Cockroaches thrive with extra-large genomes
/American cockroaches thrive in cities, thanks to their incredibly long genomes
“Few insects have a reputation for grossing people out as thoroughly as the American cockroach. The so-called water bugs, which thrive indoors on fermenting and rotting foods, are rich sources of disease-causing bacteria. Now, researchers have sequenced their genome for the first time—and have uncovered some of the secrets to their uncanny ability to survive in our urban jungles.
Compared with other insects, the genome of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the second largest sequenced to date after the locust. Like the locust, much of the cockroach genome, some 60%, is made of repetitive elements—sequences of DNA that occur over and over. And compared with three other species in its family—the German cockroach and two termite species—it is actually more closely related to the termites.“
