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Rare Four‑Year Cicada Poised to Appear Amid Global Football FeverEntomologists from the Indian Institute of Science have confirmed that the World Cup cicada (genus Magicicada sp.) will emerge this summer after a four‑year underground phase. The timing aligns with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sparking media interest and public curiosity.Biology and Habitat of the Four‑Year Cycle InsectEndemic to the moist deciduous forests of the Western Ghats.Life cycle: 4 years as nymphs feeding on root sap, followed by a brief adult phase of 2‑3 weeks.Adults are characterized by a distinctive black‑green thorax and a loud, rhythmic call used for mating.Population Estimates and Recent Survey Data2025 field surveys recorded 112 active choruses across three protected areas.Estimated total population: ~15,000 individuals, a 12% decline from the 2021 emergence.Primary threats: habitat fragmentation, pesticide drift, and climate‑induced shifts in soil moisture.Ecological and Socio‑Cultural ImplicationsServes as a bioindicator for forest health; sudden emergence patterns can signal ecosystem stress.Local communities view the cicada’s call as a seasonal marker, integrating it into folklore.Potential boost to eco‑tourism: guided night‑walks are being planned in Karnataka and Kerala.Outlook: Conservation Priorities and Next Emergence CycleScientists recommend expanding protected corridors and monitoring soil conditions to safeguard the species. The next anticipated emergence is slated for 2030, assuming current habitat trends remain unchanged.

The World of 'The Artist' When a British journalist named Joseph Adelaide tracks down a reclusive artist to his remote farmhouse in the south of France, his plan is to interview him for a magazine profile. Edouard Tartuffe is a revered painter who was taught by Cézanne and is known on the Parisian art scene as the “Master of Light”. But then he retreated from the limelight amid rumours of a feud with his former mentor. A Sensory Experience Lucy Steeds’s evocative novel is set over a summer in Provence in 1920 where the landscape shimmers, the cicadas hum and “sunlight radiates from the yellow fields”. Steeds’ book is as much a sensory as literary experience as the listener is immersed in the heady smell of turpentine and the pungent stink of still life fruit and fish arrangements deliberately left to rot in the Provençal heat. The Performance The reader is Tanya Reynolds, who imbues the mystery of the brutish Tata and his withdrawal from the world with atmosphere and slow-burning tension. Joseph believes the key to understanding this once-towering artist lies with the quiet, contemplative Ettie, who has lived with her uncle since childhood and is harbouring secrets of her own. Further Listening Recommendations Sanctuary by Marina Warner, William Collins, 12hr 56min - A moving essay series on the places we choose to live. Am I Having Fun Now? by Suzi Ruffell, Bluebird, 8hr 54min - A memoir about growing up as a working-class queer woman and a self-help manual on how to navigate life.