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Aug 15 2013

How Cockroaches Work

43 min 7 movies discussed
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You've seen them in your home and probably squealed in terror, but now it's time to learn all about cockroaches. From their ability to run incredibly fast to the appendage that alerts them when you're about to whack them with your shoe, cockroaches are fascinating creatures that deserve your respect.

AI Summary

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly fascinating world of cockroaches, exploring everything from their incredible 320-million-year evolutionary history to their remarkable survival abilities. They cover the anatomy and behavior of these resilient insects, including how they can live for a week without their heads, run at speeds equivalent to 200 mph for humans, and reproduce at staggering rates. The hosts also discuss practical matters like why cockroaches are so hard to eliminate from homes and what methods actually work for pest control, all while debating whether these creatures deserve our respect or our flip-flops.


Movies Discussed

Dead Man
Dead Man
1995 2h 2m
★ 7.3
"It's like Johnny Depp in Deadman. Did he do that? — Josh compares Jeffrey Dahmer's behavior with dead animals to a scene from the Johnny Depp film Dead Man." — Josh
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
1997 1h 23m
★ 6.8
"It reminds me of the, I know I talk about Errol Morris ad nauseam, but Fast Cheap and Out of Control is the robot scientist makes robots that mimic cockroaches — Josh references this Errol Morris documentary when discussing robotic cockroaches and their potential applications." — Josh
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
1987 1h 34m
★ 6.9
"It's like the lady in Hellraiser before she fully gets all of her skin — Josh uses this horror movie reference to describe what a molted cockroach looks like when it's white and vulnerable." — Josh
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
1985 1h 31m
★ 6.5
"if I think of LaCouca Racha, I often think of Pee Wee dancing on the bar — Chuck mentions thinking of Pee Wee dancing on a bar when he hears 'LaCouca Racha', though he realizes this is actually from 'Tequila'." — Chuck
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
1995 1h 31m
★ 6.3
"This is from an Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain — Josh reads the opening of a listener email that references this Hugh Grant film title." — Josh
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
1989
★ 8.0
"if you've ever seen the Simpsons where Margin Homer lose the kids and have to go take a parenting class — Josh compares basic household cleaning advice to a Simpsons episode about parenting classes." — Josh
The X-Files
The X-Files
1993
★ 8.4
"Have you ever seen the X-Files episode with the cockroaches? — Josh brings up a specific X-Files episode about cockroaches as one of his top five episodes to relate to their discussion of cockroaches." — Josh

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