The first documentation of static electricity dates back to 600 BCE. Even after 2,600 years’ worth of tiny shocks, however, researchers couldn’t fully explain how rubbing two objects together causes ...

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Static electricity was first observed in 600 BC, but researchers have struggled to explain how it is caused by rubbing. With a better understanding of the mechanisms at play, researchers potentially ...

High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than ...

Static electricity—specifically the triboelectric effect, aka contact electrification—is ubiquitous in our daily lives, found in such things as a balloon rubbed against one’s hair or styrofoam packing ...

Insects have been known to sense and tap into electric fields, but new research shows that swarms can actually produce atmospheric electric charges. By measuring the extent of this influence, the ...

Previous research has looked at the static electricity of bees, but the study authors write that the charges of butterflies hadn't been measured before. Richard A. Brooks / AFP via Getty Images ...

A new discovery was obtained by a group of researchers regarding ticks transferring to pets and people. Ticks can now be propelled across air gaps by static electricity, allowing them to make contact ...