How Spiders Use Atmospheric Static Electricity to Fly
The University of Bristol created a wonderfully informative animation that explains how spiders use static electricity in the atmosphere to set themselves aloft. This process is known as ballooning and according to an experiment conducted by Erica L. Morley and Daniel Robert, it can only occur when the weather and the electrostatic levels are just right.
Related PostsDraft Beer-Flavored Jelly Belly Jelly BeansA City Severed: How the Draft Riots Tore NYC Apart, A Recreation in Handcrafted MiniaturesFunny Rough Draft Drawings of X-Men Characters Imagining What They May Have Looked Like in the Early Design StagesJimmy Fallon, Kevin Bacon and Chris Stapleton Perform as ZZ Top in a Funny First Draft of Legs'SYNEK Draft System, A Portable Beer Tap for Use at HomeBirdhouse, A Notepad for Twitter (Draft, Publish & Unpublish)In our lab at the University of Bristol we isolated spiders from any airflow or atmospheric electricity and generated our own controlled electric field at levels found in nature. In response, the spiders began to change
their behavior to perform tiptoeing' where they straighten their legs raised their abdomen, and released silk. This behavior is only ever seen when a spider wants to balloon.
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