‘Mythbusters’ Puts Roaches' Radiation Resistance to Test

SEATTLE - Would cockroaches survive a nuclear holocaust that killed everything else? That question is being tested this week at the Hanford nuclear reservation by a team from the "Mythbusters" show on the Discovery Channel, which expects to air the episode in about four months.

"It's been on the original list of myths since Day One," said Kari Byron, who appears on the cable-television series and was in town with Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci for the tests.

The crew is using an irradiator in the basement of Hanford's 318 Building just north of Richland. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory usually uses the device to calibrate dosimeters, which measure radiation exposure to humans and animals, and to check for radiation damage of video cameras, fiber-optic cables and other equipment. Lab operators agreed to the research for purposes of science education, and workers donated their time, in some cases using part of their vacation allotments.

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Source: Seattle Times