Starving Cockroaches Will Forego Peanut Butter For Sex Even

[matcom]

<snip>

In the long and seemingly futile quest to build a better roach trap, researchers have finally identified the come-hither chemical of the female German cockroach and produced a synthetic version that makes males come running in less than nine seconds.

The search for the sex pheromone has been a top priority for cockroach scientists, but it has been an arduous process because the compound is emitted in very small quantities and is so fragile that it easily degrades during laboratory analysis.

The new synthetic version appears to work at least as well as the original, giving scientists hope that they may shift the balance of power in the age-old contest between humans and cockroaches — creatures widely believed to be capable of surviving nuclear war.

"Chemists have been trying to get this pheromone for decades," said Wendell Roelofs, a professor of insect biochemistry at Cornell University and one of the study's authors.

The compound that lures males to their potential mates is so powerful that cockroaches near death from starvation will forgo peanut butter for a chance to copulate, said Coby Schal, a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University and coauthor of the study, published today in the journal Science.

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-cockroach18feb18.story

[Red State Rebel]

1. I've dated men like that....

come to think of it, aren't just about all men like that?

[trotsky]

4. I dunno, if it was in a REALLY GOOD peanut butter sandwich...

with homemade strawberry jam...
;-)

[Sporadicus]

7. We Can Always Hunt for Food...Later

Some things you have to get when the opportunity is available :evilgrin:

[kick-ass-bob]

2. But so will humans!!

Hopefully, the cockroaches don't figure out our pheromones...
:scared:

[Az]

3. Sheesh, I would hate to see the lab where they mass produce this stuff

Must be crawling with critters.

[Magrittes Pipe]

5. Stupid cockroaches.

Evolution has equipped us humans with the ability to recognize that sex and peanut butter are two great tastes that taste great together!

Apparently, dogs share this knowledge.

[bleedingheart]

8. why is there a pubic hair in my sandwich???

:evilgrin:

[peekaloo]

6. So I'm not really cursing them when I squish 'em and

call them fookin' bastids!

Yay.

[underpants]

9. Hmm perhaps they could combine the two

and even reconstitute peanuts into some sort of creamy form perhaps even a whipped cream. It might be confusing waking up the next morning but it sounds like a whole lot of fun.

[Magrittes Pipe]

10. I went to buy Southern Comfort at the liquor store,

Saw a big cockroach crawlin' the floor.
I said "what's your name" but he kept on walkin',
I said "motherfucker, don't you hear me talkin'"?
So I walked right over, stepped on his back,
Seen the guts splatter right out of the crack.
I hate roaches.
I hate roaches.
I hate roaches, and I think that I would rather have
Roaches than rats....

People say roaches gonna inherit the planet,
When I look around, I say "man, let 'em have it!"
Rich man wanna create a habitat for roaches to thrive,
I got a problem with that.
I'll change the name of this song, wipe off the soles of my shoes.
Change the name of this song to the Rich Man Blues.
I hate the rich man.
I hate the rich man.
I hate rich man, and I think that I would rather have roaches
Than a boss man tellin' me what the fuck to do.