Neil Fein's Blog

Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Cicadas and Prime Numbers

No Cicadas on Ice
Biologists Theorize That 13- and 17-Year Broods Evolved to Survive Climatic Changes

THE WASHINGTON POST

...the ancestors of periodical cicadas didn't somehow choose to stay underground for longer periods. However, in those ancient cicada populations were individuals that because of existing genes or new mutations were destined to develop more slowly and emerge a year or two later than their brethren. In an era of sporadically cold summers, those insects were more likely to survive -- and pass on their slow-development genes to their offspring...

posted by Neil  # Tuesday, May 04, 2004

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