Punishing Cockroaches - Things you really need to know
Created | Updated Mar 17, 2002
Cockroaches are a hardy breed, going back to the time of the dinosaurs.
How much punishment can one take?
These experiments were carried out by Jason Maron, then a Caltech student in theoretical astrophysics.
1. EXPOSE TO VACUUM: Roach agitates violently as the air is removed, then is still. Vacuum is applied for 10 minutes. Upon return of the air, roach comes slowly back to life, appearing normal after two minutes.
2. DUNK IN WATER: After 10-minutes submersion, roach revives. No max dunk time yet established.
3. DUNK IN HYDROCHLORIC ACID: dies in 30 seconds.
4. APPLY AIR PRESSURE OF 20 ATMOSPHERES: No visible effect.
5: FREEZE IN LIQUOD NITROGEN: The roach chills out for good. Minimum survival temperature as yet undetermined.
6: PLACE IN 100 DEGREE CELCIUS OVEN: Takes a while but then its goose is cooked.
7. MICROWAVE: No effect after one minute.
8. EXPLOSION: Roach barely one centimetre away from an exploding M-80 survives.
9. RADIATION: Roach unfased by prolonged exposure to xray beam from 40kW rotating anode source. Human flesh so exposed is completely inviable after one second.
10. CRUSH BETWEEN SHOE AND FLOOR: About 29N of force is required to squash the ecoskeleton, known scientifically as the "Crush point"
How much punishment can one take?
These experiments were carried out by Jason Maron, then a Caltech student in theoretical astrophysics.
1. EXPOSE TO VACUUM: Roach agitates violently as the air is removed, then is still. Vacuum is applied for 10 minutes. Upon return of the air, roach comes slowly back to life, appearing normal after two minutes.
2. DUNK IN WATER: After 10-minutes submersion, roach revives. No max dunk time yet established.
3. DUNK IN HYDROCHLORIC ACID: dies in 30 seconds.
4. APPLY AIR PRESSURE OF 20 ATMOSPHERES: No visible effect.
5: FREEZE IN LIQUOD NITROGEN: The roach chills out for good. Minimum survival temperature as yet undetermined.
6: PLACE IN 100 DEGREE CELCIUS OVEN: Takes a while but then its goose is cooked.
7. MICROWAVE: No effect after one minute.
8. EXPLOSION: Roach barely one centimetre away from an exploding M-80 survives.
9. RADIATION: Roach unfased by prolonged exposure to xray beam from 40kW rotating anode source. Human flesh so exposed is completely inviable after one second.
10. CRUSH BETWEEN SHOE AND FLOOR: About 29N of force is required to squash the ecoskeleton, known scientifically as the "Crush point"
