Several years or even a dozen years, such as three, five and also 17 years.

Cicada larvae live in the soil and have a pair of strong, digging forelegs. They use their stinging mouthparts to suck sap from plant roots, weakening the tree and causing the branch tips to die, affecting the growth of the tree.

This is because there are few factors of prime numbers, which prevents drilling out of the soil with other cicadas and competing for territory and food. When they are about to molt, they drill out of the soil surface at dusk and at night, climb up the tree, and then grasp the bark and molt to molt.

Japanese scientists discovered the secret of cicada wings, the surface bumps have antibacterial effect

According to NHK TV, a research group led by Ken Ito, a professor at the Department of Systems Science and Technology at Japan's Kansai University, has discovered that the surface of the cicada's transparent wings has a special structure that has antibacterial effect even without the use of drugs and can kill bacteria, and that this structure This structure can be imitated artificially, and will hopefully be used in various fields such as household goods and medical treatment.

The antimicrobial effect of cicada wings has been known for some time, but the exact mechanism has not been clarified. After carefully observing the cicada wings, the research team found that the wing surfaces were regularly lined with many tiny bumps with diameters of less than 5,000ths of a millimeter.

So the researchers mimicked the surface of the cicada wings to create a film with many tiny bumps on the surface, and then added liquid containing E. coli to the surface, and after 10 to 20 minutes, the bacteria died due to damage to the cell membrane.

The key determinant of antimicrobial resistance is the structure of the bumps, so the team believes the research holds promise for applications in a variety of fields, from home kitchens to those related to health care.

Professor Ito, who conducted the study, said it was surprising that cicadas, which are creatures all around us, could have such a function. The benefits of having antimicrobial effects without the use of drugs are great, and the research will be pushed toward practicality in the future.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Cicada

People's Daily Online - Japanese scientists discovered the secret of cicada wings, the surface of the bumps have an antibacterial effect