After an atomic holocaust, insects may be the only creatures left alive for miles around. Some species can survive a radiation dose 200-300 times greater than that which would kill an elephant or a man. One explanation: cells are most susceptible to radiation damage when they are in the process of dividing. Since many insects, unlike humans, undergo no cell division during much of their lives, they are more highly resistant to radiation.
To test this theory, Canadian Biologist William F. Baldwin chose one of the world's least attractive creatures: a sharp-beaked "kissing bug" (Rhodinus prolixits], a tiny (½ in. long)...
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