The cicada life cycle has three stages: eggs, nymphs, and adults. Female cicadas can lay up to 400 eggs divided among dozens of sites—generally in twigs and branches. After six to 10 weeks ...

It turns out the best way to avoid periodical predators is to move to a life cycle that lasts a prime number of years. To see this, suppose a cicada has 12-year life cycle. Whenever it comes out ...