NYC Students May Have Discovered New Species of Cockroach

A roach was discovered in a New York City high school classroom, and the good news goes well beyond the fact that no one was suspended for controlled substances.

As we learn courtesy of National Public Radio, a science project undertaken by a pair of students at Manhattan's Trinity School involved the collection of dozens of DNA samples from walks of life ranging broadly from dairy products to fellow students.

The pair of seniors, Brenda Tan and Matt Cost, are clearly in possession of very keen and talented minds. Through their collection and analysis of DNA samples that they collected, they were able to uncover a slew of surprises, some of which are super helpful. One of the patterns that emerged is that we need to be read labels very carefully, and be prepared to ask questions of our grocers.

Several food labeling errors were revealed through their efforts: sheep's milk cheese that was entirely cow, perch being passed off as shark, and a variety of Mississippi River fish whose eggs were sold as far more desirable and expensive sturgeon caviar.

One surprise remains unclear, and while perhaps not as beneficial as the food errors, an addition to the animal kingdom may be in the offing: it seems that they now need the help of some experts in entomology to determine with certainty that they have discovered a previously unknown species of cockroach.

The science project overview is neatly laid out in the pair's project Web site. Using DNA samples (more than 200 were collected) as a way of describing the urban environment, Tan and Cost found that their otherwise standard-appearing cockroach exhibited DNA that was about 4 percent different from the cataloged DNA of known cockroach species. While a 4 percent difference may not seem huge, within the context of genetics it's large enough to strongly suggest the likelihood of a new species having been uncovered.

Among the other findings uncovered by the sharp duo, according to NPR, is that they were able to confirm that their eight classmates from whom hair samples were collected are indeed human.

Photo courtesy of Pablodem, via Wikimedia Commons