Chorus or cacophony? Cicada song hits some ears harder than others
![Individually, periodical cicadas aren’t especially noisy, but when they cluster, their collective song can get as loud as a gas-powered lawnmower. Professor Kasey Fowler-Finn holds one in St. Louis last month.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3433x2575+215+0/resize/3433x2575!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Fff%2F92361fed42cc9f18acd2c27c2cd7%2Fred-eyed-periodical-cicada-02.jpg)
Cicadas are the song of the summer, but this year’s large broods may be especially irritating for people on the autism spectrum who have hearing sensitivity.
(Image credit: Zach Dyer)
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