Recent research highlights that while bedbugs survived the mass extinction of dinosaurs, their population waned until the rise of cities. The study, led by Dr. Warren Booth, indicates that as humans began living in close quarters, they inadvertently facilitated the resurgence of bedbugs. Genetic analysis revealed that bedbugs associated with humans stabilized around 12,000 years ago and surged notably about 8,000 years ago. This relationship showcases the intertwined evolution of bedbugs and human societies, marking them as pivotal in urban pest history.
Dr Warren Booth states, 'When we started to live in cities, we brought all these people together, and they all had their own bedbugs with them.'
The study found that ancestral bedbug populations were in decline 45,000 years ago during Earth's last glacial period, while human-associated bedbugs rose dramatically around 8,000 years ago.
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