First came physics, then chemistry and finally biology. Life evolved ever so slowly, first in the oceans and later on the surface of earth, till about 2.5 million years ago when the genus Homo came into the picture in Africa. There were many species of homo genus besides homo sapiens. However, as the term suggests, the “wise humans”, on their way to self-assumed stardom, exterminated many organisms, including several of our distant cousins in the homo genus itself. We live today in what has come to be known as the Anthropocene age, in which human activity has started to have a significant impact on the earth’s ecosystem.
Among those creatures which have managed to survive the mercilessly marauding onslaught of the so-called “wise men”, which swept away even mega fauna such as mammoth, there are a few which perhaps escaped their notice or were a bit more intelligent than others. Some of these are the bete noire of sapiens today and many human beings get goose bumps in their presence. Among them, if you count out the ferocious wild animals, there are a few which can be found lurking around our residences, such as cockroaches, mice and house lizards. In spite of their measly size, they manage to scare the life out of many human beings.
But it is interesting to note that not all human beings are scared of all three types of pests. For example, my spouse who dislikes lizards (a very mild expression for the repulsion she feels on spotting even a small one at some distance) is not scared of snakes, mice, and cockroaches; though the myth perpetuated by myriad product advertisements on television would have us believe that cockroach is the only enemy.
