Free Republic

Trillions of cicadas will emerge across several U.S. states this spring in an event one expert dubbed "cicada-geddon." Not only are more cicadas than usual expected this year, but some of them will be "zombie cicadas" that are infected by a sexually transmitted fungus that makes them hyper-sexual. Periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground and only emerge after 13 or 17 years. This year, two broods of cicadas will emerge: Brood XIX, which comes out every 13 years, will emerge in the Georgia and Southeast, and Brood XIII, which emerges every 17 years, will appear in Illinois. With...

CASES of a "super flu" that leaves sufferers with "brains like porridge" are soaring, officials data suggests. In England, suspected cases of the bug climbed to 1,178 in the week ending December 10, more than triple the 370 confirmed a fortnight ago. Flu cases began rising significantly in October but still appear lower than last year, according to suspected cases from the notification of infectious diseases data (NOID) report. Around 402 patients were in hospital with flu last week, up two-thirds on the 243 the previous week and more than double the 153 a fortnight ago, NHS data shows. People...