(DALLAS) — They have six legs and are furry home invaders It just won’t die no matter how hard you try.
Cockroaches are experts in surviving indoors, hiding in kitchen pipes or moldy drawers. But they didn’t start out that way.
A new study uses genetics to map the spread of cockroaches around the world, from humble origins in Southeast Asia to Europe and beyond. The findings span thousands of years of cockroach history and suggest that the pests may have spread around the world by hitching a ride with another species: people.
“It’s not just a story about insects,” said Stephen Richards, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine who studies insect genes and was not involved in the study. “It’s a story of insects and humanity.”
Researchers analyzed the genes of more than 280 cockroaches from 17 countries and six continents. They confirmed that the German cockroach – a species found throughout the world – actually originated in Southeast Asia, likely evolving from the Asian cockroach around 2,100 years ago. Scientists have long suspected the Asian origin of the German cockroach, since similar species still live there.
The research was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The cockroaches then traveled around the world via two main routes. They traveled west to the Middle East about 1,200 years ago, perhaps hitching rides in soldiers’ barns. And they may have smuggled themselves onto the Dutch and British East India Company’s trade routes to reach Europe around 270 years ago, according to scientists’ reconstruction and historical records.
Once they arrived, inventions like the steam engine and indoor plumbing likely helped insects travel further and live comfortably indoors, where they are most commonly found today.
The researchers said exploring how cockroaches conquered previous environments could lead to better pest control.
Modern cockroaches are difficult to keep under control because they quickly evolve to resist pesticides, according to study author Qian Tang, a postdoctoral researcher who studies insects at Harvard University.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
