17 Year Cicada Safari – Dr. Gene Kritsky
The Not Old Better Show, Science & Technology Interview Series
Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I’m Paul Vogelzang and this episode is brought to you by Feals and is part of our Science Makes Us Safer series.
Our guest today is Dr. Gene Kritsky, and we’re talking about the 17-year periodical cicadas. Dr. Gene Kritsky is the dean of Behavioral and Natural Sciences and is a professor in the Department of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University. Additionally, Dr. Gene Kritsky is an entomologist who has authored or edited 10 books and over 250 papers on subjects as diverse as entomology, egyptology, evolution, history of science, dinosaur biology, insect poetry, and insect mythology. Dr. Kritsky’s most recent book, The Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition was published in 2021. And, now, Dr. Kritsky and his Mount St. Joseph IT team have introduced a fantastic new app to track the cicada for citizen science research, called ‘Cicada Safari.’
At this very instant, in backyards and forests across the eastern U.S., one of nature’s greatest spectacles is underway. Every seventeen years, millions of cicadas rise from the soil of the eastern United States to fly, mate, and fill the air with their noisy song. Although it may lack the epic majesty of the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti or the serene beauty of cherry blossom season in Japan, this event is no less awe-inspiring. I’m talking about the emergence of the Brood X cicadas. Be aware as you’re mowing your lawn, outside on a hike, listening to the trees rustle, and please use the Cicada Safari app to help with the tracking and mapping of these amazing insects!
We’ll talk about the Brood X cicada, the new ‘Cicada Safari’ app, cicada sounds, which you can hear now in the background, and all things cicada with Dr. Gene Kritsky.
Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, Dr. Gene Kritsky.
My thanks to Dr. Gene Kritsky for his generous time, work, and energy today. My thanks to Feals for sponsoring today’s show. Please support our sponsors. My thanks, as well, to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience. Please join me next time, be safe, be healthy…I hope you’re listening today as you’re waiting in line for your vaccine, and remember, let’s talk about Better. The Not Old Better Show. Thanks, everybody.