Amazing ability of tiny 'powerhouses' to live longer than dinosaurs

When it hit Earth, the Chicxulub asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, but it failed to do the same to cockroaches, and there's a reason why.

When the Chicxulub asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago, it nearly wiped out the dinosaurs that roamed our planet. But it failed to do the same to cockroaches , the remarkable little guys who have survived from that time until now.

When Chicxulub collided with Earth, it caused a huge explosion, triggering a series of earthquakes and volcanic activity. Three-quarters of all existing animal and plant species were wiped out, except for those that were the ancestors of today's birds.

 The meteorite destroyed the dinosaurs, but it couldn't kill the cockroaches.

Therefore, many people have asked why a small, weak creature like a cockroach can survive, while the rulers of all species like the Tyrannosaurus cannot.

During the research, it turned out that cockroaches have natural characteristics to survive great disasters . Cockroaches are flat creatures, and this is no coincidence. Having such a body helps them to easily squeeze into cracks and escape predators, or in this particular case, the terrible impact that collisions create.

When the Chicxulub asteroid hit Earth, it had a number of consequences. First, the impact created a huge explosion, causing the temperature in the atmosphere to rise rapidly. While normal animals had nowhere to hide and faced the risk of burning to death, the 'little guys' could still hide in cracks in the ground to escape the heat.

What's more, the air at that time was filled with ash from the collision. The thick layer of dust prevented sunlight from reaching the ground, causing the surface temperature to drop rapidly.

The harsh weather conditions made it impossible for many plant species to survive. Their deaths indirectly caused the extinction of creatures that depended on the plant population, due to lack of food. However, things were much easier for cockroaches. They are omnivores, so they can eat almost anything, from animals to plants, even waste . Having these advantages helped them survive many disasters, from the Chicxulub meteorite to the present.

Finally, there's one more thing that keeps them from going extinct: their sturdy, resilient egg sacs, which ensure that a generation of baby cockroaches continues to thrive above ground. These egg sacs act like a phone case, designed to protect the insides from hard knocks or harsh environmental conditions like floods or droughts.

With each egg sac producing up to 50 baby cockroaches, these little warriors are capable of surviving for generations, right up to modern times. They can survive in hot, dry tropical climates or even the coldest places on earth.

According to scientists' estimates, there are about 4,000 different species of cockroaches in the world. Some of these species are very fond of living with humans and quickly become pests.

It is important to note that once cockroaches have settled in a building, it is very difficult to completely eliminate them. And when cockroaches accumulate in large numbers, in unsanitary environments, they can spread diseases. The biggest threat cockroaches pose to human health is that they secrete allergens that cause asthma.

Cockroaches are difficult pests to control, because they can resist many chemical pesticides and because of the above-mentioned natural characteristics, which have made them live longer than many dinosaurs. However, cockroaches are not just pests that need to be controlled. Researchers are still studying their body structure and how they move, to gain information and ideas for building better robots.