Fossilized Cockroach—Now in 3D

American cockroach, photo courtesty of Wikimedia Commons.

Students at the University of London have taken a new approach to studying fossils! Recently, some students compiled CT scans of a fossilized cockroach, Archimylacris eggintoni, into a 3D image. This 3D image contained amazing detail and allowed the students to study the fossilized cockroach more closely.

The students found that the fossilized cockroach had both tiny claws and sticky areas on its legs. A PhD student named Russell Garwood remarked, “We think it could have used its speed to evade predators and its climbing abilities to scale trees and lay eggs on leaves, much in the same way that modern forest cockroaches do today.”1

God designed the cockroach with amazing abilities to help it survive. For more information about cockroaches, see Hissing Cockroaches—Giants of the Insect World.