- Two cicada broods are expected to emerge in the spring of 2024 in the United States
- A new study investigating insects’ ability to excrete liquid has found that cicadas are able to urinate in a steady stream
- The behavior is unusual for a beetle and is usually only seen in larger mammals, according to the study
It’s not just the noise that the occasional cricket brings as the weather gets warmer.
According to a study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) titled “Uniting fluid excretion across life from cicadas to elephants,” found that cicadas “possess the ability to expel fluid through extremely small openings” — meaning the bugs can urinate in one powerful stream.
The study adds that “current models of fluid urination, mostly formulated for mammals, suggest that jetting is limited to animals larger than 3 kg.” So the observed “fluid-jetting ability” of a two-kilogram cicada like larger mammals is surprising and challenges what scientists know about “ecology, evolutionary biology and biofluid dynamics.” It also means that Americans could see a lot of strong streams of urine in the spring.
Beginning in April, two distinct broods of occasional crickets — Brood XIX, which emerges every 13 years across the southeastern United States, and Brood XIII, which emerges through Illinois every 17 years — will emerge in the same season and overlap in Illinois for the first time in 221 years.
Taylor Swift says she ‘accidentally swallowed a bug’ during Chicago Eras tour: ‘Yummy’
A study investigating the forceful urination of cicadas found that where other insects eat tree sap at a rate and frequency that produces only drops of urine, cicadas consume tree sap at a rate where it would be more physically demanding for them to have to get rid of each drop of urine individually.
Bioengineer and biophysicist Elio Challita, who co-authored the study, spoke with PopSci about the unique phenomenon, saying, “The biggest surprise was the discovery that cicadas can urinate in streams, despite being tiny insects with energy constraints due to their nutrient-poor diet.”
17-year-old cicada photographed in western North Carolina.
Getty
NJ girl, 9, reported to police for bug spray, is now a research donor at Yale’s Peabody Museum
“This contradicts the conventional wisdom that small animals, especially those under one kilogram [2.2. pounds]he can’t pee in the nozzles,” Challita added to the paper.
“Cicada urination remains in a rather unique area in fluid dynamics, where both inertia and capillary forces play a significant role simultaneously relative to gravity,” said Sunghwan Jung, a biological and environmental engineer at Cornell. The New York Times.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Given the newness of the cricket urine data, it is currently unknown what role it will play in the double cricket outbreak that will occur in the US this spring. However, Challita guessed that PopSci that it could be significant.
“Crickets will emerge in the billions this year, so expect a lot of peeing! More importantly, we don’t understand the ecological implications for the surrounding flora and fauna,” the bioengineer continued.
Challita pointed out: “By researching these processes, we can uncover fascinating adaptations and gain insights into how animals interact with their environment. It’s also a reminder that there is still so much to discover about the natural world, even in the most unexpected places, like a cricket pee!”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education