The cockroaches endured the asteroid’s impact that created the Chicxulub crater off the coast of what is now Mexico, an event that ultimately led to the dinosaurs’ extinction about 66 million years ago. A related study by a fungal biotechnology research reporter named Brian Lovett discusses these moments in Speech.
Chicxulub stands as the only known Earth crater that preserves a summit ring, a stone ridge encircling its central region. In 2016, the crater gained renewed attention through the work of the 364 International Expedition, led by Joanna Morgan from Imperial College London and Sean Gulick from the University of Texas at Austin. As part of this research, teams drilled wells at the crater’s floor in the Gulf of Mexico, collecting samples from depths ranging roughly between 500 and 1,300 meters. Detailed analyses of these samples shed light on how the apex ring formed and revealed that phytoplankton managed to survive in the crater in less than 30,000 years after the asteroid strike.
Contemporary summaries indicate that Earth’s temperature rose dramatically when the meteorite hit. The intense heat would have left cockroaches with few places to escape, yet their flattened bodies allowed them to squeeze into tiny cracks in soil and rock during the peak of the heat. As the dust lifted by the impact settled and veiled the sky, sunlight struggled to reach the surface, triggering widespread plant die-offs and, in turn, starving many animals of food.
Modern cockroaches are smaller than their ancient cousins, but they remain remarkably resilient. Today, researchers estimate there are about 4,600 cockroach species on Earth. These insects reproduce by laying eggs in sturdy capsules called oothecae, which shield offspring from harsh conditions such as cold, drought, floods, and pesticides.
Historical notes from paleontologists point to discussions about how placental mammals managed to coexist with dinosaurs in the period leading up to their extinction.