cnn.com
>Scientists have found that the Pacific Beetle Cockroach feeds its bug babies a formula which is remarkably rich in protein, fat and sugar.
>"Any liquid harvested from a cockroach is not true milk. At least not as we think of it," said Becky Facer, director of school and educator programs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. Most people would agree. After all, the insect liquid takes the form of protein crystals in the guts of baby cockroaches.
>"The protein crystals are milk for the cockroach infant. It is important for its growth and development," said Leonard Chavas, one of the scientists behind the research. He explained the crystals have a whopping three times the energy of an equivalent mass of buffalo milk, about four times the equivalent of cow's milk.
>Chavas and his colleagues examined the species, also known as Diploptera punctata, which is the only species of cockroach known to be viviparous -- able to bring forth live babies that have developed within the mother's body, instead of the mother laying eggs to develop outside her body.
>Following tests and even genome sequencing, they discovered it was a complete food. "It is what one would need: protein, essential amino acids, lipids and sugars,"
>Though the crystal formation may seem surprising, other crystals, including insulin, take shape within the body for easier bodily storage -- and it could have potential for human consumption, the research suggests.
>Ultimately, however, Chavas and his team are hoping to reverse bioengineer cockroach milk, but first they need to understand the exact biological and chemical mechanisms underlying the process.
Join the conversation "For now, we are trying to understand how to control this phenomena in a much easier way, to bring it to mass production," Chavas said.