Universal 'Death Stench' Repels Bugs of All Types

pickens writes: Hugh Pickens writes

Wired reports that scientists have discovered that insects from cockroaches to caterpillars all emit the same stinky blend of fatty acids when they die and that the death mix may represents a universal, ancient warning signal to avoid their dead or injured. "Recognizing and avoiding the dead could reduce the chances of catching the disease," says Biologist David Rollo of McMaster University "or allow you to get away with just enough exposure to activate your immunity." Researchers isolated unsaturated fatty acids containing oleic and linoleic acids from the corpses of dead cockroaches and found that their concoction repelled not just cockroaches, but ants and caterpillars. "It was amazing to find that the cockroaches avoided places treated with these extracts like the plague," says Rollo. Even crustaceans like woodlice and pillbugs that diverged from insects 400 million years ago were repelled leading scientists to think the death mix represents a universal warning signal . Scientists hope the right concoction of death smells might protect crops and thankfully, human noses can't detect the fatty acid extracts. "I've tried smelling papers treated with them and don't smell anything strong and certainly not repellent," writes Rollo in an e-mail. "Not like the rotting of corpses that occurs later and is detectable from great distances,."