Scientists debunked a long-standing cicada myth by analyzing their guts
The idea that periodical cicadas don’t eat as adults has been put to rest
![A photo of several cicadas resting on the trunk of a tree with leaves in the background.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/101723_di_cicadas-rethink_tree_feat.jpeg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Every 13 or 17 years, massive numbers of periodical cicadas emerge across the eastern United States, filling the air with their din as they scramble to mate.
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