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Cockroach Survival

dead bugs


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The Myth

THIS MYTH WAS FEATURED IN...
Episode Title: Episode #97: Airplane on a Conveyor Belt

Original air date: January 30, 2008
Myth Title: Cockroach Survival


Myth Description: Based on an popular myth, cockroachs would be the only things to survive a nuclear blast.


MythBusters on the bust: Kari Byron, Tori Belleci, Grant Imahara


Hypothesis: Scientists say that sensitive tissues (such as bone marrow & intestines) make us more susceptible to radiation poisoning. Since the cockroachs have simpler systems, they could survive.


Procedure/Experimental Design: The MythBusters create insect-containment boxes to house cockroachs, flour beetles, & fruit flies in order to test whether or not they can survive doses of radiation. Kari, Grant & Tori head to the Pacific NorthWest National Laboratory, where they have been allowed to use the Cobalt-60 radiation source housed there. This source puts out about 55,000 rads per hour. The insects will have 3 different test exposures: 1) 1,000 rads 2) 10,000 rads 3) 100,000 rads

After the 1k & 10k test, the bugs initially survived. However, many of the bugs did not survive the 100k test by the time it ended. After 30 days of monitoring, a number of the life forms in the 1k & 10k doses survived. However, in the 100k dosage, the only surviving organism was the flour beetle.


Results: While cockroachs survived much more than humans would, the other two test subjects did better than the cockroach.


Conclusion: Since more life forms than the cockroach survived, more than the cockroach might survive a nuclear blast.


Busted or Not Busted: Busted
Fan Feedback

Highlights of the bust:

  • some thing has to live after a fall out




Best quotes by the MythBusters:






Your Scientific Method

Did the MythBusters get it right? How would you have busted this myth differently? Share your experiment design for how you would prove/disprove this myth:

  • You don't need to kill the bugs. Did any of the test bugs (at any exposure level) reproduceandproduced fertile offspring. If not, the species dies, which is just as good as killing the test subjects in terms of surviving a nuclear holocaust.

    • they whare bread for lab work. and that was lab work bugs breead faster then man does so its all good.


    • there's many different types of cockroach. some may be hardier than others. i think different species should be tested. come to my house and help yourself. No thanks dont need them here have ants thank but no thanks

    • Direct radiation exposure is only one hazard from a nuclear event. The longer term risk is inhalation/ingestion/absorption of radiactive material.

    See Also

    Related myths: ----

    Related resources and reference pages: ----




    Latest page update: made by lemleyrd , Apr 17 2008, 12:49 PM EDT (about this update About This Update lemleyrd additional experimental consideration - lemleyrd

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    Keyword tags: adam savage byron kari byron kari mythbusters chapman scottie Discovery Channel discovery channel myth busters grant imahara jamie hyneman myth busters mythbuster mythbusters myths urban legends urban myths
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