Cosmic roaches

• ndmmxiaomayi

  1 Sep 07, 01:15

  Starved. Stomped. Radiated. Poisoned. It's all in a day's work for the common household cockroach. The abuse these creatures can withstand is amazing.
  
  But astronomers have found something even tougher—"polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons," says Achim Tappe of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics. "They can survive a supernova."
  
  Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs for short) are ring-shaped molecules made of carbon and hydrogen. They're about as well loved as roaches: PAHs are a widespread organic pollutant, appearing in auto exhaust, oil spills and cigarette smoke. The EPA has classified seven PAH compounds as human carcinogens.
  
  But even PAHs have their virtues: Ring-shaped molecules similar to PAHs are found in DNA, and there's a growing consensus among biologists that PAHs were present on Earth 4.5 billion years ago when life began. By serving as building blocks for larger molecules of life, PAHs may have played an essential role in the chemical process of genesis.
  
  That's why Tappe's recent discovery may be so important.
  
  Heh, I thought supernova kills all, looks like I'm wrong. They are as resilient as cockroaches.
  
  http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/31aug_cockroaches.htm
  
  Edit: Link fixed.
• hiphop2009

  1 Sep 07, 01:17

  
  
  wow....cockroaches..how abt ants?
• ndmmxiaomayi

  1 Sep 07, 01:18

  I wish I'm as stubborn as them, but roaches outlive ants.
• stellazio

  1 Sep 07, 01:19

  why are roaches so strong huh?
  
  maybe they can be the cure to aids?
• hiphop2009

  1 Sep 07, 01:20

  Originally posted by stellazio:

  why are roaches so strong huh?
  
  maybe they can be the cure to aids?

  maybe next time eat cockroches to cure AIDS!
• hiphop2009

  1 Sep 07, 01:20

  Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:

  I wish I'm as stubborn as them, but roaches outlive ants.

  aww...but this ant in sgforums is certainly more useful den those roaches!
• ndmmxiaomayi

  1 Sep 07, 01:25

  Originally posted by stellazio:

  why are roaches so strong huh?
  
  maybe they can be the cure to aids?

  Perhaps? Any biology experts?
• Darkness_hacker99

  1 Sep 07, 01:26

  The link is dead when I click it.
• ndmmxiaomayi

  1 Sep 07, 01:27

  Originally posted by hiphop2009:

  aww...but this ant in sgforums is certainly more useful den those roaches!

  I haven't found anything to destroy yet.
  
  Since roaches are so stubborn, they proved to be useful. Become our guinea pigs for studies.
• ndmmxiaomayi

  1 Sep 07, 01:29

  Originally posted by Darkness_hacker99:

  The link is dead when I click it.

  I've forgotten sgF got censorship. The link was broken this way. And the URL translated to some Unicode stuffs, can't be read.