DeepSummary
The episode discusses the life cycle and biology of periodical cicadas, a species that emerges from the ground every 13 or 17 years in synchronized emergences across North America. It explores the evolutionary pressures that may have driven this adaptation, such as predator satiation or avoiding parasitoids that can track their cycles.
The Greek philosopher Plato's dialogue Phaedrus is examined, which includes a mythological origin story for cicadas where they were once humans consumed by music until they died, and were reborn as cicadas tasked with surveilling humanity for the muses. The episode also covers the fungal parasite Massospora cicadina that infects periodical cicadas, causing their abdomens to become filled with spores and displaying potential behavioral manipulation of the hosts.
The discussion delves into the details of the fungal infection, including the production of chemicals like cathinone and psilocybin within infected cicadas, and the speculation around whether these could produce mind-altering effects if consumed by humans, though experts advise against attempting this due to potential unknown compounds involved.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Periodical cicadas in North America have a unique 13 or 17-year life cycle where they emerge from the ground synchronously in large broods.
- Potential evolutionary drivers for this adaptation include predator satiation and avoiding parasites/predators that can track their cycles.
- Greek mythology portrayed cicadas as reborn humans charged with surveilling humanity for the muses of the arts.
- The fungal parasite Massospora cicadina drastically alters cicadas' bodies and behavior by filling their abdomens with spores.
- Infected cicadas may display potential chemically-induced behavior changes like mimicking mating signals to spread spores.
- Compounds like cathinone and psilocybin found in infected cicadas are inadvisable for human consumption due to risks.
- Questions remain about cicadas' periodic emergence patterns and the parasite's mechanisms of infection and manipulation.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “After a time, some of the posterior rings of the abdomen fall away, revealing the fungus within. Strange as it may seem, the insect may, and sometimes does, live for a time, even in this condition.“ by Visible
- “Essentially, it's still quite active, and one of the reasons, of course, we have these emergences, these two major broods. And so there are a lot of periodical cicadas out there, and there's going to be a certain amount of infected periodical cicadas to check out.“ by Visible
- “So these novel wing flick responses are attractive to normal, uninfected males who repeatedly attempt to copulate with the diseased males.“ by Visible
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Episode Information
Stuff To Blow Your Mind
iHeartPodcasts
6/25/24
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Rob and Joe explore the world of the periodical cicada, from their curious lifecycle to their mythological and culinary roles in human cultures.
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