Overview
- Researchers wired tethered fruit flies to controlled high-voltage supplies and filmed nematode jumps with high-speed cameras to isolate electrostatic effects.
- Attachment probability was under 10% near 100 volts but climbed to roughly 70–80% at about 700–800 volts in lab tests and simulations.
- Wind‑tunnel trials and computational models indicated a gentle breeze can keep worms aloft long enough for electrostatic attraction to pull them to the host.
- The nematodes leap up to about 25 times their body length, with electrostatic forces reducing the need for precise aim during jumps.
- Authors and outside experts place the work within a growing electrostatic ecology, alongside findings in bees, spiderwebs, and ticks.