Not sure what to do with the cockroaches skittering across your kitchen counter? The Rockefeller University’s Program for the Human Environment will take one or two of them off your hands in the name of science. Researchers are using DNA barcoding to answer a number of questions about the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), also known as the palmetto bug or waterbug.
Genetic diversity is a window into evolution and patterns of migration. American cockroaches originated in Africa and hitchhiked around the world on commercial goods. The National Cockroach Project asks:
Do American cockroaches differ genetically between cities?
Do U.S. genetic types match those in other parts of the world?
Are there genetic types that represent undiscovered look-alike species?
National Cockroach Project
High school students and other citizen scientists collecting and helping analyze American cockroaches using DNA barcoding
Project Details
- Principal Scientist: Mark Stoeckle, Senior Research Associate
- Scientist Affiliation: The Rockefeller University
- Dates: Ongoing
- PROJECT TYPE: Fieldwork
- COST: Free
- GRADE LEVEL: High/Secondary School
- TIME COMMITMENT: Variable
- HOW TO JOIN:
Contact Mark Stoeckle, mark.stoeckle@rockefeller.edu, at The Rockefeller University
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