Super cockroaches conceived in space
Cockroaches recently conceived in space are superior to those born on Earth, reports the Russian Space Agency. The roaches were conceived during a September flight of the Russian Foton-M biological research satellite. From the Russian Information Agency Novosti:
The research team has been monitoring the cockroaches since they were born in October. The scientists established that their limbs and bodies grew faster.Link (via New Scientist)
"What is more, we have found out that the creatures... run faster than ordinary cockroaches, and are much more energetic and resilient," Dmitry Atyakshin said.
the latest
latest episodes
SPACE ROACHES!!!!!
It begins...
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
I was just thinking how can we improve roaches? Thank you Russian space program!
I, for one, welcome our new space-roach overlords.
In Russia, roaches are cosmonauts and humans scurry when you turn lights on!
I wish I had been conceived in space. Stupid hippy parents.
Space-bred super roaches! Russia, how could you be so foolish! If they escape the lab, humanity is done for!
Even worse, America let the Russians beat us to the punch! We could be mere months away from the first generation of Russian space-bred super-children that can kill with a thought!
Mr. President, we cannot allow a roach gap!
Oh great, just what we need. My kids already scream for me to "Killll iiit!" Now we'll all be screaming.
The Russians are encROACHing on our superiority in space.
Great! Now maybe they can try that with rats!
I wonder how long the roaches will retain this enhancement. One generation? Two? Ten? Under what conditions were the roaches bred and were the conditions identical to thier earth bred counterparts with the exception of being in space? If bred under low gravity conditions on earth are the same enhancements prevailent? It's very interesting. I can't wait till my job is outsourced to geneticaly superior roaches. Sweet.
because this is what the world needs.
...but how would they hold up under the heavier gravity of earth?
Best. Headline. Ever.
And I would like to take these last few moments to say 'goodbye' to my fellow humans before we are overrun by our Cockroach Overlords. It's been real folks. 'Cept for the assholes. you know who you are.
Blattidae Cosmodeus?
I wonder how long until some of these escape into the wild, outbreed the normal roaches and become the new plague.
Thanks, Russian Space Program.
How can they be more resilient than our current crop of cockroaches? This story smacks of pseudo-science.
Periplaneta Russiana, indeed.
Now, maybe they can lend one or two roaches to the japanese, to pilot the origami plane they plan to send down from orbit.
Great, now we have to develop super-Cher.
Nobody ever said they were in a lab facility...Something tells me they have a couple running around free and science is just a bonus.
I forget where I heard it (I think it was Radio Lab, an AWESOME Podcast from WNYC) but I've heard that it's commonplace for shuttles to fly to the station with at least one mosquito. Astronauts laugh at the mosquito when it tries to fly in 0-g. Spiders also sneak onboard occasionally; it takes them 3 days to adjust to making webs in 0-g, and in the meantime they make f*cked up webs.
As cool and science-fiction-y the headline sounds, the first thing I thought of was a quote by Patton Oswalt:
"Hey we just made cancer contagious and airborne! You're welcome, we're science!"
Those cunning, evil Commies!
boingboing has the funniest, cleverest comments on any blog, anywhere.
Thanks to ALL for the laughs!
it's like the domino effect. only with cockroaches.
Great now roaches will outlive us on this planet and out-colonize us on the rest.
In Soviet Russia, roaches crush YOU!
OK, I was getting slagged for being a moron in this post
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/17/paper-airplane-to-be.html
When I suggested that throwing paper airplanes out of the ISS was a waste of tax-payers dough. "Oh no, you moron! This is valuable science that will benefit mankind...somehow, but we're not sure exactly how." So now the Russians are breeding 'roaches in space. I know this is going to hurt me again, but WHAT THE HELL FOR? What purpose (scientifically) does this serve? Can't the Russians use this money in a better way? Oh, as someone said up above, you know some NASA Dr. Strangelove is going to be marching into ol' Georgie-boy saying, "Mr. President, we need to fund 'roach research immediately!"
OK, all you trolls, explain how this benefits us. Oh wait I know, we'll mate with the roaches and make a super roach race!
KILLL THEEMMMMMMM!!!
Ex-Floridian.
Perhaps the Russians were not breeding them in space. Perhaps, like so many other things in Russia, they just had them.
I once knew a teacher who was absolutely convinced that the killer bees were a Communist plot to kill us all. Now with these cockroaches, she's starting to look a bit more sane.
Why are space cockroaches stronger than the earth-bound ones? People who spend a few months in space comes back crippled. They grew so weak, they can hardly walk. I would have thought that space cockroaches would be big, but weak.
Five (cockroach) generations, and Alien turns into a documentary.