No one really likes being around cockroaches. Anyone who says otherwise is lying, or is just really, really gross. Despite these very obvious facts, it’s possible that one day, we all might have to get a little cozier with our cockroach neighbors if these studies are to be believed.
Earlier this month, a team of researchers discovered something shocking about a certain subspecies of cockroach.
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This particular species actually produces a protein-rich “milk” thanks to specialized crystals in the creatures’ stomachs.
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“If you need food that is calorifically high, that is time released, and food that is complete, this is it,” senior study author Subramanian Ramaswamy told the press.
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While it’s a pretty gross prospect, these findings could have major implications for fighting world hunger. However, we shoudn’t expect to see cockroach dairy farms anytime soon.
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“They wouldn’t go and kill lots of cockroaches for it. They would isolate the gene for this protein from the cockroach and then express it and grow it up in a yeast system in very large microbiological vats and produce large quantities,” Professor John Carver explained.
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(via Unexplained Mysteries)
That is terribly gross. I guess I would drink it if I didn’t know what it was. But if you handed me something labeled “cockroach milk,” I would just vomit right there on the spot.
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