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Electrifying Jump: Nematodes Use Static to Catch Prey

10/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Steinernema carpocapsae parasitic nematodes use static electricity to boost their jumping and land on airborne prey.
In experiments, the worms were able to leap up to 25 times their body length, guided by electric charges generated by fruit flies' wings.
The work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Without electrostatics, these nematodes would struggle to survive.

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Story summary

Steinernema carpocapsae parasitic nematodes use static electricity to boost their jumping and land on airborne prey.
In experiments, the worms were able to leap up to 25 times their body length, guided by electric charges generated by fruit flies' wings.
The work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Without electrostatics, these nematodes would struggle to survive.