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Nature 448, 977 (30 August 2007) | doi:10.1038/448977a; Published online 29 August 2007

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Flying insects threaten to deafen Japan

David Cyranoski

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Cicadas cut off Osaka's citizens from their Internet connections.

A cicada known as the kumazemi is descending on Japan en masse, deafening the citizens and wreaking havoc on the country's fibre-optic system. The 6- to 7-centimetre-long black cicada (Cryptotympana facialis) inhabits western Japan and subtropical regions of eastern Asia.