Scientist Rebuffs Myth That Cockroaches Are Radiation-Proof

Because of their extraordinary ability to adapt, it's long been speculated that cockroaches can survive a nuclear blast. However, George Beccaloni, curator of orthopteroid insects at the Natural History Museum in London, UK, says that is a myth.

Beccaloni told the BBC "It's mostly an urban myth."

A human will usually be killed outright by a dose of 10 Grays. "Cockroaches are only about five times more resistant."

At first glance that might sound impressive, but it actually means they "are at the lower end of radiation tolerance for insects," he says. Other species can survive doses of radiation ten times as intense, or even higher.

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Source: BBC