Name: Why are cockroaches so hard to kill? - Ameya Gondhalekar
Uploaded: 2022-04-17T09:10:05.000Z
Duration: 5 min 10 s

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, there's a banishment spell that declares,  "Be far from me,  O vile cockroach.”

譯者: Leigh Yapp 審譯者: Bruce Sung在古埃及的《亡靈書》中 有一段驅逐咒是這麼說的 

More than 3,000 years later,  we're still trying to oust these insects.

「卑鄙的蟑螂啊！離我遠一點。」

But from poison traps  to hastily brandished slippers, cockroaches seem to weather  just about everything we throw at them.

三千多年過後，我們仍舊 嘗試著要趕走這些昆蟲只是，從毒餌陷阱到 揮舞中的拖鞋 

So what makes cockroaches so hard to kill?

蟑螂似乎能夠經受起 我們對牠們做出的一切

There are nearly 5,000 cockroach species.

那麼，是什麼原因 讓蟑螂這麼難被殺死？

99% of them live in a range of habitats where they play important ecological roles by recycling dead or decaying  organic matter and nourishing other animals.

世界上有將近五千種 蟑螂的品種99% 的品種在一系列的棲息地中 發揮了重要的生態作用 牠們回收死亡或腐爛的有機物 

But a couple dozen species adapted to live in close association with humans.

German and American cockroaches are among the most common.

但有幾十個物種已經適應了 與人類密切相關的生活

And they owe their resilience to a combination of physical and chemical adaptations.

德國蟑螂和美國蟑螂就包含在 最常見的這幾個品種當中牠們的復原能力歸功於一個組合 

When it comes to old-fashioned  removal methods, they're troublingly tenacious.

是關於物理上和化學上的適應性用過時的方法來防治蟑螂 

An American cockroach's sensory hairs  or structures pick up subtle air currents and rapidly send signals  to its central nervous system.

牠們頑強對抗的程度可是令人擔憂美國蟑螂可以利用感覺毛或是 感覺結構去捕捉細微的氣流 

The roach can then turn and sprint away within a few milliseconds.

然後迅速發出訊號 給體內的中樞神經系統

And it's among the fastest invertebrates ever recorded, reaching speeds of up to 50 body lengths per second.

蟑螂可以在幾毫秒內轉身 然後飛奔離開牠們是有紀錄以來 速度最快的無脊椎動物之一 

This would be the human equivalent of running more than 300 kilometers per hour.

移動速度高達 每秒五十倍體長的距離

And finding a hiding place is no problem.

相當於人類每小時跑超過三百公里

With its flattened, flexible body, an American cockroach can squeeze into  spaces less than a quarter of its height.

牠們要找到藏身之處是易如反掌牠們的身體又扁薄又靈活 

Even if we do land a hit,  it can withstand compressive forces of up to 900 times its own weight  by distributing the impact along its body.

一隻美國蟑螂可以擠進一個 不及其身高四分之一的空間裡即使我們真的要打蟑螂，牠也能 承受自身重量九百倍的壓縮力 

And the cockroach's toughness doesn't end there.

因為牠會把這股力量 分散到全身各處

Cockroaches can eat a variety  of organic matter, including hair, dead skin,  adhesives, and paper.

蟑螂的韌性還不只如此蟑螂能吃各式各類的有機物 

This is made possible by an expansive set  of digestive enzymes.

包括頭髮、皮屑、黏著劑，以及紙張

Cockroaches are able to thrive  even in nutrient-poor environments.

牠們能以這些東西為食，是因為 一組廣泛的消化酵素的關係

Roaches often eat decaying foods that are low in nitrogen— an essential component of DNA and proteins.

蟑螂即便待在營養匱乏的環境中 一樣可以活得好好的蟑螂通常是吃腐爛的食物 其氮元素的含量很低 

But they survive by storing  nitrogen-containing wastes in their bodies and having a resident group of bacteria recycle the nitrogen into useful molecules for them.

氮對於 DNA 和蛋白質來說 是不可或缺的元素蟑螂藉著在體內儲存 含有氮的廢物來生存 並且讓體內的常駐菌群 

Meanwhile, German cockroaches will eat their own poop, vomit, and dead or dying colony members  without hesitation.

將氮回收轉化為有益的分子德國蟑螂會吃下自己的大便和嘔吐物 還有那些死亡的，或垂死的同伴 

An American cockroach will frolic in sewers, consuming excrement and toting microbes like Staphylococcus aureus and E.coli.

一點兒都不會猶豫美國蟑螂會在地下水道尋樂 大快朵頤排泄物 

But they'll rarely suffer any consequences.

身上還攜帶著像是金黃色葡萄球菌 或是大腸桿菌的病原

This is because they're equipped  with genes that provide immunity against numerous pathogens.

但牠們鮮少出現不良的後果這是因為他們有免疫能力的基因組 

These genes are often duplicated  many times over.

So when infected, the cockroach's  immune system efficiently unleashes many antimicrobial molecules.

這些基因組通常會被複製好幾次所以當蟑螂受感染時 

Cockroaches also have a slew of defenses against pesticides.

牠們的免疫系統就會釋放出 許多抗微生物的分子

When a non-resistant roach walks  on a surface that's been sprayed with a pyrethroid insecticide,  for example, the results will likely be fatal.

蟑螂也有一連串可以 對抗殺蟲劑的防禦措施例如，一隻無抗藥性的蟑螂走過一片 被噴灑了類除蟲菊精 殺蟲劑的表面時 

Once absorbed, the chemical binds to sodium channel proteins, which help propagate nerve impulses.

可能會有致命的結果一旦殺蟲劑被吸收，其化學物質 就會與鈉離子通道蛋白結合 

The pyrethroid keeps  the sodium channels open, so the nerves fire repeatedly.

進而傳播神經衝動類除蟲菊精可以 讓鈉離子通道保持開通 

But if a resistant roach is exposed  to pyrethroids, it'll be just fine.

Genetic mutations have given them sodium channels that the pyrethroids can't bind to.

但若是有抗藥性的蟑螂接觸到 類除蟲菊精，牠們會毫髮無傷基因突變使得牠們有了 另外一種鈉離子通道 

The cockroach also produces more detoxification enzymes, which render the pesticide harmless, and the cockroach simply excretes  it as a waste.

讓類除蟲菊精無法和通道蛋白結合牠們還產生了更多的解毒酵素 使得殺蟲劑對牠們不具作用 

Because German cockroaches reproduce especially quickly, populations may evolve resistance  to a new pesticide within months.

牠們只是把殺蟲劑 當成廢物一樣排出體外因為德國蟑螂繁衍的速度特別快 

So far, they're already resistant to 43 different chemicals.

各群體可能在幾個月內 就會對新的殺蟲劑產生抗藥性

But contrary to popular belief, cockroaches would probably not survive  a nuclear apocalypse.

至今，牠們已經對四十三種 不同的化學物質產生抗藥性但，與大眾看法相反的是 

Compared with other insects, cockroaches are only mildly tolerant to radiation.

蟑螂可能無法在核災中倖存下來相較於其他昆蟲 

They would die near the sites of nuclear explosions and would still be severely compromised miles away.

蟑螂對核輻射的耐受性很低牠們會死在核爆地點的周圍 

Moreover, disasters that threaten humanity also jeopardize the habitats and buffets  we provide roaches.

並且在數英里之外 依然還會受到嚴重的損害此外，威脅到人類的災難 

Perhaps the only way to beat them  is through our mutual destruction.

也會危及到我們供給蟑螂的 棲息地和食物來源

Or maybe cockroaches would find  even more surprising ways to thrive long after we're gone.

也許唯一能戰勝牠們的方法 是透過我們互相毀滅又或是，蟑螂會自己找到 令人驚奇的活路 