Nature

Spiders can 'fly' using Earth's electric field, not just the wind

Many spiders travel long distances by releasing silk threads and drifting on air currents, a behavior called ballooning that Charles Darwin observed from the deck of the Beagle. A 2018 study found spiders can also sense the planet's static electric field through fine hairs on their legs, and will launch themselves into calm air using electric force alone, without any wind at all. Ballooning spiders have been recorded landing on ships far out at sea and reaching altitudes of several kilometers.

Erica Morley and Daniel Robert, Gossamer spiders use electric fields to launch into the air — Current Biology, 2018

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