A team of scientists in Princeton inadvertently discovered that fiber optic cables equipped with distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology can be used to listen in on the sounds made by insects. DAS technology uses a laser that is fired through a fiber optic cable to analyze the light that bounces back. The team noticed a distinct buzzing frequency in the DAS data, which they later confirmed was the sound of cicadas emerging from underground. This opens up possibilities for entomologists to remotely monitor insect populations and collect data on their behavior and abundance. While DAS has the potential to revolutionize insect monitoring, further research is needed to determine if it can distinguish between different insect species.
https://www.wired.com/story/cicadas-are-so-loud-fiber-optic-cables-can-hear-them/