Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity

[Bill-Higdon]

Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity

Scientists are finally starting to understand the centuries-old mystery of “ballooning.”

www.theatlantic.com

 

[blane.c]

Horses will jump through flaming hoops when a cattle prod is forced up their *.

 

[Tiger Tim]

I’m excited for the inevitable proposals on here to build an electrostatically lifted airliner propelled by giving each passenger a pair of wool socks...

 

[blane.c]

And a cat.

 

[Pops]

Horses will jump through flaming hoops when a cattle prod is forced up their *.

And a bull can go over the cab of the truck and get stuck on top with all 4 legs in the air. Now, try to get that down on the ground.

 

[Hephaestus]

Based on work done by gallileo that everyone else has misinterpreted.

Sorry I had to.

 

[Bille Floyd]

Are you guys saying that spiders ballooning, is BS ?

I read that article , and the part where they put the arachnids on vertical strips
of cardboard in the center of a plastic box, and then generated electric fields
between the floor and ceiling , to make the ballooning effect ; that kinda convinced
me . Am i just really gullible ?

Bille

 

[blane.c]

I was just cracking wise.

 

[littlephoenix]

spiders do fly

 

[Riggerrob]

We already know that static electricity can lift tiny objects. but only creatures the weight of spiders have learned how to fly on static electricity.

So I challenge all you fat humans to lose weight.
Just do like I am doing and quit eating ... oh! wait a minute! ... I am suffering seasonal flu.

 

[Tiger Tim]

I first learned of this firsthand years ago when I was enjoying a beer on my deck when suddenly a swarm of what seemed like hundreds of tiny spiders drifted through. Each one had a couple inches of web silk that seemed to hold it up and I figured they were held up by the same voodoo magic that dandelion seeds use. I’ve never seen it since and honestly I’m kind of glad for that.

 

[Riggerrob]

Dear Tiger Tim,
Perhaps you should enjoy beer more often ... and report back to us ....
Hah!
Hah!