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This Interactive Cicada Map Will Help You Track The Cicadapocalypse
By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2013
Modified May 6, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2013
Modified May 6, 2013
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After 17 years in rehab or whatever, the cicadas are coming BACK! At some point this month, when the finally soil warms to a steady 64° F, the mysterious Magicicada Brood II cicadas will burst forth for the first time since 1996. Billions and billions are expected to surface, mate, and die, and the fine folks at Radiolab want you to help make sense of it all. So they've started this interactive cicada tracking map:
If/when you see a cicada, research scientist John Cooley and professor Chris Simon at the University of Connecticut Ecology & Evolutionary Biology are asking you to fill out a report form so they can compile a study tracking their reemergence. And the cicada fever doesn't stop there—here's a video showing you how to make your own soil temperature sensor to participate in the cicada tracking game. It costs $80 to build, and sure you could just buy one for $8, but that's not going to get you laid, now is it?
The Cicadas Are Coming! from Radiolab on Vimeo.
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cicadas
radiolab
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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