Static Launch

Tiny worms leap toward their fruit fly hosts with an electric “tractor beam”

- -Cody Cottier

AT FIRST GLANCE, it’s a wonder that jumping parasitic nematodes exist at all. To reproduce, these minuscule creatures—roughly the size of a pinpoint—hurl themselves up to 25 times their body length to land on a flying insect as it zooms overhead. Given that wind, gravity and air resistance all stand in the way of a bull’s-eye, the worms’ chances seem poor. But new research shows there’s a force working to their advantage: static electricity.

At human scale, static electricity is little more than a curiosity. You walk across the carpet, friction transfers electrons from the floor to your socks, and you receive a mild zap when the electrical imbalance rights itself by discharging to the first metal object you touch—ouch. But similar processes hold tremendous sway in the teensy world of insects. According to a recent study in the