1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and welcome to Steff whenever told you 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: a prediction of iHeartRadio. And yes I'm still above myself. 3 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: But Samantha is probably happy about that. For this one, 4 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: because I am talking about cicados once again. It's gonna 5 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: be a bit of a shorter episode, but I did 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,160 Speaker 1: really want to find a way to talk about them, 7 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: and I think we're going to try to find another 8 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: way to talk about them if anybody knows women in 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: entomology would like to talk with us. So yeah, as 10 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: you've probably heard, perhaps from me for the first time 11 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: since the eighteen hundreds, two broods of cicadas are going 12 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: to emerge in the US. At the same time, it's 13 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: being called all kinds of things like cicada apocalyps. People 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: are freaking out about it on TV. I'm interested. I 15 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: don't think at Lanta, which is where we are, is 16 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: gonna get the brunt of it. We're gonna get some, 17 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: but I'm interested to see how loud it's going to be, 18 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: especially as someone who records audio from home. I was 19 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: determined to find a feminist topic to talk about with 20 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: this and find it. I did, as I've said previously, 21 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: fascinated with the science of cicadas, and it was one 22 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: of the first podcast episodes I ever edited was about cicadas. So, 23 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: all right, if you've heard the loud, humming, buzzing, chirping 24 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: of cicadas, you know that it is a culmination of 25 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: several sounds that are occurring at the same time. This 26 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: is the result of different sounds made by different species 27 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: of cicadas. For a long time we didn't know, though. 28 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: Inter entomologist Margaretta Harre Morris in the early nineteenth century. 29 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: Ever since she was a teenager, she had studied cicadas 30 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: when they would come out, and in eighteen seventeen she 31 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: heard one song, and in eighteen thirty four she heard 32 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: a different one. In eighteen forty six, at the age 33 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: of forty nine, she publicly voiced her opinion that she 34 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: had discovered a news species of cicada. This was in 35 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: part due to some digging that she'd done that unearthed 36 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: cicada larvae a whole five years before they were set 37 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: to emerge. They were sucking at the roots of trees, 38 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: which was a pretty big discovery in terms of how 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: cicada survived underground. Four seventeen years in itself, at the time, 40 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: but on top of that, she realized some were significantly 41 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: smaller than others. So that very year she wrote up 42 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: her findings in a report she sent off to the 43 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, asserting that she was 44 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: quote inclined to believe that there are two species differing 45 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: sufficiently in size. She even wrote descriptions describing the different 46 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: sounds that they made. The larger ones were more sluggish 47 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: and made a sound like bahoo. The smaller ones, on 48 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: the other hand, were very active. Their song quote sharp 49 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: and shrill, like the noise made by the loom of 50 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: a stocking weaver. These are yea fa ru was a 51 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: quote also, by the way, Because she wasn't a member 52 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: of this academy, though, she had to enlist a male 53 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: scientist to present her paper and supporting specimens to them. 54 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: As you can imagine, they were dismissive. But she didn't 55 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: give up. She submitted and published articles about her findings 56 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: to publications across the country. She invited scientists to visit 57 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: her garden to see for themselves what she was talking about. 58 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: Through these efforts, she built up an army of supporters 59 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: of her theory in eighteen fifty she was one of 60 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: the first women ever to be elected to the American 61 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: Association for the Advancements of Science. So yeah, I mean basically, 62 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: she impressed largely these dudes who were in control with 63 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: her methods and her dedication and all of the work 64 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: she had done. But of course she has largely been forgotten. 65 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: One of the main reasons for that has to do 66 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: with the years between the emergence of broods of cicadas. 67 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: After the next emergence of cicada's post Morris's publications, in 68 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty one, two male scientists who had read her 69 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: work announced that they had discovered a new PCs of 70 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: cicada that was smaller and thriller. So yes, exactly what 71 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: she said, and they named it after themselves, which is frustrating. 72 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 1: And this is especially bad in terms of the lack 73 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: of women entomologists at that time and now. So like 74 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: every time you're reading about cicadas or talking about cicadas, 75 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: you see remnants of these two men who named the 76 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: cicadas after themselves. But here was Morris who had done 77 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: this work. It's documented. I think people in the field 78 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: know who she is, But for people who don't you 79 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: see their names, not hers, and associate them with this 80 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: discovery and not hers. And as we talked about on 81 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: our recent celebration with Eves of our fiftieth Female First, 82 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: that it does inspire people when you see when you're 83 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 1: young and you're like, oh, so I can do that too. 84 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 1: But she was sort of removed from the picture unless 85 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: you looked deeper, which it wasn't hard to find her. 86 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: So again, it's not like she doesn't exist, but she's 87 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: not the first thing you will find at all. And 88 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: on top of that, as we also discussed in that 89 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: episode of Female First, it's you know, I don't know, 90 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: but I was reading this and I was thinking, like, who, 91 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: who else maybe had made this discovery outside of Morris 92 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: and didn't get any credit. It's entirely possible she wasn't 93 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 1: the first either, but certainly it wasn't the two dudes 94 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: to get credit for it. But yeah, I would. You 95 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: can look up more about this. I'm hoping to return 96 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: to another cicada based topic for listeners. If you are 97 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: in I believe it's like Chicagos, certain areas of the Midwest, 98 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: we're really going to get all these cicadas. Let us 99 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: know how it goes, how you're feeling, Yeah, because I'm 100 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: very interested to see how this is going to play out. 101 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: But I hope that now our listeners will think of Morris, 102 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: who was just curious about cicadas and did our own research. 103 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: It seems like just from a very passionate, interested, scientific place, 104 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: she was just really intrigued by this, which I can 105 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: relate to. But yes, listeners, if you would like to 106 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: contact us, you can our email Stephanie Momsteff at iHeartMedia 107 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: dot com. You can find is on Twitter at most 108 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: of a podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok that's stuff 109 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: I've never told you. You can also find us on YouTube. 110 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: We have a tea public store, and we have a 111 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: book you can get wherever you get your books. Thanks 112 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: as always too, our super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya, 113 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: and our contributor Joey. And thanks to you for listening. 114 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: Steffan never told you his direction of I Heart Radio. 115 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check 116 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: out the heart Radio app Apple Podcasts wherever you listen 117 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.