Cockroaches Are Everywhere Now, And It’s All Because of Humans

German cockroaches thrive in buildings all over the world. They’re one of the most common cockroach species, causing trouble for people both here and overseas. But in nature, they’re nowhere to be found. Just how this urban pest evolved and populated our dwellings was unknown - until now. We used DNA sequencing to study the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) and trace its origins back to east India and Bangladesh. It’s a fascinating story about how humans enabled the evolution and spread of one of our most hated pests. A German enigma The spotlight fell on the star of our story…