Is the Cockroach mightier then Man?

Many of us have heard the saying that “cockroaches will inherit the earth,” but do any of us really understand why? When comparing the two species by physical form we notice that the human epidermis is soft and easily penetrable, whereas the cockroach epidermis is hard and not so easily penetrated. Our “soft” exterior leaves us vulnerable to minor scraps and cuts, which could allow harmful bacteria to infect us, but the cockroach’s hard exoskeleton can protect it against such injuries. On a behavioral level, cockroaches have displayed the ability to group together to perform more complex tasks. Research has shown that the cockroaches easily cooperate and organize themselves, performing such tasks as resource allocation. In my personal experience, when humans are grouped together there are many different outcomes (of which not all are productive) due to human emotions. These human emotions (or human nature) now leads me to my next point. Being the complex organisms that humans are, with conscience thought, and the drive for constant learning, we have knowingly created many destructive things. War may be experience by all living creature, whether it be over territory or food, but humans have taken war to another level by creating nuclear war, a concept that could easily cease most if not all human life. Radiation interferes with cell division, so humans would be extremely vulnerable, but cockroach’s cells only divide when in the molting cycle. If a cockroach could find safety before their molting cycle, they could survive the nuclear fallout. Cockroaches were here long before us, and will probably be here long after us, but seeing as we are the more advanced complex organisms I would hope we could evolve one day into a more peaceful species.

Megan Dick

Photo Reference:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashademan/32160217/
Research Reference:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2437/roachexoskeleton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_poisoning