Further to Jon De Maria鈥檚 assumption that both he and the cockroaches will be left standing after an apocalypse (Inbox, 25 January, page 30), I regret to inform him that if the apocalypse is of the nuclear type, he will surely be standing alone.

According to none other than Stephen Fry, of the excellent television quiz QI, cockroaches have no more immunity to radiation than any other living organism and the accepted 鈥渇act鈥� about their nuclear survival capabilities is simply a common myth. Unfortunately, Stephen didn鈥檛 mention anything at all about QSs so I can鈥檛 comment further on his personal longevity.

Kevin Thornton, St Francis Xavier College, London

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