Insect Apocalypse Is Coming, Scientists Warn

Bright Side

Billions, maybe even a trillion, cicadas are set to emerge in a super rare double-brood event. This means two broods, Brood XIII (which shows up every 17 years) and Brood XIX (every 13 years), will pop out at the same time. Entomologists, who study bugs, divide cicadas into these "broods" to track when they emerge. Usually, different broods come out at different times, but this year, both will appear together, something that last happened 221 years ago in 1803. This amazing synchronicity won’t happen again until 2245, and these broods are conveniently located right next to each other.  #brightside   Animation is created by Bright Side.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Ah, summer, beaches, flawless tan, and cicadas buzzing so loudly that you can hardly hear

00:06yourself think.

00:07That's probably the only time we think of them, but things will be different in 2024.

00:12Millions, even billions of cicadas are just quietly waiting under our feet for the perfect

00:18day to emerge.

00:19A cicada apocalypse will happen soon, and the last time we faced such a terrifying situation

00:25was in 1803.

00:28Cicadas.

00:29They've existed for about 5 million years, and there are over 3,000 species in the world.

00:35No big deal.

00:36In the eastern US, you have basically two different types.

00:39First, annual cicadas.

00:42These are the ones you probably hear during the summer.

00:44Although they have this name, it doesn't mean they actually have an annual life cycle.

00:49The nymphs, which are what their babies are called, can spend up to 5 years underground

00:54until they emerge.

00:56The second type is periodical cicadas, which are a different species that emerge every

01:0113 or 17 years.

01:04In fact, this is the longest life cycle out of any insect in the world.

01:10In 2024, there will be a synchronized event that people are calling the cicada apocalypse.

01:16This time, two different broods of periodical cicadas will sync their life cycles.

01:21So, brood 13, which arrives every 17 years, and brood 19, appearing every 13 years, will

01:28emerge at the same time.

01:30This situation is so rare that it won't happen again for another 221 years.

01:37We're talking about billions of these insects emerging across the Midwest and southeast

01:41of the United States.

01:43It might all start in late April and last about 6 weeks.

01:48It's expected that one type of cicada will emerge mostly in Illinois, while the other

01:52type may cover a much larger area, including Missouri, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Illinois.

02:00Yep, it turns out that these two broods share some geographical areas.

02:05So if you live in Illinois, you'll be in for a double whammy.

02:09The same goes for Indiana.

02:12Now you might be asking yourself, what are these cicadas doing during those 17 years?

02:18Besides, I don't know, planning their apocalypse?

02:20Well, they're living underground without sunlight, but they're not sleeping.

02:25They're very much conscious and active in their nymph forms, excavating tunnels and

02:29feeding on sap from tree roots.

02:32When they reach the age of 17, they check if the temperature is suitable for them to

02:37emerge, and they are very picky about that.

02:40They only emerge when the soil about 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

02:46That's why cicadas in different parts of the United States appear at different times.

02:51The soil in Virginia might reach that ideal temperature before the soil in Illinois, for

02:56example.

02:57But one thing is for sure, once the correct temperature is set, all the cicadas in that

03:02specific area will feel it, and they will make their journey to the surface together.

03:07They'll start by digging their way out of the soil and trying to climb as quickly as

03:11they can to a nearby vertical structure, like a tree.

03:15Once there, they will shed their exoskeleton and reveal their wings as grown adults.

03:21This journey has one purpose, and one purpose only, to reproduce.

03:26And for that, they will engage in a noisy search for a mate.

03:30Thank God humans don't do this!

03:32The cicada apocalypse will be pretty much it.

03:35I know, it is a bit of a buzzkill, isn't it?

03:38You don't have to fear it because cicadas are not dangerous at all.

03:42They don't bite or sting.

03:44Cicadas aren't even harmful to your garden plants, they're just noisy.

03:48So having billions of them emerging from underground means that their noise will make a lot of

03:53people go crazy, as it lasts for three to four weeks!

03:58What makes cicadas so noisy is essentially having a built-in musical instrument in their

04:03bodies.

04:05On one side of their abdomen, they have a groovy exoskeleton structure called a timbal.

04:10When it's time to make noise, they flex and relax these muscles around the timbal.

04:15The frequency of these contractions is crazy fast, up to 480 times per second!

04:21That is so quick that human ears perceive it as a continuous sound.

04:25By using the timbal, cicadas produce chirping, clicking, or snapping sounds.

04:30Their high-pitched buzz or mating song can reach up to 100 decibels!

04:35It's kind of like listening to a motorcycle or jackhammer non-stop, or at least until

04:40their life cycle ends.

04:43Experts have a piece of advice for those with sensitive hearing.

04:46You can remove yourself from certain environments to decrease noise exposure, which is cold

04:51comfort.

04:52In other words, don't go near cicadas.

04:55One disgusting consequence of the cicada apocalypse is that people will probably face a lot, and

05:01I mean a lot, of insect carcasses scattered all over the ground, and a bunch of exoskeletons

05:09covering trees and bushes.

05:10Plus, when the brief life of an adult cicada is about to end, they tend to fall to the

05:15ground, land belly up, and stay completely still, apart from a twitch or two.

05:21And that can be a little disturbing.

05:24If you're grossed out just by picturing a carpet of crunchy exoskeletons, I have to

05:29say that not everyone feels the same way.

05:32Some people are very much fascinated by these insects, so much so that there are groups

05:36actually planning vacations to observe this rare phenomenon up close.

05:42There is also an app called Cicada Safari that maps the insect's range by allowing

05:46people to take pictures and report cicada sightings.

05:50This is not just a hobby.

05:52This app helps scientists to understand how cicadas are adapting during these cycles and

05:57what their next moves are.

06:00Besides insect enthusiasts, and the actual cicadas of course, one more thing will be

06:04really glad about this twin brood event.

06:08Nature!

06:09When those insects appear above ground, they not only provide food for predators like birds,

06:13but also serve a vital function by aerating the soil and helping roots get oxygen.

06:20So what happens after they all rise?

06:22Let's take these two cicadas as an example.

06:25The male sings, and the female loves his special song.

06:29They fall in love in their own way, and by that I mean laying eggs in holes in a tree.

06:34So they keep doing that for a few weeks until the female lays around 600 eggs.

06:39Just a few.

06:41After that, their work is done.

06:43So it's like the sad ending of Romeo and Juliet's story.

06:47They both lose their lives.

06:49And that's why the cicada apocalypse ends with a pile of exoskeletons on the ground.

06:54Now let's talk about their babies.

06:57Six weeks later, the eggs will hatch and the baby cicadas will drop to the ground.

07:02They'll continue the cicada tradition by burrowing themselves into the earth, just

07:06like their parents did as kids.

07:08These particular nymphs will remain underground for the next 13 or 17 years until they rise

07:14again.

07:16You may have noticed that I always say 13 years and 17 years without adding words like

07:21about or around.

07:23That's because their cycle is pretty much like clockwork, and it's quite complicated

07:28to explain how cicadas know exactly how many years have passed.

07:33Many scientists speculate that periodical cicadas have some kind of internal molecular

07:38clock.

07:40You know how trees go through their seasonal cycles, right?

07:43During this process, the composition of their sap changes, and cicada nymphs underground

07:49feed on that sap.

07:50So this might be how the environment provides them with clues about the passage of time.

07:55By the 17th time, the trees complete their seasonal cycle.

08:00Cicadas get the final clue.

08:01It's time to emerge!

08:03Although this is an interesting thought, no theory has been proven.

08:08While we're waiting for a proper explanation, prepare yourself for the cicada apocalypse

08:12by getting noise-canceling headphones, earplugs, or white noise machines.

08:17If you're still grossed out by their looks and your plan is to travel far away, don't

08:21worry.

08:22This isn't the first and last time you will have to do it since the next double-brood

08:25event will happen only in 2245!

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