"Cockroaches, Reconsidered"

The New York Times has an interesting essay on its blog about cockroaches and their dirty reputation:

Dr. Joseph G. Kunkel, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, notes that while cockroaches are magnets for bacteria and viruses, the roach is more likely to pick up germs from us than the other way around. Every time we cough or touch anything, we leave behind viruses and bacteria. If a roach crosses our path, it collects our germs.