Brood X Cicadas Are Busy And So Are The Scientists Who Study Them
When a critter spends 17 years underground, it's not easy to study. So as Brood X cicadas break out, they're followed closely by researchers who must cram a lot of work in about six weeks.
Millions upon millions of Brood X cicadas are emerging, and entomologist Marianne Alleyne didn't want to miss it.
"I didn't see it 17 years ago, and I wanted to experience it," says Alleyne. "My brother-in-law actually put it perfectly: 'This is your entomology Woodstock, isn't it?'"
Brood X isn't the only group of cicadas that spends nearly two decades underground, but it is the biggest and most famous. The return of these enormous black bugs only lasts about six weeks and is a rare chance for researchers to try to understand everything from the creature's basic biological design to the impact of its mass appearance on other living creatures.
That's why Alleyne recently made a
