 Why have humans been carrying beetles around the galaxy?
PLANET of DREAD By MURRAY LEINSTER Illustrator ADKINS [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Fantastic Stories of Imagination May 1962. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] The thing presumably died, but it continued to writhe senselessly. Then he knew he was being marooned on a planet of endless terrors. The Nadine was out of overdrive and all the uncountable suns of the galaxy shone steadily, remotely, as infinitesimal specks of light of every color of the rainbow. Two hours since, the sun of this solar system had been a vast glaring disk off to port, with streamers and prominences erupting about its edges. Now it lay astern, and Moran could see the planet that had been chosen for his marooning. The ice-cap, by its existence and circular shape, proved that the planet rotated at a not unreasonable rate. A water-ice ice-cap said that there were no poisonous gases in the planet's atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide or chlorine, for example, would not allow the formation of water-ice. Its size, too, told about temperature-distribution on the planet. A large cap would have meant a large area with arctic and sub-arctic temperatures, with small temperate and tropical climate-belts. A small one like this meant wide tropical and sub-tropical zones. The fact was verified by the thick, dense cloud-masses which covered most of the surface,—all the surface, in fact, outside the ice-cap. But since there were ice-caps there would be temperate regions. In short, the ice-cap proved that a man could endure the air and temperature conditions he would find. Moran observed these things from the control-room of the Nadine , then approaching the world on planetary drive. He was to be left here, with no reason ever to expect rescue. Two of the Nadine's four-man crew watched out the same ports as the planet seemed to approach. No natural radiation sounds like that.
 Beetles are just one piece of the puzzle to create an ecological system capable of supporting human life.
 Beetles are just one piece of the puzzle to create an ecological system capable of supporting human life.  Beetles are a good source of protein for new planet settlers.  Beetles, like other pests, always seem to make their way on board spaceships.  Beetles are an integral part of a spaceship's waste management system.