Does all life have purpose? Bedbugs contribute nothing to the ecosystem, spend most of their time sleeping and still manage to cause a public nuisance. But some say it is time to extend a little generosity towards the little critters.
Panic in Paris as bedbug invasion hits city
Does all life have purpose? Bedbugs contribute nothing to the ecosystem, spend most of their time sleeping and still manage to cause a public nuisance. But some say it is time to extend a little generosity towards the little critters.
"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris," says HemingwayErnest Hemingway was an American novelist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. , "then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."
Ah, Paris! Never a shortage of things to fill your days. Romantic walks along the Seine, gawking at art in the LouvreA famous art museum in Paris, France. , getting lost in the dark and gothic catacombsAn underground cemetery, with passages and rooms where bodies were buried in the past. . When it gets dark, the Eiffel Tower lit up in gold, and hundreds of tiny parasitesWhen a creature lives on or inside another creature, causing it harm. crawling out of your mattress ready to make you into their moveable feast.
It hardly lives up to the romantic ideal. But nowadays, travellers seeking out the winding streets of the city of love are more likely to come head-to-head with the city's infestation of ravenousVery hungry. bedbugs.
Nor have they had the common decency to stick to beds. Parisians have been telling horror stories of bedbug infestations in cinemas, the metro and even restaurants. Nobody is safe.
Infestations can take a while to take hold, but are persistent. A study conducted between 2017 and 2022 found that 11% of French households had been infested by the bugs, and numbers continue to rise. Some have raised concerns about the 2024 Olympics, which are set to be held in Paris less than a year from now.
Bedbugs were rampantSpreading quickly. during World War Two in western Europe, largely because of poor hygiene. But after a brief lull, they have experienced a resurgenceA revival after a period of inactivity. in recent years, supposedly due to densely populated urban areas, global travel and increasing resistance to pesticides. Some think that we will soon see the worst infestation in human history.
To add insult to injury, many scientists believe that bedbugs add precisely nothing to the ecosystemA complex network of living things that rely on each other to survive.. They do not pollinateTaking pollen from one plant to another so new seeds can be produced. - the single most important process in our food chain - and, though they are consumed by spiders, they are only one of many plentiful foods.
For many, these bugs encompass meaningless life. All they do is create nuisance. One of the top searches they attract on Google is "why did God create bedbugs?"
We might see the bugs as a mere swarm of near-particles that do not impact the world. But some ask: is it pretentiousTrying to sound more important or clever than you are. to assume that we are any more? The universe is vast. In the grand scheme of things, we are no bigger than those tiny bugs.
And in fact, the architecture of a bedbug is quite remarkable. They have incredible sensory capabilities which allow them to detect their prey even in pitch black darkness. They can survive great extremes of weather, from deserts to polar latitudesSpecies are moving polewards, closer to the north and south poles.. They are nocturnal and shed their exoskeletonA skeleton on the outside of the body. after a blood meal. They can go for 70 days without food.
Intriguingly, scientists increasingly think that bedbugs could in future serve a useful purpose. Human DNA can persist in the parasites for up to 90 days after feeding, meaning that forensicUsing science to investigate crimes, especially crime scenes. investigators could potentially use them in criminal investigations.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Does all life have purpose?</strong></h5>
Yes: Even the humble bedbug, which at first seems to have little to do with anything interesting or of use to us, can be made to have some kind of function - in this case, in forensic investigations. This goes to show that anything can have a purpose.
No: The bedbug is nothing more than a common pest, and furthermore one that could send the world and maybe even the world economy into turmoil if it disrupts the Olympics next year. Meanwhile, it adds nothing to our ecosystem.
Or... The bedbug may not have much purpose - but then neither do we. On a philosophical level, it might be argued that we are just as tiny and insignificant as them - we just have a lot of lofty pretensions about ourselves.
Hemingway - Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.
Louvre - A famous art museum in Paris, France.
Catacombs - An underground cemetery, with passages and rooms where bodies were buried in the past.
Parasites - When a creature lives on or inside another creature, causing it harm.
Ravenous - Very hungry.
Rampant - Spreading quickly.
Resurgence - A revival after a period of inactivity.
Ecosystem - A complex network of living things that rely on each other to survive.
Pollinate - Taking pollen from one plant to another so new seeds can be produced.
Pretentious - Trying to sound more important or clever than you are.
Latitudes - Species are moving polewards, closer to the north and south poles.
Exoskeleton - A skeleton on the outside of the body.
Forensic - Using science to investigate crimes, especially crime scenes.
Panic in Paris as bedbug invasion hits city

Glossary
Hemingway - Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.
Louvre - A famous art museum in Paris, France.
Catacombs - An underground cemetery, with passages and rooms where bodies were buried in the past.
Parasites - When a creature lives on or inside another creature, causing it harm.
Ravenous - Very hungry.
Rampant - Spreading quickly.
Resurgence - A revival after a period of inactivity.
Ecosystem - A complex network of living things that rely on each other to survive.
Pollinate - Taking pollen from one plant to another so new seeds can be produced.
Pretentious - Trying to sound more important or clever than you are.
Latitudes - Species are moving polewards, closer to the north and south poles.
Exoskeleton - A skeleton on the outside of the body.
Forensic - Using science to investigate crimes, especially crime scenes.