Two ecologists explain why a misleading map is worse than no map at all, and how they have worked for years to track the emergences of 13-year and 17-year cicadas.
Articles on Cicadas
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Three groups of cicadas have emerged together this year for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. The reason is pure mathematics.
Only male crickets have wing structures that produce sound, but females are very good at following the signal.
The last time that these two groups of cicadas emerged from underground together, Thomas Jefferson was president.
Cicadas don’t need to bathe to stay clean.
You can squash small bugs by stepping on them, but can you crush even tinier microorganisms like viruses and bacteria? It turns out that you’d need to apply a lot of pressure.
The Massif des Maures was devastated by fires this year, but the region’s hardy cicadas continued to sing thanks to their unique survival methods.
One of the largest groups of 17-year cicadas, Brood X, last emerged from underground in 2004. The next generation will arrive starting in April.
Learn how cicadas, the world’s loudest insects, create their cacophony, and why people in ancient Greece and ancient China admired them.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Scientist of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
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Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
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Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University
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Chercheur à l’Institut de systématique, évolution, biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN)
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Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University
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Senior Ecologist, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor in Egyptology, Macquarie University
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Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne
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Entomologist and Collections Manager, Smithsonian Institution
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Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Warwick