You are probably familiar with Cicadas. During the warm summer months, they emerge from the ground by the thousands (sometimes after over a decade of hibernation), calling for a mate with loud buzzing sounds made by rubbing their wings together.

But the ability to make loud noises isn’t the only special skill of cicada wings. Scientists have known for a while that these wings were able to stop bacteria from growing, but how? After all, it’s not like these bugs have access to soap to wash those dirty wings after a long day of crawling around in the tree outside your house.

But new research has uncovered that cicada wings are covered in teeny tiny (so tiny they can only be seen under an electron microscope) pillars. These pillars, or spikes as I like to imagine them, can puncture the membrane of bacteria as they try to move across the wing’s surface. Using artificially created versions of cicada wings, scientists could show that these spikes were as effective as bleach for killing pesky germs.

Further experiments showed that the spikes were also able to stop the build-up of bacterial films (eww), something even bleach can’t do. This could have exciting potential uses for our doctor’s offices and hospitals, which struggle to prevent bacterial growth and contamination.

The Smarty Scoop has long argued that cicadas are the puppy dogs of the insect world, and now we know that they are also naturally anti-bacterial!? Even more reason to love these big-eyed crawlies.

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January 19, 2025