Story on ills of Brood X cicadas is a reminder that science writing can be fun — and possibly bring more readers

Brood X cicada in 2004; photo by Gene Kritsky, professor at Cincinnati's
Mount St. Joseph University, via the Evansville Courier and Press

A recent article about a fungal infection suffered by some cicadas serves as a reminder that science writing can be fun as well as informative. The writing is a delight:

"This month, as billions of Brood X cicadas emerge from the dirt in Indiana and more than a dozen other states for the first time in 17 years, some of the bugs will suffer a horrific, science-fiction-like fate. There’s no delicate way to do this, so here’s the gist all at once," Jon Webb reports for the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana. "A fungus laced with the same chemical as psychedelic mushrooms will invade their bodies and eat away their insides until their abdomens crack, fall off and get replaced with a ball of white spores. Because they’re either bombed on psilocybin or under the control of the fungus in some other way, the cicadas won’t even notice. With missing butts and full hearts, they’ll forge ahead with their only reason for existing: finding a mate and reproducing."

Webb continues in this vein for the rest of the story, aided by vibrant quotes from cicada expert John Lill such as one calling the infection a "gender-bending, death-zombie fungus."

The story isn't exactly viral (cough), but an extremely unscientific survey of Facebook found dozens of shares of the story, possibly more than other stories from the Courier & Press. It's a good reminder that well-written content can bring in more readers—certainly a boon for newsrooms any time.