Reading scientific papers and studies is sometimes incredibly interesting and sheds light on what the future might hold. Other times, it leaves you scratching your head wondering if the scientists have perhaps gone crazy.

We’ll leave it to you to decide which of those is the case here.

A new preprint study was published on arXiv that showed how researchers were able to get cicadas to buzz so that they are playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D as well as the Top Gun theme song.

If you don’t believe it, check out this…interesting? video showing the insects in action:

Admittedly, I wouldn’t pay to see this orchestra play live, but it is still pretty impressive I suppose. The goal, they say, is to learn about what types of things animals, and specifically insects, can do in places where traditional electronics or machinery may not be practical.

Yuga Tsukuda and Naoto Nishida are the paper’s authors, and they spoke with IFLScience about this experiment, saying:

“These ideas remain experimental but they illustrate a broader vision: cooperative interfaces that collaborate with animal capabilities instead of replacing them with heavy electromechanics.”

The music that the bugs played shows that they can be used as a biological speaker, which could have some interesting uses. This was done by attaching electrodes to the insects and the electrodes delivered currents of different voltages. The voltages were all less than 2v, so it would not have been painful. Also, the insects were not tied down, and once the electrodes were removed, they could fly away unharmed.

The two researchers were happy with the results, saying:

“Hearing the insects almost keep time while remaining wonderfully unpredictable was both thrilling and humbling. It reminded us that, even with computer control, living systems never become mere components; their agency always ‘leaks through’ as fragile, organic variation.”

Cicadas are able to generate very loud buzzing, reaching almost 120 decibels while using very little energy. So, if they could be made to buzz on command like this, it could be used as a method of communication in remote areas. The real life use cases of this may be rare, but just knowing that it is possible to create these cicada ‘cyborgs’ is interesting on its own and offers insightful information into what they could do.

For now, however, these bugs were left to buzz to their own beat.

Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium