This Parasitic Worm Uses Static Electricity to Lasso Bugs Out of the Air

A microscopic parasitic worm living in the soil has figured out how to weaponize static electricity against its insect prey.

The worm, Steinernema carpocapsae, lives in a world too small for sight, sound, or strategy. It has one job: find a host or die trying. Researchers at the University of Bristol recently discovered how it pulls that off.

When a nearby insect passes overhead, the worm springs into the air and lets static charge guide it, curving its jump mid-flight until it collides with its target.

Slow-Mo Video shows a Worm Using Static to grab a Fly

The bizarre and fascinating technique was caught in slow-mo evidence. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists filmed the worm launching itself toward fruit flies carrying an electrical char