Long 21 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: story short, it's not good. In tropical forests. Cockroaches feed 22 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: on decaying wood and leaves, and all those droppings they 23 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: leave behind, well, they're filled with organic debris and nutrients, 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: including nitrogen, which are added back into the soil. Nitrogen 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: is essential to the growth of trees, which are essential 26 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: to forests and our own lives, since we use wood 27 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: products to shelter both ourselves and the animals that we 28 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: do actually like. Oh and speaking of those animals that 29 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: we like, especially small mammals, birds and reptiles, they feed 30 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: on cockroaches, And since other animals feed on these small 31 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: mammals and reptiles, disrupting even this one small skittering link 32 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: in the food chain could have a widespread effect on 33 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: the world around us. So the next time you're attempted 34 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: to smash a cockroach before it runs under your fridge, 35 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: consider that it may be helping to refuel a local 36 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: forest when it isn't hanging around your house or I mean, 37 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: go ahead, but don't wish death on the whole lot 38 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: of them worldwide. Don't worry though, they are in no 39 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: risk of going extinct anytime soon. Cockroaches have been around 40 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: since before the dinosaurs. Cockroach fossils show that they've been 41 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: around for at least three hundred million years. That's some 42 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: serious staying power. They really are some of the hardiest 43 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: creatures around, capable of withstanding radiation and huge doses far 44 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: more than a human could handle, and going without food 45 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: for up to a month. So if you do squash 46 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: one scurrying across your floor, you're in no danger of 47 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: having doomed these resourceful bugs to extinction. Today's episode was 48 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: originally produced by Tristan McNeil and it's based on the 49 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: article what if there were no cockroaches on how stuffworks 50 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 1: dot Com written by Karen Kirkpatrick. Brain Stuff is production 51 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and partnership with how stuffworks dot 52 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,959 Speaker 1: Com and is produced by Tyler Plang. Four more podcasts 53 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 54 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.